In the relative coolness of the early morning, a short 30 car train is picking up speed coming out of the siding at Machens, Missouri.

A westbound Herzog gravel train is headed to St. Louis near West Alton, Missouri.

After a long wait, this westbound empty coal train appeared after coming off the Missouri River bridge. Continuous rains have raised the water level here.

This BNSF manifest freight near West Alton is approaching the Missouri River bridge and will soon be in St. Louis.

Late afternoon light on a bare table at East Machens, Missouri.

Calm water on a cold morning near West Alton, Missouri.

With the sun just over the horizon, the H-GALMEM is slowly making its way to a Missouri River crossing north of St. Louis.

This smoky slow moving train was led by a BNSF Dash 9, followed by a CN C40-8M.

H-MEMGAL passing through flooded fields near the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.

HMEMGAL (Memphis to Galesburg) pulls up and stops to drop off a bad car at West Alton. The MEMGAL is always a good sized nice looking train. It's even better when she pulls up and stops right in... (more)

There were four new sequentially numbered locomotives, two on the front and two in the rear, on this NS train headed east on the BNSF Hannibal Sub.

In the orange light just after dawn, this manifest freight is making its way toward a Missouri River crossing and eventually to downtown St. Louis.

Elevated tracks and equipment sheds are required in this flood prone area near the Mississippi River at West Alton.

This short local train is moving across the flood plain near West Alton, Missouri on the BNSF Hannibal Sub.

Another AC locomotive hauling coal across the flood plain. In this shot you can see the huge stack of old ties piled up outside West Alton.