The Amtrak Depot at Normal should be good as there is adequate parking in the area. Ten daily Amtrak trains, a Union Pacific local turn to as far as Joliet and some grain extras ply this line.
I've never been bothered when I parked at B-N Target where the NS and UP cross. There are some places to park at some businesses located between the northbound and southbound lanes of Rt. 51 in downtown Bloomington from where you can walk along the bridges that span the NS. If you happen to catch and NS train arriving or leaving town and have the time to beat it to this spot, the overhead view is pretty good.
Well for starters you can check out the two yards in town. Locust Street (US 150) passes over the UP yard about a mile west of Main Street (Bus 51). The NS Yard is located on the far northeast side of Normal along White Oak Road just north of College Avenue. Your best place to watch in town would be the UP-NS diamond. The diamonds are located southwest of downtown Bloomington on Washington street. The junction is just south of the UP Yard. The Constitution bike/walking trail parallels the NS main by the junction and crosses the UP on a bridge that provides an excellent view of the diamond. Most of the freight action seems to be at night, but you can catch the UP Bloomington-Springfield local during the early morning, and Amtrak is always a sure bet.
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