St. Louis Hotspots
Grand Ave Interlocking (St. Louis, MO)
Railroads: UP, BNSF, TRRA, Amtrak, Metrolink
Train Freq: High
Safety:
Fair
Radio Freq: 161.220(UP) 160.965(BNSF) 160.500(TRRA)
Layout: UP, BNSF and TRRA
tracks converge here right next to a Metrolink
light-rail station. Action can be viewed from the station platform or
the Grand Ave. overpass.
MAP
MacArthur Bridge (St. Louis, MO)
Railroads: UP, BNSF, TRRA, A&S, Amtrak, MRS
Train Freq: High
Safety: Fair
Radio Freq: 160.500(TRRA)
Layout: The TRRA owned
Douglas MacArthur Bridge is a vital link between East and West. This is one of
only two bridges carrying freight traffic across the Mississippi River in
St. Louis. The action here is best viewed from the riverfront south of the
arch.
MAP
Valley Jct. (East St. Louis, IL)
Railroads: A&S,TRRA,MRS,UP,KCS
Train Freq: Constant
Safety:
Poor
Radio Freq: 160.770(A&S) 160.335(A&S Gateway Yard) 160.500(TRRA)
161.550(UP) 161.460(KCS)
Layout:
Four lines converge here at the southwest corner of Alton & Southern's huge
Gateway Yard in East St. Louis. There are constantly trains coming, going, or
waiting to pass through. This is a pretty rough neighborhood and is best
visited in a group during daylight hours.
MAP
Granite City (Granite City, IL)
Railroads: A&S, Amtrak, NS, UP, KCS, TRRA, BNSF
Train Freq: High
Safety:
Good
Radio Freq: 160.770(A&S) 160.440(NS) 160.410(UP Pana Sub) 160.560(UP
Springfield Sub) 160.500(TRRA)
Layout:
Granite City offers several locations for train watching. The best location is
probably WR Tower, located on Niedringhaus Ave. At WR, the TRRA converges with
the UP Springfield Sub and the NS Brooklyn District. The NS also splits off to
go to A.O. Smith Yard on the former Illinois Terminal line to Alton. Here you
will see UP, KCS, TRRA, NS, Amtrak, and BNSF trains.
Another
location in Granite City is just to the east of WR Tower, where you will find
some switching operations of TRRA and NS at the steel mills, plus the mainline
of the Alton & Southern running behind the mill complex.
MAP
Lenox Tower (Mitchell, IL)
Train Freq: High
Safety:
Good
Radio Freq: 160.770(A&S) 160.440(NS) 160.410(UP Pana Sub) 160.560(UP
Springfield Sub)
160.460
(KCS)
Layout:
Lenox Tower is one of the few active interlocking towers remaining in
the St. Louis area. Located just north of Granite City, Lenox Tower is the
converging point for NS, UP, and Alton & Southern mainlines. This is the
northern terminus of the A&S and they have a small yard (Mitchell
Yard) just South of the tower. The trains are best viewed from the throat
of Mitchell yard or along the NS and UP tracks on IL Route 203. DO NOT try to approach the tower, the
crew does not appreciate it.
MAP
Kirkwood Station (Kirkwood, MO)
Railroads: UP, BNSF, Amtrak
Safety:
Excellent
Radio Freq: 161.220(UP) 161.160(BNSF)
Layout:
Kirkwood is the home of a beautiful Missouri Pacific depot which is still
actively served by Amtrak via UP's Jefferson City Subdivision. Kirkwood is also
the crest-point of a ruling 1% grade that runs uphill from Valley Park, which
is located approximately 3 miles west of the depot. BNSF's Cuba Sub also
passes through Kirkwood about a mile south of the UP main.
MAP
Kirkwood Photo Spots (Close to station)
Kirkwood Photo Spots (Within walking/short drive distance of the station)
