We arose Sunday morning, had breakfast at the Depot Inn & Suites and headed out into the Missouri countryside, going west out of La Plata on Missouri Highway 156, then south on Missouri Highway 3 south to Clifton Hill, our first stop of the day.
The Clifton Hill Wabash station. From here we went west on US Highway 24 into Brunswick.
The Brunswick Wabash station. We drove west to our next stop but found a grain train sitting.
Norfolk Southern DPU's on a grain train at Brunswick.
Norfolk Southern C40-9W 9327 at Brunswick.
The plant switcher was Ray-Carroll Grain Growers Incorporated (RCC) SW1200 1211, ex. Chicago and North Western 1211, nee Chicago and North Western 311:1 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1962. We then took Missouri Highway 11 north to Mendon and went into town on Road CC.
Here we found this sign before driving to the grade crossing.
It did not take long and soon the eastbound Southwest Chief headed through Mendon at track speed. We went back south down Missouri Highway 11 and west on Route M to Bosworth.
Bosworth station sign.
BNSF ES44C4 6956.
Bosworth, Missouri. Our route then took us on Missouri Highway 139 to County Road 210, going west to County Road 231 to an old bridge.
BNSF 6310 West just west of Bosworth.
The bridge from which we photographed before continuing south on County Road 231 to County Road 230, to another old bridge over the BNSF mainline. We arrived just as a westbound BNSF train was going through.
Here is that unknown BNSF westbound train.
BNSF 6795 East at the second old bridge west of Bosworth.
Here is the bridge.
BNSF 7581 East.
BNSF 990 West. We then drove Route UU, stopping back at the first old bridge west of Bosworth.
Union Pacific 7395 East. Returning to the car, I drove County Road 231 to County Road 210 back to Missouri Highway 139, through Bosworth to Route M, where we stopped in Triplett.
Here we found the former Wabash Railroad right-of-way that once ran from Brunswick to St. Joseph. From here we returned to Missouri Highway 11 and went back to Mendon, crossing the tracks and taking Road CC, then to Mike Road to the BNSF grade crossing.
This crossing had wig-wag signals until a few years ago. We continued east along Mike Road.
The view looking east before we returned to Missouri Highway 11 to the bridge over the BNSF mainline.
Two great views but no trains.
Yellow Creek flows into this lake. I drove us into Brookfield via Missouri Highway 11.
St. Louis-San Francisco caboose 1276, built by International Car in 1968 and painted as Burlington Northern 11604, is on display in Brookfield.
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy station.
The BNSF local power. We stopped at Casey's for petrol then took US Highway 35 to Missouri Highway 5 into Marceline.
Santa Fe 2-8-0 2546 built by American Locomotive Company in 1911 for Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railroad and sold to the Santa Fe in 1927.
Santa Fe caboose 999471, nee Santa Fe 2160 built by the railroad in 1942.
BNSF 7220 West at Marceline.
The Santa Fe station built in 1913 and home to the Walt Disney Museum which we toured, but that is the subject of the next story. From here we headed back to La Plata via the four bridges from which we photographed last year at the 2011 La Plata Summer Railfan Event.
The fourth old bridge on Anchor Road west of Ethel.
We stopped at all four bridges but caught only one train and waited there as we had a green eastbound signal.
BNSF 5383 East in Ethel. After that, we made our way back to La Plata but had one more stop.
Union Pacific 8245 West across the Chariton River flood plain. Back in La Plata, we went to the Red Rooster for dinner where I had a smoked hamburger then worked on the stories until driving the hotel's van to the Amtrak station to pick up David Korkhouse and Donald Sillence who both came in for the La Plata Railfan Spring Event. I gave them a quick tour of the city before going out to the Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout Point. Once they checked in at the Depot Inn and Suites and settled in their rooms, we went out to the Exhibition of Amtrak History and the Model Railroad, after which I returned to the Pullman Suite to finish this story before calling it a night.
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