Photos Taken While Riding On Amtrak's Southwest Chief






	Arriving in La Plata, MO is Amtrak Train #4 - The Southwest Chief with BNSF GE C44-9W #4001 as the leader. No, BNSF is not running long-distance passenger trains, rather, they loaned Amtrak this unit to lead the train due to a mechanical issue with its own power so as to keep the train running. The electrical power (which is supplied by one of the locomotives) in the train was not effected by this in any way.


	Crossing Main Street in Baring, MO. The building on the right side of this photo is the Post Office!


	Now in Wyaconda, MO, we pass the Helena Chemical Company which is a specialty formulator and distributor of agricultural products.


	Crossing the Des Moines River and leaving the "Show Me State" of Missouri and entering the "Hawkeye State" of Iowa.


	Time for lunch!!! Here we have the Panko-Crusted Chicken Breast with garlic mashed potatoes and onion gravy with a side salad (not shown) and a Diet Pepsi, an excellent lunch on the Southwest Chief!


	Looking out at the Mississippi River at Riverview Park in Fort Madison, IA, having just departed from the Fort Madison station stop, which is the only station stop for the Southwest Chief in the Hawkeye State.


	Getting ready to cross the Fort Madison Toll Bridge to cross the Mississippi River and leave the Hawkeye State of Iowa and enter the Land Of Lincoln, also known as the State of Illinois! The bridge features a two-lane road on top of the railroad portion of the bridge, the road is Illinois Route 9. The bridge connects Fort Madison, IA with Niota, IL.


	Looking out the window of the Dining Car, we are making the sharp turn onto the Fort Madison Toll Bridge. The bridge itself is a double-deck swing span.


	Passing by a vintage fire engine in Stronghurst, IL.


	Passing by the Alpha Feed Mill in Stronghurst, IL.


	Now just east of Cameron, IL, at CP 1850, we are moving off the BNSF Chillicothe Sub (been on it since Fort Madison, this is the former Santa Fe) and onto the double-wye connector known as Cameron Junction onto the BNSF Ottumwa Sub (former CB&Q-later BN main) to get into Galesburg, IL, our next stop.


	The other leg of the north end of the double-wye connection here at Cameron Junction as we make our way over to the Ottumwa Sub.


	Now making the turn east onto the Ottumwa Sub, heading for Galesburg in a few minutes.


	This football stadium is the Knosher Bowl at Knox College, an NCAA Divsion III school in Galesburg.


	Now arriving at our next station stop of Galesburg, IL. Amtrak has been stopping at this station in Galesburg on the old BN main since being rerouted here back in the late 1990's. The old Santa Fe Galesburg station on the old Santa Fe main has since been demolished.


	Chicago, Burlington & Quincy 40ft Box Car #32474 on static display near the Galesburg station. This photo captures a little bit of a "time warp"! The box car was new in 1942 and that GMC Sierra pickup was new around 2004!


	The Galesburg Amtrak Station sits on the grounds of the Galesburg Railroad Museum.


	The Galesburg Railroad Museum's main building is located east of the Amtrak Station building.


	CB&Q #3006, a 4-6-4 "Hudson" steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1930 is on display as part of the museum and is just a short walk from the Amtrak station.


	Now on the BNSF Mendota Sub (since we left Galesburg), we're crossing the BNSF Chillicothe Sub here just east of Galesburg. This mainline is the old Santa Fe that we rode on up until Cameron, IL when we switched to the Ottumwa Sub. This line is also known as "The Transcon".


	Just as we were crossing over the Chillicothe Sub, we would continue on the Mendota Sub east, but at that point, the Barstow Sub would begin which heads north towards Barstow, IL.


	A big "wind farm" full of windmills generating electricity at Altona, IL.


	One of many farms passed on this route, this one in Buda, IL.


	At our next stop of Princeton, IL sits this 1964-built Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Wide-Vision Class NE-13 Caboose #13593.


	Crossing North Main Street in downtown Princeton, IL.


	Now arriving at our next station stop of Mendota, IL, very close to sunset due to our lateness today. The Mendota station sits on the grounds of the Union Depot Railroad Museum and the small switch tower you see here in this photo is part of that museum.


	Main Street in Downtown Mendota!


	Amtrak's station platform at Mendota.


	Burlington Junction Railway, a Chicago-area short line railroad has their EMD SW1200 #900 parked near Ozinga Concrete & Fueling in Montgomery, IL.


	DLCX EMD GP-18 #181 works at Ozinga Concrete & Fueling for the Burlington Junction Railway at Montgomery.


	This is how my travelogues are created! I start by riding the train, using the GPS in my phone to figure out where I am and take notes where I need to. I then convert those notes (which are barely discernible English considering I write them rather quickly), then create a Microsoft Word document on my laptop (not shown), when I get home, I color-correct the photos I took and start creating what you see here!


	Crossing over East Galena Blvd. in Downtown Aurora, IL. Some of you reading this may know that Aurora, IL was the setting for the movie "Wayne's World", though most of the film was actually shot in California.


	Passing by Metra commuter trains in their yard in Aurora which marks the end of the line for their service on the BNSF route out of Chicago.


	Passing by the entrance to BNSF Eola Yard east of what used to be a road crossing at McClure Road (not shown). The BNSF units hiding behind the fence are EMD GP39M #2874 and GP50 #2050 still in prior GMTX Blue paint (the unit was acquired from GMTX Leasing and has not yet been painted in BNSF's normal paint scheme).


	Having now arrived at this train's final station stop of Chicago's Union Station, BNSF GE C44-9W #4001, our train's leader, sits on Track #24. Let's head inside to the Metropolitan Lounge as there's not much time before the next for me on this trip is set to depart, as I'll be heading to the Crescent City of New Orleans on the train whose name is shared by a famous song written by Steve Goodman and performed by Arlo Guthrie!