Burlington (Iowa)
BNSF's ex-CB&Q main line meets the Mississippi at Burlington
Burlington (Iowa)
BNSF Railway — Ottumwa Subdivision (former Chicago, Burlington & Quincy main line), milepost 204.6; junction with the Hannibal Subdivision (K Line) · Burlington, Iowa, United States
This operator has not granted Spotatrain permission to embed the feed, so we link to it instead.
Watch at Virtual RailfanStreamed by Virtual Railfan
Stream hosted by Virtual Railfan. Spotatrain links to the original feed and does not rebroadcast.
Where this camera films
Camera position: 40.80886, -91.10007
- Location
- Burlington, Iowa, United States
- Railroad
BNSF — Ottumwa
≈ MP 206 on the Ottumwa — derived from FRA grade crossing 063010E, 210 m away
Weather & light at the camera
Sun times calculated for this camera’s coordinates.
Trains on this camera
Through trains per day
19reported to the FRA
Daytime
10
6 AM – 6 PM
≈ 1 every 72 min
Nighttime
9
6 PM – 6 AM
≈ 1 every 80 min
Reported by the railroad for FRA grade crossing 063010E, 210 m from this camera (FRA inventory, July 2026). An estimate, not a schedule — crossings on this line within 5 km report 9 to 34.
- Track at the crossing
- 2 main tracks · 15 mph timetable speed
Train types
Passenger trains past this camera
- Train 6, to ChicagoDaily10:28 AMarrives Burlington Amtrak Station, 200 m away
- Train 5, to EmeryvilleDaily5:34 PMdeparts Burlington Amtrak Station, 200 m away
Scheduled times from Amtrak’s official timetable, updated September 21, 2026 — trains often run late.
On the line here
FRA / NTAD — crossing inventory Jul 21, 2026 · bridge inventory Oct 14, 2022 · rail yards (FRA / NTAD)
About this cam
Virtual Railfan's camera at Burlington, Iowa, sits at the city's Memorial Auditorium on the riverfront and looks out over BNSF's Ottumwa Subdivision — the former Chicago, Burlington & Quincy main line — where it crosses the Mississippi at milepost 204.6, alongside a BNSF yard and the junction with the Hannibal Subdivision.
The line under the camera is BNSF's Ottumwa Subdivision, the former Chicago, Burlington & Quincy main line across Iowa, at the point where it crosses the Mississippi River at milepost 204.6. The city gave the railroad its name, and the railroad gave the city its skyline: the bridge, the yard and the junction are all in one frame.
Two other routes meet here. The Hannibal Subdivision — the K Line — runs south to St. Louis by way of Fort Madison and Keokuk. The Burlington Junction Railway, a short line, works what remains of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific. Between them and the mid-sized BNSF yard, switching is close to constant.
Amtrak's California Zephyr stops at Burlington once in each direction every day, on its run between Chicago and Emeryville, California. The camera is hosted by the City of Burlington at the Burlington Memorial Auditorium, and has been streaming since 20 October 2023.
What to watch for
Three operators in one view: BNSF road freights on the Ottumwa Subdivision, BNSF yard work, and the Burlington Junction Railway short line on the ex-Rock Island remnant — plus Amtrak's California Zephyr calling once each way daily. The Mississippi River crossing is the shot to wait for, and the Hannibal Subdivision junction means southbound K Line traffic peels off toward St. Louis. Virtual Railfan links a Broadcastify feed of the local radio traffic; the published channels include 160.650 MHz (AAR 36) for the Ottumwa Sub road, 160.160 MHz (AAR 04) for the Hannibal Sub, and 160.445 / 160.950 MHz for the Burlington Junction Railway.
The camera
- Stream
- YouTube live stream
- Filming
- Junction
- Traffic
- Freight & passenger
- Sound
- Live lineside audio — horns and engines
- Hours
- Streams around the clock, 24/7
- Camera movement
- Fixed view
- Feed checked
- August 8, 2026
Filmed location
The place this camera films is documented on Spotatrain — traffic levels, best angles, and visiting info (Epic Journey):
Related on Spotatrain
Live Cams Near Burlington
More Live Cams in Iowa
Spots Near This Camera
Fort Madison (Bridge & Depot)
One of America's most-watched railfan destinations, where 60-80 BNSF Transcon trains daily cross the world's largest double-deck swing span bridge over the Mississippi River, alongside a restored 1910 Santa Fe depot serving Amtrak's Southwest Chief.
Galesburg (Junction & Yard)
Major BNSF railroad junction in western Illinois where the former Santa Fe TransCon and Burlington Route mainlines cross, with 90+ trains daily and one of BNSF's largest classification yards.
Railway Experiences in the United States
National Museum of Transportation
St. Louis museum with 70+ historic locomotives, including Union Pacific Big Boy 4006, across a 42-acre rail yard.
Illinois Railway Museum
The largest railroad museum in the U.S., offering vintage steam, diesel and electric train rides across a sprawling site near Chicago.
Chicago “L” (Orange Line)
An elevated Chicago “L” train line looping through downtown on viaducts, offering railfans sweeping views of the city’s skyscrapers like the Willis Tower.
Related Journeys & Mega-Projects
Explore around Burlington
1 place on Spotatrain within 25 km of Burlington — 1 journey.
- California Zephyr 356 m