Future rail lines I want to photograph...

This brand new year of 2017 plan on making the best of it when I can for fun and relaxation either by myself or with a friend Windle or friends depending if I make some more with the same interests in the area.  That's the thing about the future you never know what it will bring good or bad.  I want to make this a good year.  Anyways our  next major trip has been narrowed down to either the Quad Cities, Bloomington, Quincy or Springfield.  At the moment I'm more leaning towards the Quad Cities so I can see the Iowa Interstate in action or investigate it's line.  It looks like in Davenport there might be a short line to check out.  I'm not sure what is all up there yet but I'm starting to map out thee route.  I'm thinking follow Route 29 up to Bureau Junction then go up to Princeton then cath I-80 and head west to the Quad Cities.  There it seems IAIS runs on the north end of Moline towards Davenport.  I remember a line going through Bettendorf years and years ago but not sure what line it is.  There may be a yard up there too in Davenport to check out.  I just need to find out days active and the best place to look.  I wrote down directions I will take to several potential locations.  I'll take a friend with this trip and probably others as well.

Another location I am interested in is Monticello, Illinois with the old Illinois Central line plus a museum and locomotives.  I need to do it on a day when they give train rides and maybe cab rides although cab rides is too expensive for me at the moment but maybe someday.  The train ride is cheaper and more up my alley. I need to look more into what is down there.  I also want to check out Decatur too while down that part of the state and Farmer City.   Farmer City I'm more interested in an old abandoned line that I believe is a trail now and some old tracks plus  they still have a railroad there probably to serve the grain facility.  Another trip I would like to take involes Springfield and checking out Kincaid and Taylorville.  Kincaid I want to see the power plant.  I remember it and it had trains there a decade ago.  Taylorville has an abandon line.  I'm not sure if they have any active ones still there but the line up to assumption  seems to be abandoned to a certain point.  I could be wrong. I think Decatur Junction Railway goes there to Decatur.  There is an old Intermet foundry plant down there I want to see is still there.  Dad went to take a physical in 1994 down there when he was hired for  the Havana Foundry.  I'm not sure if there was rail service or not and the plant has been closed since around 2009.  The Havana plant closed in 2004 and any remaining plants closed and  some liquidated in the country.

Some other places I plan to nail one of these days includes Quincy which I think has BNSF, Amtrak and Burlington Junction Railway.  When down there I would check out an abandon CB&Q possibly BN right of way that headed south then swing over down to Hannibal, Missouri to tour and check out what they all have.  I would like to go to the Mark Twain Cave, museum and  Titanic's Molly Browns old home as well as railfan. If they still have river boat rides might go on one.  Dad took us here several times and we had a blast.  Another few places would be a trip to Bloomington- Normal and Jacksonville, Illinois. If I save up enough money someday I would also like to try my luck in Galena and Rochelle, Illinois as well as Muscatine and Clinton, Iowa. I'm not sure if I would take a trip to Chicago area without someone but I'd like to visit the Illinois Railway Museum in Union and meet my friend Peter up around Tinley Park  and the town he lives in.  I have many plans and dreams for the future I want to explore which some of them will become a reality in the coming months.  I also want to work on my people skill and meet other railfans and maybe make some friends so hopefully the future is bright.

Comments

  1. David P. JordanMarch 11, 2017 at 6:47 PM

    The line through Bettendorf is owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPRS). BNSF has trackage rights from the Crescent Bridge at Davenport up to Clinton, Iowa. Lots of predecessors to the CPRS, which includes the Iowa Chicago & Eastern, I&M Rail Link, CPRail, Soo Line and the Milwaukee Road.

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  2. Traingirl36March 11, 2017 at 11:33 PM

    Does Rock Island to the south of Moline have anything worth looking into? I think i seen tracks but no idea who operates it.

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  3. David P. JordanMarch 12, 2017 at 11:45 AM

    No tracks south of Moline anymore (The Rock Island & Peoria was abandoned between Milan and Orion in 1941 (WW2/Lend-Lease Act scrap drive). The IAIS still runs out of Rock Island to Milan and a bit west of there to serve a few customers. This is a remnant of the RI&P.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Traingirl36March 12, 2017 at 4:04 PM

    Ah gotcha it looked like there was tracks down by Milan on google earth to a few companies but nothing more beyond that. So IAIS is the only thing they have left on that side of the river? Davenport probably going to look into any CP sub lines says on google earth Dakota, Minneapolis and Eastern Railroad off Railroad street with a turn table to the south I'm sort of eager to look into as well as see what IAIS I can catch. There are probably depots somewhere up there or I'm hoping.

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