Illinois Rails, CN, BNSF, UP, NS Amtrak and CO&E

Visit a number of hot spots to discover the current Illinois rail scene. Over two hours we’ll see, 1) Canadian National mainline in Southern Illinois, on the former Illinois Central’s Centralia District between Ullin and Centralia. 2) Santa Trains on the Crab Orchard & Egyptian, in the cab, on the train and trackside for Christmas trains on the marion based shortline. 3) Union Pacific at Tuscola where we see– 6:45 U.P. traffic at this hotspot where the line to Chicago crosses both the former Illinois Central and an old B&O branch. Watch as 4) an Amtrak Engineer makes his last run and takes the throttle of the City of New Orleans to Memphis for the final time before retirement.

More action across Illinois begins at with 5) BNSF at Chillicothe as we stop by the former Santa Fe station to catch some trains on the transcontinental mainline. See the 6) Canadian National on the Bluford Subdivision. This is a seldom photographed former Illinois Central freight line north of Metropolis. In Southern Illinois 7) the Union Pacific runs a coal train at the Metropolis Bridge, plus we see action on the Chester Subdivision. Of course the Norfolk Southern is seen 8) on the Old Wabash. This is the Lafayette District between Tolono and Cerro Gordo, including the last active roadrailers in the country. In Central Illinois we see the Canadian National with action along the former Illinois Central mainline at locations including Kinmundy, Edgewood, Effingham, Arcola, Tuscola, Tolono, Champaign and Rantoul.

It’s a wide variety of action filmed during several journeys across the state.