Electric Traction in Saint Louis area

[bingdude]

I was out in St. Louis working on the NCAA basketball playoffs. I noticed an elevated stretch of track north of the downtown area, just off I-70 that looks like it once had a caternary on it. There still is at least one track on it. What was this line and what kind of motors ran on it?

[BaltOhio]

What you probably saw was the McKinley Bridge, which was owned by the Illinois Terminal, a onetime "heavy" interurban operation which ran to Springfield, Peoria, Champaign, etc. There was also a local St. Louis-Granite City service. The IT also carried carload freight, both linehaul and as a switching operation in the Alton-Granite City area (where, originally, it used steam power). The bridge was IT's entrance to St. Louis, again for both passenger and freight. Diesel freight operations continued after passenger service died and the electrification was dismantled. The IT was taken over by a consortium of railroads that entered St. Louis, but I believe it later passed to the N&W exclusively.

Herb Harwood

[Rich T]

This would have been the elevated that left west of the McKinley Bridge and was used by just about any Illinois Terminal traction equipment. There was freight service to local customers and to the newspaper that received newsprint in the subway.
After the wire came down IT diesel switchers worked the line. There may still be a shortline traveling the El and serving one or more customers.
IT's heavy interurban cars, the streamliners, and the Alton local cars would have been seen on the El.

[atlpete]

I made it a point to visit the remnants last spring while on vacation; to me it appeared at the time that the rail and ties had been removed entirely from the structure. Nevertheless I was impressed with the size and construction, it still has signal masts too. What a shame that the light rail transit authority there cannot salvage and re-use part or all of the subway, el and bridge (which I sadly believe is condemned to all traffic and slowly rusting away a 'la the Poughkeepsie Bridge in NY) Any local St. Louis or IT buffs out there that can further enlighten us?