From the wye junction on the south side with the former C&NW line to Peoria, at Nelson (MP 104.3), where the eastbound track also becomes CTC, and there is a controlled siding on the south side, the line heads just north of due east, Two Main Tracks, CTC, Automatic Train Control, speed limit 60 mph, past crossovers at NQ (MP 103.0), where there used to be a tower, that controlled siding ends and there was once a C&NW line diverging to the east to rejoin the main further east, a 45 mph speed restriction on curves between MP 100.0 and MP 97.0 as the line turns east, past Dixon (MP 97.9), where there is a spur on the north side to Medusa Portland Cement, on the Rock River, and there was once a bridge over an erstwhile Illinois Central line, detectors at MP 95, and crossovers at Nachusa (MP 92.9), where that erstwhile section of line trailed in on the south side.
The line turns just north of due east, past Franklin Grove (MP 88.0), Ashton (MP 83.7), Flagg (MP 79.0), and detectors at MP 78.8, to the angled flat crossing (speed restriction 40 mph for TOFC trains and 35 mph for all others) with the double track BNSF Twin Cities line at NX (MP 75.3), where there is a railfan pavilion in the 'vee' (i.e. on the south side) and a grade crossing just east of the pavilion, where it turns east past Rochelle (MP 74.8), crossovers at RX (MP 73.3), where an industrial spur trails in on the south side, Creston (MP 69.7), Malta (MP 64.3), detectors at MP 64.0, crossovers at MA (MP 63.0), and a 50 mph speed restriction from MP 59.0 to MP 57.5 through the junction with the line south to Troy Grove (and once to Spring Valley) at DeKalb (MP 58.3).