SEEING RED IN ST. LOUIS
BY MIKE MAUTNER/PHOTOS BY MARK AND MIKE MAUTNER
THE ST. LOUIS AREA IS MY HOME, and over the course of the past two and a half years I have received countless emails all asking one question: “Can you help me get photos of the Terminal Railroad?” This guide should help visiting railfans get a better understanding of the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis (TR- RA), as well as provide an update about current operations and equipment.
TRRA History Since 1889 Terminal Railroad Asso-
ciation of St. Louis has played a vital role in the railroad operations and growth of the metropolitan area. To- day’s TRRA is owned by Class I giants BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Canadian National, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific. Today’s TRRA inter- changes and connects with virtually all
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other St. Louis area rail carriers. In 2013 this includes Amtrak, BNSF, CSXT, NS, CN, UP and Kansas City Southern. TRRA also connects with smaller roads like the Alton & South- ern, Foster Townsend Rail Logistics, Gateway Eastern, Central Midland Railway, and Port Harbor Railroad. TRRA operates over 190 miles of trackage with 60 miles of main line and 130 miles of yard track and sidings. Two large rail bridges owned by the carrier provide access from Illinois to Missouri. The Merchants Bridge is a 1.2 mile long rail-only bridge located north of downtown St. Louis. The MacArthur Bridge is an elevated track and structure which crosses the Missis- sippi River in the heart of downtown St. Louis. This is the second longest steel structure across the Mississippi
and once carried vehicle traffic above the rail deck.
The company’s rail switching yard in Madison, Ill., the second largest rail yard in the region and is the heart of the company’s operations. The yard, straddling Madison and Venice, is lo- cated about three miles northeast of downtown St. Louis. Approximately 30,000 railcars pass through Madison Yard on a monthly basis and are redi- rected to other carriers or switched into local industry.
The switching yard consists of 80 in-
bound, outbound and holding tracks with a capacity of 2200 cars at a time. Unlike neighboring terminal carrier Alton & Southern, much of the traffic passing through the Madison Yard is going to or coming from TRRA served industry. Chances are good if a carload
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