25-09-26 PHOTOS: St. Louis Arch

Apart from a brief station stop on the Texas Eagle in 2019, my only visit to Saint Louis had been visiting a friend back in 2005 and although I did get to run a lot of MetroLink, I was limited in photo capacity and time available to explore downtown. In 2025 I had the opportunity to return to Saint Louis and this time was able to allocate most of a day to "stupid railfan stuff" as my friend likes to refer to it. This was topped up with a late afternoon visit to the arch, although I lacked the time to actually go in and ride the arch. The resulting set of photos cover the MetroLink Blue Line, walking across the Eads Bridge and a good chunk of time walking around the new Gateway and old Union stations. 

My place of lodging was relatively close to the Shrewsbury–Lansdowne I-44 station so that's where we started off the day. Here is Siemens SD-460 #4002 waiting at the platform. MetroLink came into service in the early 1990's with an initial order of SD-400's and then later added three more batches of updates SD-460 vehicles. #4002 here was purchased in the final batch in 2004-2005.

Here we see SD-460 #4012 at Laclede's Landing station, which is built into the western abutment of the Eads Bridge, which was the first bridge ever constructed across the main line of the Mississippi River using the then-revolutionary technology of tubular steel. 

The Eads Bridge has a pedestrian walkway and a MetroLink station at each end which allows one to get in some steps while also getting in their required arch photos.

A significant rail freight corridor was in the path of the Gateway Arch urban renewal project. The solution was to create an overbuild that would hide the trains from view. Here we see BNSF ES44AC #5728 and C44-9W #5475 entering the eastern portal of the north tunnel. 

Here we see SD460 #3016, #4002 (again), #3002 and #3004 at the East Riverfront station.

25-09-09 PHOTOS: Cleveland Circle

 In September of 2025 I was able to score a work related trip to Boston and since I have been making about two trips per year to that city for the past decade it was somewhat difficult to figure out a railfan mission besides ride up and ride back.  I ultimately came up with a nighttime round trip out on the Green Line C Branch to Cleveland Circle. This set of photos also has the distinction of being taken entirely with my phone camera as I was always in low light or actively traveling. 

As is typical my trip kicked off at the Amtrak BWI Airport Rail Station. Upon arrival I caught ACS-86 #634 with a southbound Regional, however I would be on classic Acela set #17 with power car #2022 leading train #2252. At this point in time the Next Gen sets had officially entered service, but with only a single weekend round trip I would not be on one.

Here are some videos from the side window of #2252 including racing cars at the BELL flyover and passing through Trenton non-stop.

 

At the Penn Station "halftime" break I grabbed a photo of NJT ALP-46 class unit #4600.

Crossing the Connecticut River Drawbridge, work had started on its eventual replacement, which did not seem to be making use of the piers the New Haven had built for that purpose.  

 

 

Old #2022 completed its trip, pulling into Boston South Station's track #6. I then proceeded South Station Under to catch a Red Line train to Shawmut.

Instead of waiting around at South Station Under, I caught a Braintree train to JFK UMass where a CRRC train with #01936 arrived for me to complete my journey down the Ashmont Branch. 

Fortunately there was still plenty of classic rolling stock running around on the Red Line like 1970 vintage Pullman Standard car #01617.