Railroaders' Nostalgia > AFT Maps Jefferson City to St Louis

Still on the MoPac. We came into St Louis on the MP High Line and a TRRA switcher spotted the train at the site. The only thing unusual was that the 3 Flats were between the 4449 and the Crew Car to simplify switching in StL.
MP's Bicentennial GP's were used. No water stop. Picked up the press in Kirkwood. 125 miles.
The track we displayed on is gone now.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/18/14 16:03 by BoilingMan.

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Actually, one greenhorn member of the media (me) rode from Jeff City to Kirkwood that morning...

You rode from Jefferson City? That's rare (and kinda cool), how did you pull that off? Usually there wouldn't have been anyone from PR in the press car all night.
Do tell!

Posted from iPhone

BoilingMan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You rode from Jefferson City? That's rare (and
> kinda cool), how did you pull that off? Usually
> there wouldn't have been anyone from PR in the
> press car all night.
> Do tell!
>
> Posted from iPhone

Remember how VERY early we arrived at Kirkwood? We got there well before sunrise, by a few hours. So,,,,,,Doyle and I got our camera gear out a took night photos while the headend was stopped right there at the Kirkwood Depot. We got some pretty nice stuff, and finally when the media showed up, we pulled up and loaded everybody on the rearend. It was an interesting trip into Saint Louis, especial starting the train on that Kirkwood grade. I remember we were accelerating and came around a lefthand curve, i.e. curving to my side. We were on double track, but were still running eastward on the westbound main, and there was some idiot with a good sized movie camera set up right at the edge of the ballast, on OUR track! I hollered for Doyle to blow the whistle AND the air horn, as there was someone on OUR track. At the last minute, the guy finally realized that we were coming at him, but NOT on the other main track. He jumped in the clear, but the pilot caught his tripod and launched it with that big camera off into the ditch. I bet he got a hell of a movie!

If I recall correctly (and I usually don't), weren't the flats stored at the MP ramp just west of Union Station? And, I think I have night shots of the stop in Kirkwood in my collection, I'll dig them up when I'm off tonight.

Regards,
Burlington John

The 3 flats were on Wharf St about a block in front of the 4449 (across Poplar St).

Posted from iPhone

For HotWater & BoilingMan,

Pretty sure these shots are from the Kirkwood stop. Think the photographer was Mike Hapier, my collection.

Regards,
Burlington John

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Switching south of the Arch with the MP bicentennials ... both photos by Wes Ridgeway, my collection

Regards,
Burlington John

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Kirkwood? I'll take your word for it- I was dead asleep back there somewhere!
The StL photos are interesting (best look at these GP's I've seen) I know the track is gone from Wharf St. Are these approach structures gone too?

Posted from iPhone

HotWater Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BoilingMan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > You rode from Jefferson City? That's rare (and
> > kinda cool), how did you pull that off?
> Usually
> > there wouldn't have been anyone from PR in the
> > press car all night.
> > Do tell!
> >
> > Posted from iPhone
>
> Remember how VERY early we arrived at Kirkwood? We
> got there well before sunrise, by a few hours.
> So,,,,,,Doyle and I got our camera gear out a took
> night photos while the headend was stopped right
> there at the Kirkwood Depot. We got some pretty
> nice stuff, and finally when the media showed up,
> we pulled up and loaded everybody on the rearend.
> It was an interesting trip into Saint Louis,
> especial starting the train on that Kirkwood
> grade. I remember we were accelerating and came
> around a lefthand curve, i.e. curving to my side.
> We were on double track, but were still running
> eastward on the westbound main, and there was some
> idiot with a good sized movie camera set up right
> at the edge of the ballast, on OUR track! I
> hollered for Doyle to blow the whistle AND the air
> horn, as there was someone on OUR track. At the
> last minute, the guy finally realized that we were
> coming at him, but NOT on the other main track. He
> jumped in the clear, but the pilot caught his
> tripod and launched it with that big camera off
> into the ditch. I bet he got a hell of a movie!

Thank goodness that this story had a happy ending... except for probably the cinematographer's pocketbook LOL

HotWater Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BoilingMan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > You rode from Jefferson City? That's rare (and
> > kinda cool), how did you pull that off?
> Usually
> > there wouldn't have been anyone from PR in the
> > press car all night.
> > Do tell!
> >
> > Posted from iPhone
>
> Remember how VERY early we arrived at Kirkwood? We
> got there well before sunrise, by a few hours.
> So,,,,,,Doyle and I got our camera gear out a took
> night photos while the headend was stopped right
> there at the Kirkwood Depot. We got some pretty
> nice stuff, and finally when the media showed up,
> we pulled up and loaded everybody on the rearend.
> It was an interesting trip into Saint Louis,
> especial starting the train on that Kirkwood
> grade. I remember we were accelerating and came
> around a lefthand curve, i.e. curving to my side.
> We were on double track, but were still running
> eastward on the westbound main, and there was some
> idiot with a good sized movie camera set up right
> at the edge of the ballast, on OUR track! I
> hollered for Doyle to blow the whistle AND the air
> horn, as there was someone on OUR track. At the
> last minute, the guy finally realized that we were
> coming at him, but NOT on the other main track. He
> jumped in the clear, but the pilot caught his
> tripod and launched it with that big camera off
> into the ditch. I bet he got a hell of a movie!

I was on the rear obs platform as we rolled into Kirkwood, and the long train came to a stop with rear platform spotted just east of Geyer Road, a long way from the station platform. I stepped off in the predawn darkness and a Kirkwood police sergeant gave me a ride to the head end, just as Doyle and HotWater were doing their night shots. Got a ride back to Columbia that night for commitments at Mizzou.

BoilingMan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Kirkwood? I'll take your word for it- I was dead
> asleep back there somewhere!
> The StL photos are interesting (best look at these
> GP's I've seen) I know the track is gone from
> Wharf St. Are these approach structures gone too?
>
> Posted from iPhone

SR -- missed this the first time around back in April. Nothing like being 5 months late. Brought back some memories. I was there at Kirkwood, and I am somewhere in that group of people along the MP trestle south of the Arch. Don't see myself in either image, though.

For the record: you are correct -- the track on Wharf St. (later named Leonor K. Sullivan Blvd., for a longtime congresswoman from St. Louis who had a significant role in the development of the Gateway Arch and its riverfront park) was later paved over, then removed when the street was repaved (I think after the Great Flood in 1993). The trestle the Freedom Train and the MP Bicentennial Geeps is shown on is still there. It is the connection into UP's ex-MP Lesperance Yard, on the riverfront south of the Arch and downtown. When you traversed that track, it was the south leg of a split, the other leg being the TRRA going into the tunnels that go through the Arch grounds and then northward along the riverfront. Those two legs were later connected, making a full elevated wye on the riverfront just south of the Arch.

The black structures above the trestle into Lesperance Yard are the MacArthur Bridge approaches. Right atop the train is the very impressive south approach ramp, also into Lesperance Yard. To the right is the west approach to the bridge itself. It was then a two-deck structure, roadway on top, rail below, and was then still owned by the City of St. Louis. Later it passed to TRRA, which is today finishing the final parts of a major project to remove the highway deck, leaving only the rail deck. Heavily used today by UP.

Many happy memories of the Freedom Train's visit, including walking right alongside 4449 as it made some moves there on Wharf Street before the outbound trip. Just awesome.

MC
Columbia, Missouri



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/03/14 18:33 by ironmtn.