Nostalgia & History > IC Big Muddy River bridge- a series

Since I have been shooting pictures, a favorite place of mine to shoot along the old IC was the Big Muddy River bridge north of Carbondale, IL. Haven't shot there in the past few years, due to trees and other overgrowth springing up due to neglect. Here's some to start this series.

1. June 25, 2007: IC 1033 and CN 2686. The Big Muddy was at its lowest here...
2. March 22, 2008: The nonstop spring rains have flooded almost every small creek and river that flow into the Big Muddy, swelling it up. 
 3. Two days before, Amtrak 392 goes over the flooded river. Not quite as high then...

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4. August 1, 2008- The river is back down to a reasonable level, as a cuple of UP units move north.
5. February 17, 2014- The bridge is host to a odd visitor to Carbondale, the UP MKT heritage unit. The recently acquired ex-UP C40-8's were pressed into service due to a power shortage.
6. May 6, 2014- The spring rains wreak havoc on the Big Muddy again, as Amtrak 390 passes over. By then the trees had started taking off, pretty much obscuring views.

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I didn't just get northbounds over the bridge. Some southbound traffic I caught as well.

7. August 28, 2007- CN 2549 leads A432 over the bridge.
8. June 5, 2009- IC 1005
9. August 18, 2010- IC 1039

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August 10, 2012 the bridge plays host to a regular visitor, the rail grinder.

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NIce spot, nice photos, and kudos to you with the high water shots!

Great looking bridge, pretty wild high water photos.

Impressive set of photos of this bridge - especially during floods.
Gary

Oh my! The difference between low and high water is dramatic. Reminds me of a bridge on the Milwaukee a little way from where I grew up called Four Arches over Brouilett's Creek in Indiana on the Illinois state line. It would flood like that in the 60s and would be scary as hell for a 10 year old just wanting to look at trains in the wilderness.

Cool series. A time when railroaders thought permanent.

1937 advertisement featuring the bridge.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/21/19 10:58 by bodkin6071.

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