From the junctions at Birmingham (MP 300.5/RI MP 495.6), the Rock Island and Milwaukee joint turns just east of due north, and makes a flat crossing with the former Wabash, Two Main Tracks, CTC, maximum speed 40 mph, gradually turning north-northeast, past the 4,985 ft. siding at Liberty (MP 295.0), where there is a flat crossing with a Kansas City Southern line, northeast, past Stockdale (MP 290.1) and Moseby Junction (MP 286.8/RI MP 482.8), where the line splits, the original Rock Island turning just east of due north, then north-northeast and finally northeast, past its Lawson, while the original Milwaukee turns curvily east-northeast, past Moseby (MP 286.7/RI MP 482.7), where there is a 300 ft. spur curvily northeast, past the 3,969 ft. siding at Excelsior Springs (MP 281.4), and just east of due north past the 4,966 ft. siding at Lawson (MP 274.8), where there is a 440 ft. spur, with both lines crossing a Santa Fe branch on the flat before rejoining at Lawson Junction (MP 273.5/RI MP 471.7), where the combined line heads north-northeast, northeast past the 2,176 ft. siding at Elmira (MP 467.7), and east-northeast, to the 5,051 ft. siding at Polo (MP 460.5), where Two Main Tracks end, the Milwaukee line continues east, and the Rock Island turns north-northeast.