From the junction between the line northeast towards Omaha and the line south-southeast towards McFarland, at Belleville Junction (east of MP 226.1), the latter heads just north of due east, single track, maximum speed 30 mph, Yard Limits as far as MP 223, Timetable & Train Orders east of that, turning southeast, past the 2,800 ft. siding and 600 ft. spur at Cuba (MP 216.2), where there is a flat crossing with the BN and the line turns south, past the 800 ft. spur at Agenda (MP 209.8), turning east-southeast past the 2,000 ft. spur at Clyde (MP 201.3), where a MoPac line draws alongside to the south, the flat crossing with that MoPac line at Clifton Crossing (MP 196.7), and the 2,480 ft. siding and 2,080 ft. spur at Clifton (MP 195.0), now with a UP line alongside to the south.
Both lines turns south-southeast, past the 2,400 ft. spur at Morganville (MP 187.1), a little bit further towards the east, past the 6,868 ft. eastward siding, 2,021 ft. westward siding, and 15,160 ft. spur at Clay Center (MP 179.4), where there is a 20 mph local speed limit and a flat crossing with another UP line, and Broughton, where the Rock Island turns curvily east, past the 1,320 ft. spur at Bala (MP 167.5), and the 1,800 ft. spur at Riley (MP 160.7), and then curvily southeast, past Grant and the 5,280 ft. siding and 760 ft. spur at Keats (MP 152.1), to a near junction with a UP main line, where it turns east past the 3,158 ft. spur at Manhattan (MP 143.2), the flat crossing (15 mph on the crossing) with that UP line at UP Crossing (MP 143.0), and a bridge over the Kansas River, continuing east with a Santa Fe line just to the south, past the 2,800 ft. siding at Zeandale (MP 135.8), and southeast, past Wabaunsee and the start of Yard Limits at MP 123.0, to the junction with the Golden State Route at McFarland (MP 122.0)