From the junction with the Sparta Branch, continuing northwest on the east side at Gage Junction (MP 52.0), where the main line turns west, the Two Main Tracks, CTC, line, with speed limit 60 mph, turns northwest again past detectors at MP 50.6, the crossovers, yard, and junction with the branch on the west side, to Kellogg on the river, at Flinton (MP 49.5), the north end of the yard at CPDO48 (MP 48.3), the crossovers at Kidd (MP 47.7), Modoc, Prarie du Rocher, Renault, the crossovers at Fults (MP 33.8), a turn north-northwest past Marystown, and detectors at MP 28.0, a turn north-northeast at Valmeyer past the crossovers at Val (MP 20.7), Fountain, a spur at Warnock (MP 15.1), and the crossovers at ICG (MP 9.4), where a Mobile & Ohio branch once crossed at grade.
The line continues north-northeast past Bixby, where an MP branch once headed north-northwest to East Ivory on the river, the location where a former MP branch once trailed in from the south on the east side at the south end of the large Dupo Yard, on the west side, at South Dupo (MP 7.5), where the speed limit falls to 30 mph, the crossover midway along the yard at Dupo (MP 6.2), the north end of the yard at Woods (MP 5.5), formerly Dupo Junction, where Illinois Central, TRRA, and the East St. Louis, Columbia & Waterloo interurban once crossed the line at grade, the crossover at North Dupo (MP 4.4), the crossovers at Parks (MP 1.9), a crossover at Airport (MP 1.4), the Valley Junction yard on the west side of the line, and the crossover and junctions at Valley Junction (MP 0.2), where the speed limit is 10 mph.
At Valley Junction, a TRRA line trails in on the west side, a connector curves away east to the Cotton belt valley Yard, there are flat crossings with two separate Gateway Western (former IC) line, connectors trail in on the east side from the former IC East St. Louis Yard and the Cotton Belt Valley yard, a connector once trailed in on the west side from the Alton & Southern River Yard and still does turn away east to the Alton & Southern gateway Yard, another connector once trailed in on the west side, and the now TRRA line splits into a line continuing north-northeast ad one curving away northwest onto the MacArthur Bridge.