I awoke early at 5:30 AM and after preparing myself, drove over to near the Holiday Inn, filled my rental car with petrol and bought a maple bar then parked in the Holiday Inn parking lot. I waited out of the wind for the buses to arrive and I was surprised when school buses pulled up. I boarded the first one for the trip to the Rock Island station in downtown Des Moines.
Today's trip was across the former Rock Island, now Iowa Interstate. After the Rock Island went bankrupt, the Chicago and North Western operated it for a short time. We would travel west from Des Moines to Atlantic, which would be all new mileage for me. The buses dropped us off and I started taking my pictures.
Our train in front of the Rock Island Des Moines station.
Des Moines Rock Island station built in 1909. This was known as East Side Union Depot which served Chicago Great Western, Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific and Wabash Railroads. By 1970, passenger service was a mere single train west to Council Bluffs and east to Chicago. Service ended on May 31, 1970 with the end of the Council Bluffs train. In 1986, the Douglas Wells architectural firm designed the restoration of the building. The western part was used for the Business Record offices, and the freight part, the eastern section, was restored for restaurant use.
Everyone boarded the train and I sat in the same former Montreal commuter coach 819 that I rode on the Iowa Interstate Flood Relief trips in October 2008. The train consisted of Iowa Interstate GP38-2 721, Railroad Development Corporation coaches 820, 837, 819 and 838, Iowa Interstate business car 101 "Abraham Lincoln" and business car 100 "Hawkeye". At Atlantic, GP38-2 710 was added to our east end to pull us back to Des Moines.
A farmers market was taking place today.
The view of the station from the train.
At 8:20 AM, we depated.
Downtown Des Moines.
The Raccoon River.
The recent connection to the former Milwaukee Road branch from Des Moines to Woodward Junction. Today, Iowa Interstate operates out to Beisser Lumber just south of Grimes.
A Valley Junction, this former Chicago, Burlington and Quincy caboose 13939 built by the railroad in 1914, is displayed near the Rock Island depot, preserved as a store.
The main street of Valley Junction, which really is West Des Moines.
This was the site of the former Rock Island roundhouse and shop complex at West Des Moines.
There are several large cement plants at West Des Moines.
Raccoon River Park.
Once we went under Interstate 35/80, we started our trek out into the Iowa countryside.
The 6,030 foot siding at Booneville.
This farm caught my eye.
We next crossed the Raccoon River.
Van Meter, Iowa was the boyhood home of Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller, who played for the Cleveland Indians. The town has the Bob Feller Museum.
The Raccoon River, a 30.8 mile long tributary of the Des Moines River.
De Soto, Iowa has this ramp to load box cars with bricks.
Earlham, Iowa, is the boyhood home of actor John Wayne, whose father owned a drug store here.
Our route crossed Interstate 80 west of Gerdau, Iowa.
Dexter, Iowa.
The 1869 Rock Island station at Stuart, Iowa.
Main Street, Stuart.
The new Hawkeye renewable ethanol plant in East Menlo, Iowa.
Menlo, Iowa.
An interesting lake as we climbed towards the M&M Divide at Adair. M&M is the Mississippi and Missouri River Divide where the water flows to one river or the other.
A creek we crossed on the way to Casey.
Casey, Iowa. We passed through Adair and just west of town was where the James Younger Gang robbed the first train in America, west of the Mississippi River, on July 21, 1873. The gang carried out its first train robbery, derailing a locomotive of the Rock Island Railroad. Engineer John Rafferty died in the crash. The outlaws took $2,337 from the express safe in the baggage car, having narrowly missed a transcontinental express shipment of a large amount of cash.
There were wind generators on the hills west of Adair.
I have always liked red barns.
Anita, Iowa.
The local grain elevator in Wiota uses the former Rock Island depot. We continued west the last few miles to Atlantic, where we all detrained for lunch.
The Rock Island station in Atlantic, built in 1898. The City of Atlantic was founded at the time of the railroad construction and grew to become the largest and the most significant community along the Rock Island lines between Des Moines and Council Bluffs. It was built during a prosperous period for the railroad when it was able to replace its facilities along its mainline. The express freight and baggage building attached to the depot was built at the same time. The passenger depot replaced a frame combination passenger and freight depot a block away.
Service included the Rock Island's Corn Belt Rocket and Rocky Mountain Rocket passenger lines. In the trains' final year there, the route was shortened to Chicago to Council Bluffs. Service ended on May 31, 1970; with the end of the Council Bluffs train. After its use as a depot, the building fell into disrepair before it was restored and now houses the local chamber of commerce. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.
Our train at rest.
Our return motive power, Iowa Interstate GP38-2 710, ex. Locomotive Leasing Partners 2315 2004, exx. Union Pacific 431 2001, exxx. Union Pacific 1931 1997, exxxx. EMD Leasing 782 1987, exxxxx. Conrail 7982, nee Penn Central 7982 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1972.
Iowa Interstate spreader 9500, nee Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific 95319 built by O.F. Jordan.
The train then performed a photo runby.
Reversing into the station.
Iowa Interstate GP38-2 721 then cut off and would stay here.
With only three bathrooms on the train, these bathrooms were in high demand during our stopover.
Iowa Interstate GP38-2 710 was now on the point of our train for the trip back to Des Moines. I reboarded and waited for our 12:45 PM departure.
The Rock Island station in Wiota, home to Wiota Grain Company.
The water tower at Anita.
The Hawkeye Renewable ethanol plant at East Menlo.
A former Rock Island phone box.
Milepost 400 just west of Stuart.
Former Rock Island block signals.
The grain elevator at Stuart.
The town's Rock Island station.
One of the creeks that we crossed.
Two views of the lake in Raccoon River Park, after which made our way back to Des Moines where we all detrained. Special thanks to the Chicago and North Western Historical Society and Iowa Interstate Chief Transportation Officer Mick Burkart for arranging our trip today. The school buses had not yet arrived so we waited then I boarded the first one back to the Holiday Inn and our bus host announced points of interest and some Des Moines history along the way. Once back at the hotel, I said my goodbyes before walking to my rental car.
I returned to Interstate 35 for the drive back to Kansas City, stopping in Osceola at a Walmart for a memory card reader and Arby's for a roast beef sandwich. From there I drove south to the Best Western Airport Inn & Suites/KCI North where I put the pictures into my yesterday's story then called it a night.
Heading Home 5/17/2009The morning started with a continental breakfast at the hotel then I uploaded the pictures for the story so they would be online when I returned home. I checked out then filled the car with petrol before returning it and took the shuttle back to the Kansas City International Airport. The Northwest/Delta gates had one line for security for the six gates they use at this end of Terminal B. That line took about ten minutes and once at Gate 59, I was seated for about twenty minutes when the gate agent called my name. It turned out they had oversold this plane and needed my seat. However, I could be on the 12:10 PM flight to Minneapolis-St. Paul and then on a first class flight to LAX, which would arrive ten minutes sooner than flying home via Memphis. I said that would be fine and was told not to board the flight to Memphis.
This new plan quickly changed as after all the passengers boarded the Memphis flight, I was called and told to board that flight as well. Northwest Airlines Flight 2847 was only about an hour in length and soon I was in Tennessee, where I bought some ice cream and a pretzel before boarded Northwest Airlines Flight 177 for LAX. The almost four-hour flight was interesting as I saw the Red River for a long way, Clovis, New Mexico and the Very Large Array from the air. We arrived at LAX early and after I exited the plane, went down to catch the Flyaway Bus. I had a chance to catch the 5:10 PM Pacific Surfliner home if all went according to plan. But it did not, due to bumper-to-bumper Sunday afternoon traffic into downtown Los Angeles.
I arrived at LAUPT at 5:16 PM but went up to the platform just in case the train was there, which it was not. I bought an Amtrak ticket for home then went into the station to wait. When the conductor came out early, we walked up the platform and waited for Pacific Surfliner 583 to arrive. Once the train unloaded, the conductor let me board and I listened to music while playing Solitaire. Later Pacific Surfliner 590 was boarded just as the Southwest Chief was leaving on the next track over. Our train departed at the new time of 7:15 PM, for the quick trip to Santa Ana where I drove home. It had been a great trip to Des Moines for the Chicago and North Western Historical Society convention.
| RETURN TO THE MAIN PAGE |