Railroad Switching Service of Missouri Freight Train on Illinois Terminal St. Louis Line

This is a rare video of the Railroad Switching Service of Missouri operating a freight train over the former Illinois Terminal System's line into St. Louis, MO, taken in June 2002 by a Mr. Kent Kloos of St. Louis, MO. RSM Engineer Scott Nauert (myself) and Conductor Jeffrey Woods are seen on #2020 as it climbs out of the subway and onto "street running" via Hadley Street at the beginning of the video. We invited Mr. Kloos along that day so that he could capture some video of our unique operation. Today, this scene is completely different as the tracks have since been abandoned and the subway tunnel filled in. This trackage originated at Illinois Terminal's large downtown, St. Louis, passenger station and ran via an underground subway for several city blocks before rising up to ground level near the intersection of Cass and Hadley Streets. From there, the line ran down the middle of Hadley Street for about 3 blocks, and then entered the ramp for a 1.5 mile long elevated trestle that carried it above the North St. Louis industrial district and Produce Row for 2 miles. The trackage then dropped back down to ground level via a ramp, where a small interchange freight yard was located at Branch St., just east of Produce Row. The line then continued up another ramp which carried the rails across the McKinley Bridge spanning the Mississippi River, and on east into Madison, Illinois, for points north such as Decatur and Peoria. Passenger service into St. Louis evaporated in the late 1950s. The Illinois Terminal continued to use this trackage to provide freight service for customers located in downtown St. Louis. The Globe Democrat newspaper was a primary one, receiving boxcars of newsprint for its presses. The Illinois Terminal was merged into the Norfolk Western Railway in the early 80s, which later merged with the Southern Railway, forming today's Norfolk Southern system (NS). Although the trackage north of the Branch St. Yard into Illinois via the McKinley bridge was abandoned in the late 1970s, from Branch St. into downtown St. Louis, the trackage was kept in operation to serve the newspaper. In 1989, NS sold this segment of the former IT to Ironhorse Resources, Inc., of O'Fallon, IL, at which I was employed as a locomotive engineer from March 2001 to the final run on June 21, 2004. The remaining customer by this point was the St. Louis Post-Dispatch - the successor to the Globe Democrat's St. Louis headquarters building, which received boxcars of newsprint spools by rail in the basement which were used in the production of its daily circulation newspaper. Ironhorse purchased an EMD SW-8 switching locomotive #2020 which was stationed under Tucker Blvd. in the subway, at the foot of the Post-Dispatch building. Freight cars destined for Ironhorse's RSM operation were interchanged to RSSM by the NS at the Branch St. Yard in North St. Louis. Shortly after, an RSM crew would be dispatched and would arrive at the Post Dispatch building and report to their small office located in the Sub Basement. After signing in, the crew would start the locomotive, pick up any empty boxcars spotted at the docks, and transport them over the old IT St. Louis Line to the Branch St. Yard for interchange to the NS. This operation continued until June 21, 2004, when the last empty boxcar was pulled from the Post-Dispatch. The Post, like many newspapers across the country, is facing increasing competition from electronic media. With production down, the decision was made to consolidate most of its printing operations to its Maryland Heights, MO, press, eliminating the need for continued freight rail service to its St. Louis facility. With the last remaining customer on this IT Missouri trackage gone, Ironhorse Resources applied - and was granted - permission from the US Surface Transportation Board to abandon the line and pull up the rails. The rail was removed and relocated to Ironhorse's rapidly-expanding Rio Valley Switching Railroad in McAllen, TX. The locomotive, which sat dormant in the subway tunnel until President's Day 2006, was sold to a rail switching operation in Pinckneyville, IL, in 2006. Thus, President's Day 2006 marks the very final movement on this former Trestle / subway trackage in St. Louis. An organization known as "Great Rivers Greenway" purchased much of the railroad right-of-way and plans to construct a bicycle and pedestrian path over the right-of-way known as "The Trestle." I hope you enjoy this historic video, and I am proud to have been a part of this line's rich history. Many thanks to Kent Kloos for keeping a moving memory of this trackage alive. Regards, -Scott Nauert

[@357Shakey]

Great video and back story! I can't believe I didn't see this until now. Sad about all these disappearing rail lines. When I was very young, the Great Western paralleled the Chicago & North Western through my home town. The C&NW ended up buying that line, abandoning it and making it a bicycle path. Seems to be a common occurrence!

[@sthpac6910]

Wow! We walked this track a many days in the summer at 14 y/o in the early 60s. At that time we would often see large rolls of paper in box cars headed for Post Dispatch and Globe newspaper, the men on the docks would holler at us and we would take off running. I've been looking for a video of the rail tunnel starting at he Eads bridge and ending just west of Bush Stadium. We walked that tunnel also. We would enter the tunnel under the toll booth up on the bridge. When a train came we would stand in the arches inside the tunnel ,(very dangerous), I can't believe we risk it like that , but we were adventurous children who love to be around trains. I'm 73 now, and I have a shelf train around my office wall, Thanks for the memories.

[@princetonheightsskip]

This is a fantastic video. I got a cab ride once on the RSSM operation, and it brought back a flood of memories of when I used to ride the IT trains to Gillespie, IL to visit my grandmother as a kid.

[@mwilliams6242]

This area looks so different now. I miss catching this train from Cass Ave.

[@Socoolds455]

Scott, thanks for posting this! I always wanted to see/ photograph that operation in person, but never got the chance. Was a bit of a shock not having been to that area in a few years and seeing the subway gone! Sad sight.

[@tyronegary9409]

that is highway 70 just north of downtown!! the train came out of the tunnel @ 10th & Cass street!!!!! The green painted bridge on 70 near the Stan musial bridge that says the trestle is the bridge the train went over. That tunnel ran under Tucker Blvd by the post dispatch

[@fredpohl5202]

I passed under the bridge in August 1968 18 days before I delployed to Vietnam after leaving Fort Leonard Wood Missouri to Philly

[@yardmstr]

This might be the most amazing video on KZbin. I am so grateful you shot this as this is gone. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@jameswolf195]

Great movie and an even better story. I live in St. Louis and had heard of this line but, until now, had never seen it in action. Thank you!!!!

[@scottn940]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@JawTooth]

Awesome video. It reminds me of the line near my house that was closed down this spring.

[@klbird]

I remeber riding to GRanite City, IL on the old IT. It was a fun ride for a young railfan.

[@billa1870]

Love all those sounds.

[@lcar4000]

Thanks for posting. I went to Venice and across the bridge around 1997 to see what was left of the IT. I didn't realize this trackage was used then.

[@erikmcc804]

That I 70 miss the old I t

[@vscalefankas]

This is one of the coolest train vids I've seen since it matches so closely the experience I had as a kid in the 70s watching the last runs of a local branch line in Illinois, thanks so much for posting.

[@johncotter1600]

Goose Island was still active in Chicago until earlier this year. I believe all of the street running tracks are now defunct. They still occassionally pull cars though, and I believe the railroad that owns the right of way is fighting the city to continue service.

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

@@johncotter1600 The people in charge of Chicago Terminal are railfans. They just can't let go of that awesome trackage even though no new industry would ever put up with the expense of that area.

[@HeavyRayne]

This is so amazing! I wish there was more preserved footage of the underground section. I can hardly find any information on it. Your video and description have given me the most information by far.

[@scottn940]

I took my camera to work with me and took hundreds of photos. Maybe I'll put a slide show together on here someday.

[@nikolaiblancoauttpavgcpisb3734]

@@scottn940 GOD SCOLDED SATAN, FOR DECOMMISSIONING THE ILLINI TERMINAL!

[@tempronproducts]

So glad I stumbled upon this one! One of the best train videos on youtube.

[@SAVAGE1596]

Thank you for sharing this video. I was driving a truck that day down I-70 and saw the train on that rail over pass, got back in the yard and told other drivers about it and they all told me I was nuts. That over pass could not hold a train. Thank you.

[@scottn940]

Haha.. Well, actually the trestle and its related infrastructure on the Missouri side of the river was in excellent shape, and was overbuilt essentially. We connected with the Norfolk Southern at Branch Street in North St. Louis. I ran trains over it a couple hundred times and never had an issue. As I mentioned in the description, this entire line used to continue from Branch Street up a ramp and used the McKinley bridge to Madison, Illinois; this portion was taken out of service around 1978. The elevated structure on the Illinois side was wooden, and a part of it caught fire a decade ago. Today, the west approach to the McKinley has been rehabbed to carry a bike path over the bridge, but it drops down with the road ramp and takes bicyclists into Venice, instead of Madison like the wooden structure did. For safety reasons, the entire wooden trestle was ripped down a few years ago.

[@geodeuce]

Enjoyed the video. The track was in pretty rough shape though

[@grayfireproductions]

This is a great video, and will certainly bring back memories to former Illinois Terminal passengers/employees. It's a good thing they're going to turn the trackage into a bike/pedestrian trail soon, so it's better than being demolished or scrapped

[@ICrailroadprod.2007]

that didn't age well

[@grayfireproductions]

@@ICrailroadprod.2007 I wish I knew better back then, that nothing ever gets done in St. Louis unless it's a new road or highway

[@christopherescott6787]

Very rare footage. Thanks for the trip....

[@IcelanderUSer]

It's awesome seeing how some of the catenary poles still stand. I take the old Pennsylvania railroad commuter train for work and often love seeing these old structures still in use. Or over track that hasn't seen a train in decades. Wonder if the us government had taxed autos more and or built fewer Highways great American cities wouldn't have decayed as much as they did. Europe saved its cities in part by making driving a real expensive proposition.

[@scottn940]

The thing I liked about Illinois Terminal was that it was a triple-mode system: trolley/light rail, passenger rail, and freight - a true interurban. I tend to agree with you that we need more rail transit, although as a car enthusiast, candidly, I do love the open road. A perfect utopia would be a balance of both - and I think that is achievable in this country with proper leadership. A model system in my opinion is San Diego Trolley. Like with the Illinois Terminal, both the traveling public and industry is served equally, as they offer regular freight rail switching operations at night.

[@IcelanderUSer]

Scott Nauert I can take Amtrak from NYC to my mothers house in Delaware in 1.5 hours. Or 2.5 hours by car. The car is far more stressful not to mention the stress of parking and maintenance and insurance etc. The northeast corridor subsidizes all of Amtrak and that's not right. It shouldn't cost the same to go from Chicago to ny as it does to go from Delaware to ny. That's crazy.

[@scottn940]

B bo - I totally agree. Our nation's public policy for rail is a disaster.

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

Government should have just never subsidized roads and air travel at all. Private rail service would have had a better chance.

[@empirestate8791]

I can't help but wonder how different the St. Louis area would be if they kept their interurbans and streetcars. You can see catenary poles all along the route, as this line was once electrified. The subway was filled in a few years ago as it was at risk of collapse. St. Louis really had a rough time after WWII, but with the proper investments, it could have had a completely different fate.

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

The cut and subway are filled/buried. They used geotechnical styrofoam blocks against the building walls along the tracks because those walls were not engineered to have soil pushing against them. The styrofoam takes the load. I think concrete curtain walls would have been better.

[@thenekom]

Old Scotty stole the handle, and the train it won't stop going no way to slow down.

[@friscogary]

This is one operation, I always wanted to get some shot of. Unfortunately, it never happened. This is indeed a rare video and I was glad you shared it. BTW, did the switchman hang on to the lead boxcar the whole time?

[@scottn940]

Gary - The switchman would ride for everything except the trestle, for obvious safety reasons.

[@scottsinger7806]

Did you used to work out at a gym by Kehrs Mill and Clayton Road 10-15 years ago? I met someone there that said they were an engineer on this railroad.

[@scottn940]

Scott Singer - My God you have a good memory!! Yes, I sure did.

[@erikmcc804]

So sad the old IT tracks are gone plus the bridge on 70 is now walk trail so sad

[@scottn940]

It's not even that! Well, not yet, anyways. They spent a few hundred grand on painting the I-70 overpass green, but all that's up there are weeds. I don't know too many people who would want to bike into this part of St. Louis even if they did blow a few mil on the trail!

[@erikmcc804]

+Scott Nauert I remember when the I T ran thru there and over the Mcklenney, bridge😀

[@erikmcc804]

+Scott Nauert I agree not the best area 😕

[@Cnw8701]

Was this line electrified at one time?

[@scottn940]

Yes sir

[@STL-Railfan]

What highway is the train going over on that bridge starting at the 2:46 mark? Also, was this line part of the IT line that ran next to I-170 near Clayton one upon a time?

[@scottn940]

Msk578 - We're going over I-70, which is about where the new approach is to the new Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Mississippi River. To answer your question - no, this was as far into St. Louis as the Illinois Terminal ever went. The Clayton line you're referring to is the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis' Central Belt line which ran from Page & I-170 south through Clayton to I-44 & Shrewsbury, part of which is now occupied by Metrolink.

[@STL-Railfan]

Scott N Got it. I knew that old line had "Terminal" in the name, but wasn't sure if it was Illinois or not. I think that line had been abandoned since the late 80s (well before Metrolink went in). I am curious about the things hanging over the track on the elevated portions. Do they serve any purpose?

[@scottn940]

msk578 - Those were catenary supports for the overhead wires that once powered IT's electric locomotives and trolleys.

[@naveenajohn377]

msk578 Not certain about the points made but ,if anyone else wants to uncover get a railroad job try Elumpa Railroad Jobs Alchemist (do a search on google ) ? Ive heard some pretty good things about it and my neighbor got excellent results with it.

[@correybailey7138]

msk578 it looks like I-55

[@correybailey7138]

Is it the same railroad that goes over I 55 north of Stl

[@keithcook5731]

I-70. I caught a small caliber round through the bottom glass of an SW1500 switcher one night about 2a. Gotta love N. St. Louis.....and that was in the 70's.

[@ICrailroadprod.2007]

isn't that loco still buried down there in the tunnel? also that is an SW9 correct?

[@scottn940]

No sir; we moved it out of the tunnel on President's Day 2006 making it the very last movement ever. The City had already paved over the tracks through Hadley Street, but we busted right through it. It was sold to a transload company near Pinckneyville, IL.

[@midwestgrammar2941]

What do the underground lead to???

[@scottn940]

Illinois Terminal's freight & passenger station not much further south beyond where it ends in the video.

[@midwestgrammar2941]

@@scottn940 that would be a great site coming in St Louis on Amtrak from Chicago

[@scottn940]

@@midwestgrammar2941- 100%!!!!

[@keithcook5731]

I was an engineer for the Illinois Terminal for 17 years, until a couple years after the N&W bought them out. Used to run trains across the McKinley Bridge to the Branch Street yard. We shoved cars of newsprint downtown for the Post Dispatch. I assume that's what these guys are delivering. That old terminal was built for electric trains. It didn't have any exhaust fans or vents. It got quite smoky under there with a couple SW1500 switchers! It was interesting traveling the banked curves at 10mph. We invaviably met a car or two head on transiting the McKinley Bridge. They would have to back up or try to go down the wrong lane! That grade was very steep and a couple SW1200's could only drag about 12 cars of silica sand up that hill out of STL. We used to try more - but never made it! Good old days!

[@jwslijm7278]

The state of this infrastructure is of course horrible!

[@scottn940]

In the winter time without the overgrowth, it was actually in pretty good shape underneath. Illinois Terminal overbuilt everything into St. Louis, so even for the time I worked there, there was very little needed in terms of track maintenance.

[@jwslijm7278]

I have to apologize a little bit. I do not know hpw late my comment was typed and placed, but i nullify my comment. What is more of interest that in the past some parts of the railroads were electric. And of course no time to remove the poles, because it is costing money!

[@davidbarnett9312]

This looks like it was filmed in a third world country.

[@scottn940]

David - It's North St. Louis... you're about right!

[@Emin7]

+David Barnett close enough....

[@pilsudski36]

Sad to say, that's what it has become.