Western Railroad Discussion > The RR overpass at Hwy 4!

The overpass spanning Kansas highway 4 in Herington has had its share of RR history roll across its deck. For many years it carried the finest of Rock Island’s mainline steam and diesel power. In the halcyon days it carried the crown jewel of Rock Island passenger service: the Golden State Limited. It has even, in times of emergency detours, carried some pretty famous Santa Fe varnish.

Last summer ‘mg8711’ & I were down in the Herington area chasing NS’ NYC Heritage unit. We got a little more then we bargained for with shots of a KCS & a regular NS unit also going into our photo-bag. As I ran these first 3 images through Photoshop it occurred to me that I’ve shot quite a mix of power on the hwy 4 overpass through the years, which I offer here. Ironically I never shot a single Rock Island unit on this bridge. But with image #6 I’ve corrected this wrong, kinda…

1. NS 1066, the NYC Heritage unit northbound (TT east).

2. KCS 3918 southbound (TT west).

3. NS 9606 southbound (TT west).
(photos 1-3 looking east along KS hwy 4 on July 29, 2014 at Herington, KS)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/14 06:39 by santafe199.

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Image #4 goes showcases the ‘current landlord’, and images #5 & #6 reach back into the days leading up to the Rock’s bankruptcy:

4. UP 8616 northbound (TT east) on July 2, 2013.

5. A Rock Island manifest, with SP 8720 on the point is northbound (TT east) on February 19, 1978.

6. …enlargement of Rock Island emblem from image #5.
(photos 4-6 taken from the east side of the KS hwy 4 overpass at Herington, KS)

Thanks for looking (with a quick peek at the past)!
Lance Garrels
santafe199

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Great shots, Lance.

~Ryan

Nice stuff, Lance!

Randy Lundgren

Did you notice in the UP shot the Rock Island herald painted over?
In later shots, it's completely faded out.

Nice stuff, Lance, thanks for posting.

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

ntharalson Wrote:
> Did you notice in the UP shot the Rock Island herald painted over?
> In later shots, it's completely faded out...

The R.I. herald is still there (very faintly) in the open panel just to the left of the "15ft 6in" sign. Shots 5 & 6 are looking at the east side of the bridge, where shots 1-3 are looking at the west side of the bridge (per captions).

Lance

Great bunch.
JB

Posted from Android

At least SP kept the bridge painted!

coach Wrote:
> At least SP kept the bridge painted!

As far as I know SP subsidiary Cotton Belt NEVER painted the bridge...

That lady is eyeing you Lance. I hope she didn't call Homeland Security on you.

I see they lowered Hwy 4 by 1 foot 3 inches when they replaced the highway bridge under the overpass.