I'm going to be traveling to Galesburg Il. in a few weeks to take pictures of the BNSF classification yard that resides there. I grew up in that area and i'ts the railroad that I'm modeling. From what i know i'ts the biggest or the second biggest classification yard owned by the BNSF. I'ts absolutely huge. I'll be taking pictures for multiple reasons. (weathering, modeling ideas,nostalgia etc...) There is a highway bridge that crosses over the top of the yard that yields great pictures plus you can get real close to the action at ground level also. Anyway I'll be taking as many pictures as i can possibly get and i just thought i would offer them to anyone that would like them . I could also take pictures of specific things if there was some requests. My e-mail is shagspastic@yahoo.com
I have all the shots of that yard I can possibly look at in a life time but I agree it is a wonderful place to watch trains and see a big yard (and engine house) in action. I hope and assume that the local police will be as tolerant of railfans on the Thirlwell Road bridge this time of year as they are during June's Railroad Days, when that bridge becomes a sort of social community center for railfans from all over. Sometimes dozens of cars are parked there.
I cannot absolutely swear to these but in my scanner I have programmed in 160.875 for yard control, 160.365 for the hump tower, 161.385 for the east yeard, 160.695 for the west yard, and 161.505 which seems to be a general yard channel. That is in addition to the usual channels you'd want for the former BN and former ATSF mainlines through town. And don't forget Peck Park (maybe four blocks north and east from the depot at the spot where the former BN to Chicago splits to the line going to the Twin Cities and goes over the Santa F) which is a great place to set down a chair and watch the action.
For those of us who remember the "old" Galesburg yard (back wehn the huge concrete coaling tower that lasted into the 1980s was still there) Knox College
http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm4/index_knx_rail.php?CISOROOT=/knx_rail
has digitized and put on line a nice selection of their collection of historic old photos of Galesburg and surrounding areas, including several of the old yard and hump. Some old heads maintain that the design of the old yard was superior to that of the new one.
http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm4/results.php?&CISORESTMP=results.php&CISOVIEWTMP=item_viewer.php&CISOMODE=thumb&CISOGRID=thumbnail,A,1;title,A,1;subjec,A,0;descri,200,0;none,A,0;20;title,none,none,none,none&CISOBIB=title,A,1,N;subjec,A,0,N;descri,200,0,N;none,A,0,N;none,A,0,N;20;title,none,none,none,none&CISOTHUMB=20%20(4x5);title,none,none,none,none&CISOTITLE=20;title,none,none,none,none&CISOHIERA=20;subjec,title,none,none,none&CISOSUPPRESS=0&CISOTYPE=browse&CISOROOT=%2Fknx_rail
Dave Nelson