The RailsWest Museum is operated by the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County, housed in the Council Bluffs Rock Island station and illustrates the history of railroads in that city. I had contacted Karla, who arranged for the museum to be open for the passengers when we arrived on the Chinese Rocket steam excursion from Des Moines this late afternoon.
The Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad was built into Council Bluffs in May 1869 and its first depot located near West Broadway and Pearl Street. In July 1873, Frank and Jesse James and the Younger Brothers robbed the Rock Island line near Adair, Iowa. A few years later in 1877 the Rock Island introduced the first dining car in on its express between Chicago and Council Bluffs. In 1881 while memorial services were being held for President Garfield in Bayliss Park, a rail car loaded with dynamite exploded at the Rock Island Depot. According to one source, the explosion shattered "windows a half mile away" and left behind a 12 foot deep crater although somewhat surprisingly no one was killed in the blast.
The Rock Island then used a small frame building on South Main Street heated by "soft coal stoves, and lighted by coal oil lamps" as their passenger depot. However, by late 1880's, some local citizens were aghast that the railroads had allowed such important and prominent entrances into their city become so run-down. Seeking to change this, a delegation of Council Bluffs citizen's petitioned the Iowa Board of Railroad Commissioners in 1891. According to the report released by the board, the Rock Island's frame passenger depot in Council Bluffs consisted of a "baggage room, a waiting room for men 21 by 23 feet, and a waiting-room for women, of about the same size, with a ticket office taken out of the two rooms 13 by 10 feet." Lacking toilet facilities "in no manner suitable for the purpose for which it is intended. No wash basin and no conveniences," the railroad commissioners found that the depot "does not afford reasonable accommodations and convenience for the public doing business with said company..." The Rock Island was given sixty days to "repair, repaint, renovate the building...to construct suitable wash rooms and water closets for men and women..." and ensure that passengers were provided adequate heating and lighting.
To finance such improvements, the Rock Island took out a million dollar mortgage in 1898 and began demolishing its old depot in Council Bluffs in early April 1899. The frame depot was replaced with a Romanesque Revival structure at South Main Street. The new depot was originally built as two one-story brick buildings with pink granite trim connected with a massive Spanish tile roof. The larger building contained the passenger waiting rooms and offices with baggage rooms in the smaller building. The Rock Island used the same design to construct its depots in Iowa City and Ottawa, Illinois and similar materials were used to built the depots in Wilton, Anita and Atlantic, Iowa.
In August 1899, the Nonpareil described the new depot's offices and men and women's waiting rooms as "elaborately finished in marble tiling, the mottled enameled wall work giving the rooms a very rich appearance." Unlike the old building, the new depot featured steam heating, electric lighting, and toilet facilities "finished in white enamel and brass..."
The first troops coming home from the Spanish-American War arrived at the Rock Island Depot that November. Many of the soldiers from Council Bluffs had served as part of the 51st Volunteer Regiment in the Philippines. Three years later in May 1902, thirty-five Civil War veterans of the 23rd Iowa Regiment arrived at the Rock Island Depot and then marched to Fairview Cemetery for the reburial of Colonel William Kinsman who had originally been killed near Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1863. On May 17, 1919 an estimated 20,000 people gathered at the Rock Island Depot for the homecoming of Company K and Company L from World War I.
A major change occurred at the Rock Island Depot in 1954 when the breezeway was filled in between the two separate buildings. From the late 1930's until the 1970's, the Rock Island shared the depot with the Chicago, Milwaukee, Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad. Passenger service from the Rock Island Depot came to an end in May 1970 and the women's waiting room were converted into offices while the men's waiting room was used for freight storage.
The Rock Island ended operations altogether in March 1980 and the building was deserted until 1985, when the City of Council Bluffs leased the building to the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County and the Greater Omaha Society of Model Engineers. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in July 1995.
Views inside the Museum.
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy 4-6-0 915, ex. Burlington and Missouri 715, nee Burlington and Missouri Railroad 44 built by the railroad in 1902. Fourteen of these K-4 Class locomotives were built and this one was one of several later converted to burn oil and fitted with 64" drivers for local and branch line work.
The Burlington and Missouri Railroad was acquired by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy in 1872, then served as a subsidiary until 1904 when it was finally consolidated into the CB&Q. The K-4 class was gradually retired from service between 1931 and 1953 and 915 was donated to the City of Council Bluffs in 1965.
Rock Island bay window caboose 17130 built by International Car in 1967.
Union Pacific Railway Mail Service car 5908 built by the Budd Company in 1963. In 1973, it became Union Pacific Roadway Series 903690 then was sold in 1988 to the RailsWest Museum.
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy eight section buffet-lounge 215 "Omaha Club" built by Pullman in 1929. It was used on trains between Chicago and Lincoln, Nebraska during the 1930's and 1940's, then retired in 1961. In 1934, air conditioning was added, which consisted of placing blocks of ice underneath the car and blowing fans upward. The car had heat, air and electricity as long as it was moving. The carpet, furniture and light fixtures are original.
Prior to World War 2, this was an open lounge with assigned seating elsewhere in the train. It was used purely for smoking, relaxing, playing cards or getting a light meal. The dining area and kitchen was originally the women's lounge portion of the car and the men had the rest of the car. That was changed due to World War II governmental regulations. Because of the fuel shortage during the war, these seats were sold as assigned seating. The dining area was added and a crew was hired to cook. The railroad was not allowed to use the car as only a social car and porter service was available at the push of a button.
At the back of the car is the solarium, which would not have been considered the smoking room, as smoking was allowed anywhere. This was the "sun porch" and was originally a shade of aqua blue. Solariums were added to lounge cars by enclosing the end, a retrofit that became popular to add additional seating. This concept was introduced by Burlington and Pullman in 1909. The accordion-style door at the back of the car was added during World War II, which allowed the railroad more flexibility in the car's position on the train.
Union Pacific 60 foot box car 462536 built by Pullman-Standard in 1969.
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy wooden caboose 13855 built by the railroad in 1917 and donated to the museum in 1964.
MidAmerican Energy DE 45 ton switcher 0, ex. Cal Energy, nee Iowa Power and Light built by Plymouth in 1953. It was used to move coal cars at a MidAmerican Energy power plant in Des Moines. Expansion of the Energy Center created the need for more space and led to the donation of the switcher to the museum in 2007.
Union Pacific 4-8-4 814 built by American Locomotive Company in 1937. It is the sole surviving FEF-1. During the 1920's, railroads had to begin running scheduled trains in sections or put on extras to cope with increasing traffic as the locomotives in use could only haul about twelve cars. This prompted development of the "super power" locomotives, of which the 4-8-4 was the most numerous and widely used: thirty-six US railroads operated one thousand, one hundred and twenty-six of the type.
The front of the steam engine.
Iowa Interstate QJ 2-10-2 7081 was still sitting in front of the station at this time.
The Council Bluffs station.
One more outside view of the displays before we returned inside the station.
Additional interior views. Now we would go upstairs and see the Greater Omaha Society for Model Engineering's model train layout, which simulates the Rock Island Railroad operations in Council Bluffs in the latter years of its existance, including its interchanges with the various roads that operated in the Omaha/Council Bluffs area. There were nine of these: Chicago Burlington & Quincy, Chicago Great Western, Chicago Northwestern, Chicago Rock Island & Pacific, Illinois Central, Milwaukee Road, Missouri Pacific, Union Pacific, and Wabash.
The model railroad was built and is maintained by the Greater Omaha Society of Model Engineers, whose original layout was in the cafe on the main floor or Omaha's Union Station, now the Durham Museum in the mid-1970's. After two years, they moved their operation to the former Railway Express area of that building at track level. The club's operation was relocated to the Rock Island Depot in Council Bluffs in 1985. Today, GOSOME rents space at the depot from the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County and provides an vital part of the railroad experience for visitors to the RailsWest Museum.
A very impressive model railroad. I then was taken inside the club room to see where the trains are put together.
It was fantastic to see the behind-the-scenes section of this great model railroad. I thanked Karla for my visit and would see her again before I left on Saturday morning, then returned to my hotel after picking up the rental car.
11/12/2010 I woke up to a rainy morning and knew it would be a cold, wet windy day. After breakfast, I worked on the first part of the story before I left the Best Western and headed across the Missouri River on Interstate 80, passing beneath my first destination of Kennefick Park. I followed my directions that took me directly to the parking area and the path to Kennefick Park.
Two of the greatest locomotives ever to power Union Pacific Railroad sit at the southwest point of the Lauritzen Gardens property, highly visible to passersby on Interstate 80 and welcoming motorists to Nebraska. On grand display are Centennial No. 6900 - the largest and most powerful diesel-electric locomotive ever built - and Big Boy No. 4023 - the world's largest steam locomotive. Featuring several plazas, seating areas, a grand staircase, "canyon" stone walls, interpretive signage, sculpture and walkways, the park documents Union Pacific Railroad's role in the development of Omaha and the West. The park bears the name of former Union Pacific Chairman and CEO John C. Kenefick, and is landscaped with native plants and grasses maintained by Lauritzen Gardens horticulture staff. Kenefick Park is open to the public with no admission charged. Free parking is available at Lauritzen Gardens, and a sidewalk/ramp (accessible from the southwest end of the parking lot) and stairway lead visitors from the parking lot to the park.
Here, Union Pacific Big Boy 4023 and Union Pacific Centennial 6900 overlook the Missouri River and welcome people to Omaha.
Union Pacific Centennial Diesel DD40AX 6900 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1969. The class was named in honour of the 100th anniversary of the driving of the Golden Spike at Promontory, Utah, on 10th May 1869 and 6900 was rushed to completion so that it could participate in the associated ceremonies that took place in May 1969.
Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 4023 "Big Boy" built by American Locomotive Company in 1944. It last operated in July 1959 and was retired in July 1962 after logging nearly 830,000 miles on the road.
Union Pacific 4023, Union Pacific 6900 and our United States flag on a cold, windy morning.
Both engines enjoying their views.
You can see why this engine was called Big Boy in this picture.
From here I visited the Durham Museum in Omaha, which is covered in the next story. Afterwards, I walked out onto the 10th Street bridge in Omaha and a Union Pacific coal train was approaching.
Union Pacific 7323 East leaving Nebraska for Iowa this morning. I drove back across the Missouri River and made my way to Golden Spike Park, my third new destination of the morning.
Union Pacific 4-8-4 844 on display at Golden Spike Park in Council Bluffs, ready for the next day's excursion to North Platte.
The emblem of the United States flag on the water car behind Union Pacific 844.
Iowa Interstate QJ 2-10-2 7081 was also here.
The Golden Spike at Golden Spike Park in Council Bluffs. This monument. at South 21st Street and 9th Avenue, is Milepost 0.0 the eastern terminus of the Union Pacific Railroad. In 1877, a transfer station and passenger station was built on the grounds at Milepost 0.0 where the Monument sits now. For the 70th anniversary of the driving of the golden spike in Promontory Point, Utah, movie producer Cecil B. DeMille and Paramount Pictures produced the story of building the railroad in the movie "Union Pacific". Union Pacific, the Cities of Omaha and Council Bluffs and Paramount Studios held Golden Spike Days in the area to celebrate the premier opening of the movie and an end of the depression. U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt opened the celebration by using a telegraph key set up in the White House for him to send the message to start the celebration.
At the March 1939 Council Bluffs City Council Meeting, City engineer Jack Boyne suggested the monument and design. The Monument was constructed by 14 men in 10 days and completed on April 26, 1939 at a cost of $3,500. It took five days to build the base and five days to build the spike. The monument reaches 59 feet into the air and weighs 243,200 pounds.
As I drove away, one last view of Iowa Interstate QJ 2-10-2 7081. I then visited the Union Pacific Museum at Council Bluffs, also in a following story. Once done there, I drove by the Iowa Interstate engine facility.
Iowa Interstate GP38-2 721, ex. Locomotive Leasing Partners 2343, exx. Union Pacific 1970 1997, exxx. Electro Motive Division Leasing 839 1987, exxxx. Conrail 8037 1987, nee Penn Central 8039 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1972.
Iowa Interstate GP38-2 705, ex. Locomotive Leasing Partners 2309, exx. Union Pacific 422 2001, exxx. Union Pacific 1922 1997, exxxx. Electro Motive Division Leasing 765 1987, exxxx. Conrail 7965, nee Penn Central 7965 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1972.
I returned to the hotel and filled the car with petrol before completing this story then returned the rental car to Enterprise and was given a ride back to the Best Western. I worked on the other two stories before having Arby's again and relaxing the night away.
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