Western Railroad Discussion > A Few From The KCS Meridian Speedway

The KCS Vicksburg and Meridian Subs, a.k.a. The Meridian Speedway, is not a traffic-rich piece of railroad.  With only 12 trains daily, a person can sit for several hours without seeing a train.  The reports of "dozens of trains" daily simply isn't true.  But once in a while, if conditions are right, the stars align and a few trains will run in groups.  Such was the case on Thursday, January 10.

Receiving intelligence that NS 1070, the Wabash Heritage Unit, was leading Dallas to Atlanta Intermodal Train I-DAAT, I decided to attempt a shot, even though it would be in the face of pronounced backlighting.  I hadn't seen the Wabash unit, so even if I didn't get an image, it really didn't matter.

I had two hours to prepare, and with one or two trains to meet between Shreveport, Louisiana and Vicksburg, Mississippi, that would be possibly be shorter, given the 60 MPH speed limit.

I set up at a favorite location just west of Vicksburg, Mississippi and then moved across the Mississippi River to get a few more shots.  Unfortunately, the Dispatcher fouled up my plans by running a rare, late afternoon general merchandise freight train followed by another rare move, a westbound loaded CN Crude Oil Unit Train.

I was only able to shoot the Wabash Unit twice before running out of light, but compensated by capturing a couple of the CN Crude Oil Unit Train as it proceeded westward across the Mississippi River Bridge at Vicksburg.

Image 1:  NS 1070 and another NS Unit scream around a curve on the KCS Vicksburg Subdivision just west of Vicksburg, MS in the Louisiana delta region with Dallas to Atlanta Intermodal Train I-DAAT in tow.

Image 2:  NS 1070 leads I-DAAT off the Mississippi River Bridge at Vicksburg, MS.

Image 3:  CN 2223 leads a loaded Crude Oil Unit Train westward up the east approach of the Mississippi River Bridge at Vicksburg, MS.

Image 4:  CN 2925 and a CN SD70M perform DPU Duties on the westbound Crude Oil Unit Train as it travels through the Mississippi River Bridge main spans.

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Last one...

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Been here many times, excellent catch of the Wabash unit. That can be a frustrating line with big lulls.
JB

Good job consideraing... And wow, the bridge sure is some hunk of metal!

Lance/199

Nice series. We have stayed multiple times in the casino RV park there and the westbound trains come roaring by to make that grade up from the river valley.

BB

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Very nice shots. We stopped at the Vicksburg visitor center at the east end of the bridge last summer on our way home from Texas. Wish I could have caught a train coming.

Kim Heusel

Nice work!

Tom Kline
Houston, TX

Great photos from an area we don't see that often here on TO. The bridge shots are outstanding. Got to be an IOTD in there somewhere!
Thanks for your efforts on a line thAt sees few trains!!!
NSSpike

Phil Maton
Villa Rica, GA

Nice work.

I like Pic 2!!

Vicksburg, I second Phil Maton's comment. 

Paul Brennecke
Golden, CO

Great shot of the Wabash Heritage unit on the Vicksburg bridge! === === = === JLH

That bridge as well as the sharp curve just east is a major bottle neck on the "Speedway" as the speed is 10 mph both across the long bridge and around the curve to the east. But what a great view from the visitor center. The excellent concrete arch bridge along the Speedway is just eight miles east at Bovina. Very accessable as you can drive under it on a good dirt road.
JB

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3rdswitch Wrote:
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> That bridge as well as the sharp curve just eastv is a major bottle neck on the "Speedway" as thevspeed is 10 mph both across the long bridge and around the curve to the east.

That's true, but since traffic is so low, there really aren't any bottlenecks.  Seeing more than one train every 5 hours is considered busy.

>The excellent concrete arch bridge along the Speedway is just eight miles east at Bovina. Very accessable as you can drive under it on a good dirt road.

It is an excellent location for sure, but flooding on the Big Black River frequently closes and washes out the roadway.  I avoid going there during deer season since hunters like to dump entrails and carcasses of their kills there.  Quite nasty with lots of buzzards to contend with.  Millenials like to repel off the bridge like it is some sort of ritual monolith that must be conquered, never considering the railroad traffic that passes overhead.  Eastbound trains approach nearly silently, creating the potential for a tragedy.