UP Spine Line south of Des Moines

Thrown adrift after the Rock Island went out of business in March of 1980, the Rock Island’s 429 mile long Twin Cities to Kansas City line known as the Spine Line was first leased and then acquired by the Chicago & North Western in 1983. Today this line is owned and operated by Union Pacific. UP calls the track between Des Moines and Sheffield, just outside of Kansas City where trains get onto the Kansas City Terminal, their Trenton Subdivision. UP uses this line in conjunction with the former Missouri Pacific Falls City Subdivision along the Missouri River between Omaha and Kansas City in a modified directional running operation. Most of the heavier southbounds use the Trenton Sub while most northbounds use the Falls City Sub. This program shows the trains and operations including a couple of DM&E trains on UP’s Spine Line between Allerton, south of Des Moines and the UP – Dakota, Minnesota, and Eastern joint track north of Kansas City for three days and one night in June of 2011. “UP Spine Line south of Des Moines” is 59 minutes in length and sells for $30.95 plus $5 for S&H.  This DVD can be watched with or without narration.