From Wood River (MP 262.9), where the NS line and the former IT r-o-w head away west-northwest, from crossovers with the other lines, the DT, TWC, ABS line continues just west of due north, with speed limit 40 mph, past a road bridge overhead, the Wood River Yard on the east side of the line, to the end of the paired track (and thus the DT) at Wann (MP 262.1), where there is an autorack yard on the east side, the remaining stub of the Big Four line turns away north and then east to an Olin Plant, and the former Alton Route curves north-northwest, with speed limit now 70-60, past a dirt track grade crossing, open fields on the west side, housing on the east side, and then on the west, a bridge over a divided street, a large factory on the east side, a bridge over a river, a divided road alongside to the east, a location where a branch once left to the northwest, a bridge over a divided road, and another location where there was once a flat crossing with a Big Four line, to the passenger station on the west side at Alton.
North of Alton/Wann, the line is single track all the way to the onset of paired track with the former Santa Fe, a few miles south of Joliet. The line is run by CTC as far north as Mazonia. The line heads northwest past a bridge over a divided street, a grade crossing, and Upper Alton, and turns north-northeast where another Alton line once trailed in from the south-southwest, past four grade crossings to the 13,420 ft. siding at Godfrey (MP 252.1), where the speed limit is 50 mph and the Gateway Western line (another former Alton line) turns northwest while the main line turns northeast.