Train-watching locations in Springfield?

I am planning a trip to Springfield, IL in a few weeks. What good train-watching locations are there and how do I get to them? What areas are suitable for railfanning? I know all about Starnes Tower. Are there are remains of the IT there? Are there any towers remaining in town?

How do you get to Starne Jct?

After visiting Springfield, I ws amazed at all the junctions still intact in that city. Starne is down to one diamond with all the IT trackage gone. Shops Jct. is where the Wabash and C&IM cross by the baseball field. Shops tower is still standing and does anyone know when it was closed? I also went to Ridgely Tower where the C&IM crosses the GM&O main. Is that tower still used by the railroad? At Illes Rd. on the south side of town, the NS merges up with the GM&O main and runs with it on a 3-track stretch for about a mile before breaking off at Hazledel Jct. When was that trackage realligned?

>I also went to Ridgely Tower where the C&IM crosses the GM&O main. >Is that tower still used by the railroad?

Yes.

>At Illes Rd. on the south side of town, the NS merges up with the GM&O >main and runs with it on a 3-track stretch for about a mile before >breaking off at Hazledel Jct. When was that trackage realligned?

1993-1994

Thanks for the info on Illes. Was Illes Tower closed at the same time? When was Shops Tower closed?

I think Iles was closed at the time of the reconfiguration but I'm not sure about Shops Tower.

DPJ

Iles was torn down as part of the railroad relocation project that was completed back in October of 1994.

Ridgely Tower, amazingly enough, is still in operation in 2008! I can't figure out why the UP won't close it, but they haven't. Unfortunately, however, Ridgley just recently lost its classy color position light signals and the ex-Alton signal bridge north of the tower.

The IC's Avenue Tower also made it into the early 1990's. It was still in operation when I moved to town in 1992. I believe it was torn down in either 1994 or 1995.

As far as I know, the former C&IM Shops Tower has been closed for a long time. I wouldn't doubt that its been closed since the late 1970's or 1980's. The I&M dispatcher now controls the interlocking. It does still house electronic equipment for the interlocking and the I&M recently fixed the building roof and eaves.

I am here in Springfield for the summer doing an internship, and have been able to watch trains on the NS line and of course seen various Amtrak trains throughout the day. I also got to see a UP powered train full of hoppers go past a Sliders game Monday night. When can I see UP on their GMO trackage and when does IC/CN come into town? I've also never seen any movement on the KCS line or the I&M line when are they moving around at night sometime?

I'm not sure when either the CN or I&M. UP Runs 2 manifest "road" trains through there a day, trains these trains run between East Saint Louis & Bloomington. The best bet to get a better hold on the operations on railroads through that area[or anywhere] would be to go buy your self a programmable radio frequency scanner, the most basic model will do for monitoring railroads. If You decide to, send Me a message and I'll give you the frequencies You'll need for that area.

Thank you very much, if I can find a good deal on one I'll probibly do that.

I know that Radio Shack makes a model for about $100.00, I recently checked it out a local store here and it looks pretty good. It will do fine for the railroads and for monitoring fire & police radio systems that don't use a "trunk" type radio operation if that would be of interest to You for monitoring, otherwise it and any basic model "hand-held" or "Base" scanner will do fine for just monitoring railroads. The railroads will eventually go all digital but I think that is not coming any time real soon.

I will help You get the railroad frequencies for where ever You normally live when not in the Springfield area.

Since I havent lived in town long ,Where was Avenue Tower located??

Not sure where Avenue tower was, not even sure if it is gone. I don't live in Springfield and have not been there in about 7 years. I mostly know about the basic operations of the railroads through the area, radio frequencies etc.

Avenue Tower was located where the C&IM and IC connected south of Shops Yard. A CTC control point named "Avenue" still exists on the CN. The original interlocking was much more complicated, with a line running west towards the IC station downtown on Madison Street, that has been ripped up for some time. This trackage was also used by B&O freights running to/from Decatur, Beardstown, and Flora, IL. The B&O had trackage rights on the C&IM to reach the joint GM&O/B&O yard at Ridgely (this was a legacy of the B&O's one time ownership of the Alton).

The tower was torn down some time between 1993 and 1995. It was located just north of the intersection of 19th and E. Washington. You can get a good view of the location by driving west on Clear Lake Avenue. There's a large overpass where the road crosses over the I&M/CN Jct. switch.