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Basic
Railfanning Information
The Union Pacific (former Chicago and NorthWestern) Overland Route is
known as the Clinton and Boone Subdivisions and sees about 70 trains a day. Activity is
fairly regular throughout the day with a rush of trains around 8pm until
11pm and then a lull until 2am when activity picks up again. The
Spine Line (aka Short Line) is known as the Mason City Subdivision and
sees about 20 trains a day and the line north from Ames to Eagle Grove is
known as the Jewell Subdivision and sees about 2-4 trains a day.
To get to the Ames area take I-35 and exit at the
Ames/Nevada exit 111. For locations Ames/Dayton Ave. and points west, take
U.S. 30 west. For Ames Yard West and points east exit U.S. 30 east.
We provide information on 30 various locations over
approximately 60 miles of track to visit. There are of course many more
rural grade crossings across these many lines that are equally interesting
to visit.
Frequencies
E-W Main Road Channel, Dispatcher 19, 160.890
Spine Line Road Channel Des Moines North, 160.845
Jewell Branch, Iowa Branch Dispatcher, 161.175
Boone Yard, 160.575
UP Maintenance, 160.455
Hotspots
There
are three sections on this map. East of Ames and Spine Line (Colo-Dayton
Ave. and Cambridge to Fernald on the Spine), Ames and Jewell Sub (Duff
Ave. to ISU Campus and north to Jewell), and West of Ames (Minnesota Ave.
to Kate Shelley Bridge). Pick a section for more detailed information on
locations. Areas in gray are not covered.
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