Amtrak Slams The Diamond, Union Pacific Local Knocks Down The Signal, RR Diamonds In Bloomington Ill

Railroad Diamond Action In Bloomington, Illinois On Union Pacific Railroad & 4 Amtrak Trains Including New Paint Scheme! Local Switcher Doing Railroad Switching On The Grain Spur Knocks Down The Signal, ( Drops To Red ) & Over Head View Of Long Intermodal Train Slamming The Railroad Diamond. This Park Is Right Where 3 Railroad Lines Come Together At The Railroad Yard. Bike Trail Goes Right Over The Track With A Perfect View Of The Diamond.
Busy Railroad Diamond In Illinois. I got 4 Amtrak trains passing through here, I got a local switcher reversing down a grain elevator spur and returning long hood forward. I also caught a long intermodal train going over the railroad diamond and under me. Check out that awesome view that was filmed from a bridge over the track. The bridge is on a bike trail. I show the bridge up close, the bike trail and the park. This is my first time to ever be in Bloomington, Illinois. I spent the night here after filming a couple days in Iowa. See my videos of the Empress steam locomotive with the Final Spike Steam Tour on the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Southern Railway.
Check out the old railroad signals in this video. I was able to get them changing on video as the train passed. I stopped here as an impulse on the way home. I was getting sleepy and noticed a railroad diamond on the map so I got a motel and checked out the diamond the next day which is at a park in the city. This park is a perfect place for railfans. The only issue is parking. The only available parking is on street parking in front of peoples homes. There are a few spots in front of a couple of businesses by the railroad crossing but I think they had a two hour limit. After looking at the maps of the area again I think the old train station used to be on the park side of the railroad instead of across the road. I had to figure out my directions.
Also, the line that goes under the pedestrian/bike trail bridge has concrete cross ties while the other tracks have wooden ties. God blessed me with some great timing on the trains, putting me in the right spots at the right times and I pass this fortune on to my viewers for viewing pleasure.

Filmed Tuesday, July 2, 2024 in 1080p with 60fps. Thanks for watching!
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[TI]

I love it when a bike trail intersects with RR tracks. I get to enjoy multiple hobbies at once. Bikes, trains and video/photography make for a good day.

[dwilcoxx]

JT, I live near Bloomington and welcome you to our community. You made a great video. I apologize for the two (NOT outstanding) citizens who blocked your truck. Bloomington does have a rich rail history. You mentioned the grain elevators north of the bike trail bridge. It was the location for the Alton railroad yard and repair shops. In those repair shops they repaired and maintained steam powered locomotives. Over a century ago that area of town was pristine due to Alton being the largest employer and there was other manufacturing businesses in the area. Including the original Location for the Beich Candy Factory that was located within 200 yards of where you made your recordings. During those years that area of town had the best Mom and pop neighborhood grocery stores. Also, that was the area of town that had the best meats in these mom and pop shops. Back then it was the heart of Bloomington’s middle-class neighborhoods…. Keep up the good work.

[cuummie]

Mr JT, i am familiair with those diamonds in Amsterdam...being a retired Tramdriver, i've drove over those things thousends of times during my almost 40 years on the job.
When i was younger (turn 63 on august 9th) i went twice on a Amtrak train from DC Union Station (beautifull) to Orlando, having my own roomette...what a experience it was.
I hope to do it once again but a different route.
Thank you for the video, i loved watching it in Amsterdam Europe.
With regards Aad Stalenhoef

[beulahpowell]

Good Morning Mr JT! You made our morning 🌄. Love these trains.😊

[garymiller]

Thank you for the video, my friend! I enjoyed the AmTrak, intermodal, and spotter trains. It was a nice look at the Bloomington park, also. I love seeing your pets, too. 😃 Thank you so much for putting Bradi in another clip! She seems to be such a sweetheart. This was another spectacular video, JT! Thank you again. 😃😃😃😃😃😃❤❤❤❤❤❤

[belgarion]

Another Bloomington resident here! Cool video! You can see the steeple of my church as you're facing the grain elevator in this.

Great shots of Lincoln Service!

[ybsrppo]

Fine 👌. ❤🐴🐈🐕, o and trains too . thanks J.T.

[Rickybnsf]

Fun Fact: the Union Pacific line you see most of the trains on is actually a former Illinois Central mainline between Chicago and St. Louis. IC sold the line to Southern Pacific. So you saw Union Pacific trains instead of CN. It's actually still owned by CN between Joliet, IL and Chicago.

To answer your (unasked) question, J.T. Bloomington is actually one of the safer places in Illinois. It is a college town though 😕 Plus that signal you're asking about was installed by Union Pacific.

I want to go here now!

[jasonkarun]

The UP line (Joliet sub) was rebuilt within the last 10 years to support the high-speed service from CHI to STL. All the signals at those diamonds were replaced when that happened (I assume because the line was upgraded to PTC). The short local you saw serves a mill at the end of that track and the line ends there (it was abandoned beyond there in the 80s). The other line running parallel to the pedestrian bridge is NS and runs between East Peoria IL to Decatur, IL, and it also serves the Rivian EV plant on the NW side of town. The interchange track with the derail goes to the AgRail facility which is on the opposite side of the UP yard. AgRail, which has some neat vintage power on site (an ex-Guilford GP9 and recently a GP20), can be served by the NS or UP, I believe. Neat catch with the lunar signal. I've never seen that lined before. It's also always been a mystery to me why the NS line diamond signals have two heads; I've only ever seen it lined green-over-red, and before the UP line was upgraded it was a single head. As for the Amtraks - they stop a few miles to the north (other side of the yard) in uptown Normal, IL at an intermodal transportation center. I enjoy your videos...keep em coming.

[brianmoir]

Looking forward to watching 👀 thanks for another awesome video JT have a great day Sir from Scotland 😊

[beulahpowell]

Beautiful view from the bridge. Just awesome 👍 Thanks for another interesting video and love your fur babies. Have a blessed day Mr JT❤😊

[RichardSmith-rfpw]

I love trains every since I was a kid enjoy watching your videos

[RodrigoSousaFerrovias]

Wonderful video my dear friend, have a nice day! Greetings from Brasil 🇧🇷

[johnupton]

Some info for you. The pedestrian bridge you filmed from used to be a city street which had an upper level entrance to the Bloomington Station. The building sat where the park is now, the sloping ramp you ran down would have been in the station. The track under the pedestrian bridge was the old Gulf, Mobile & Ohio line which originally had double track at this location. The cross track at the diamond used to be a quad-diamond which Norfolk Southern (Nickel Plate) and NYC (P&E). Also, the train backing around the corner was serving a Cargill grain processing plant a short distance from where you filmed. They have several tracks, sort of a mini-yard and that where the covered hoppers were going. The main Amtrak station is now in Normal, Illinois which is several miles north from where you filmed. The track was upgraded to concrete ties in preparation for high-speed rail coming thru the area. I've commented on your site before. I'm from Bloomington and have watched trains off and on for decades.

[paulbergen]

For some people this is like visiting the Holy Grail. Sacred Central Illinois home of US Hwy 66. The area that the late Dave Ingles of trains covered. Steak & Shake restaurants. Even the park pays homage to the old Alton route with its name which had a lot of influence from the B&O and many of the signals like you see at Deshler were common out here. Of course later it was the Gulf Mobile & Ohio and if you were here 50 years ago that would have been an Amtrak French turbo train. In the interest of safety all Crossings have Gates covering the angles as this is one of the midwestern high-speed lines that can get over 100 mph in some areas. Today is National Ice Cream Day so treat yourself later on and a special hello to Brandy who has relaxing down pat

[williamsantangelo]

Jaw Tooth Kool I Say! Thank You for all! Time well spent indeed!

[thomasmackowiak]

I enjoyed this video of the trains that you captured in Bloomington, Illinois on 2 July 2024, Jaw Tooth! Bloomington, Illinois and Normal, Illinois are twin towns in this area. Amtrak stops at the station in Normal, Illinois which is in a northeasterly direction from where you were. Normal, Illinois is the home of Illinois State University. Illinois State University was founded in 1857. Its original name was Illinois State Normal University. The name of the park, Alton Depot Park, is the main clue as to what railroad originally built the track that has concrete ties. This line was originally built by the Chicago & Alton Railroad from Chicago, Illinois to Springfield, Illinois. This line runs from Chicago, Illinois to St. Louis, Missouri. Chicago & Alton eventually became the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio. In the early 1970s, Illinois Central Railroad merged with GM&O to form the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. In 1987 Illinois Central Gulf sold off the former GM&O line that went from Roundhouse, Illinois to Kansas City, Missouri to the Chicago, Missouri & Western Railway. CW & W was also given trackage rights from Roundhouse, Illinois to Joliet, Illinois. In 1989 Chicago, Missouri & Western went bankrupt and Southern Pacific acquired 223 miles of CM&W which also allowed the Southern Pacific to have trackage rights over the Illinois Central Gulf into Chicago, Illinois. The 223 miles that Southern Pacific acquired in 1989 allowed it to run from Joliet, Illinois to St. Louis, Missouri. In 1996 the Union Pacific acquired the Southern Pacific. That is why Union Pacific trains now run on this line. One reason for the concrete ties on this line that this line is supposed to be a high-speed rail line from Chicago, Illinois to St. Louis, Missouri with speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour. I have been trying to figure out who owns the railroad track that crosses the Chicago to St. Louis line. The line may have originally been built by the Peoria & Eastern Railroad which eventually became part of the New York Cental. However, I Iv do not know who currently owns this line. (Posted 21 July 2024 at 1529 CDT.)

[Carolb]

Awesome JT! those diamonds sound fab, love the colours on the Amtrak. I like those houses that back onto the tracks very nice I could live there. Intermodels look awesome when viewing them from the top of the Bridge. That was a good one JT. What a great spot you found there. Really intersting place for railfans loved the old signals with the ladders. Be careful running fast in that heat JT but you got the backwards train with conductor riding the back & UP Loco that was cool. Yes it needs a viewing area & car park. You were lucky getting that Amtrsk slamming the diamonds yes god was looking down on you for luck! Loved it JT. ❤😊👍👍👍

[MrOkkelly]

You brought back lots of memories today I used to be a conductor on that line from 1971 to 1988

[d.c.]

My favorite rail fanning show on you tube!