I saw a post on the Steam Board of Trainorders.com regarding this trip and called the phone number and was given the address to send my check. I then called Bob Cox, thinking he might like to ride this trip, but because of other pending matters, he could not. Chris Parker was next on my list and at first he was going to go, but his business partner talked him out of it. I checked rental cars in Council Bluffs and it worked out then reserved a rental car at Kirksville so I could drive to Des Moines. Carole Walker of Bella Vista Travel reserved my hotel rooms and I purchased my Amtrak tickets in coach to La Plata to save money.
With all that taken care of, all I had to do was wait for the tickets to arrive in the mail and e-mail responses to those messages that I had sent to various railway museums that I wanted to visit. However, no one responded to my messages so had to call them instead and learnt that the Omaha Zoo Train was not running, found out the details for the Durham Museum, the Union Pacific Museum was free and the Rock Island Depot Rails West Museum's Karla agreed to open for me.
I lived until the day of this trip and my mother drove me to the Santa Ana station. From Marti, the Amtrak ticket agent, I learned that Pacific Surfliner 583 was running late, so bought a Metrolink ticket for the trip to Los Angeles.
Metrolink 609 11/08/2010I boarded the cab car on this five-car Metrolink train to get me to Los Angeles in plenty of time to catch the Southwest Chief. It ran fast and arrived at LAUPT early so I walked over and sat on a bench to wait for the Southwest Chief. Pacific Surfliner 583 arrived just before the Southwest Chief arrived.
Southwest Chief 4 11/08/2010I boarded coach 34058 and was given seat 67 at the forward wall. The train consisted of P42DC 171 and 80, baggage 1234, Amfleet coach 82530, transition 39030, sleepers 32068 and 32111 "Texas", diner 38019, lounge 33018 and coaches 34058 and 34048. The front of the coach filled up and we departed LAUPT on time. The excellent Amtrak conductor, Dave Arthur, took my ticket and I asked him about upgrading to a sleeper since there was a lady smoking in the last coach and using vulgar language who was removed during our longer-than-normal Fullerton stop. Dave returned to move me once we were in Santa Ana Canyon and sold me Room 20 in the transition car, helping with my luggage. I used my new laptop and started writing the story while listening to some music, then took fresh air at San Bernardino before finishing writing then enjoyed the climb up and over Cajon Pass before making up my room for the night.
11/09/2010 I was up by 6:30 AM and went straight to the dining car and was seated at a table by myself. The train crossed Canyon Diablo just before sunrise while I enjoyed French Toast and bacon, then I returned to bed, waking up fully after Gallup. I read USA Today, learning that the Dallas Cowboys finally fired Wade Phillips, and enjoyed the passing New Mexico countryside.
A tree in its full autumn colors near Azac as we made our way east towards Albuquerque. We arrived there early and I detrained to a 45 degree late morning with a jacket needed then was in the dining car, having lunch with a mother and her son going to Galesburg, then the bus to Davenport, as we departed on time. I enjoyed the Angus steak burger and vanilla ice cream for dessert. I was really enjoying the new earlier Southwest Chief schedule as we made our way toward Lamy then met the southbound New Mexico Railrunner at Bernalillo. From there it was clear running to Lamy, after which we climbed through Apache Canyon then up and over Glorieta Pass. On our descent down the north side of the pass, the westbound Southwest Chief was in the siding at Fox, waiting for us to clear. We then dropped down the grade all the way to the Pecos River before we climbed and we went through the Chapelle "S" curves and by Starvation Peak then made our way into Las Vegas, arriving there early this mid-afternoon.
Autumn colors in Shoemaker Canyon.
Just north of Shoemaker Canyon.
Interesting shadows upon the landscape.
That stream near French looked great this late afternoon. We arrived into a cold and windy Raton ten minutes early and I took a nice long fresh air break. Once on the move again, I went to the dining car for my 5:00 PM dinner reservation and was seated with a couple from outside Tulsa and a woman from State College, Pennsylvania. I had the steak and lemon sorbet for dessert then once back in my room, caught up the story on the way to La Junta, our next fresh air stop, after which I made up my room and called it a night.
11/10/2010 I woke up after they fuelled our engines at BNSF's Argentine Yard in Kansas City and went straight to the dining car for a breakfast of French Toast and bacon, with two ladies going to Cleveland. The train stopped in Kansas City and I found Andrew, my sleeping car attendant, who asked me to strip the sheets off the bed, which I did. The train departed on time as I watched the second disc of "Milwaukee Road 261 through the Years". The new section of track east of Congo, Missouri, where some of the curves had been removed, was now 70 MPH track. We crossed the Missouri River at Sibley then sped the rest of the way across northeast Missouri to La Plata, where we arrived on time and I detrained a most happy train rider this morning.
La Plata 11/10/2010I saw Bob Cox, the station caretaker, and gave the rest of the VHS tapes that Jim Nowell donated then was given a ride to the Depot Inn & Suites where I obtained the key to the Pullman Suite. I checked e-mail before taking a sauna bath which was wonderful. I uploaded the story as Enterprise called, letting me know they only had a four door truck and if I wanted it, they would deliver but since I had requested a car, it would be later today until they could bring one. Returning to the story, I found there were no pictures, so it was time to go see Shivam at Trainparty and took the golf cart over. After about forty minutes, we came up with a solution and I returned to the hotel where I changed the size of the pictures then took the golf cart out to the Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout Point and a westbound BNSF grain train was passing as I arrive.
This BNSF grain train had a DPU on the rear.
My favorite path in the whole wide world. With that, I returned to the Depot Inn & Suites for an afternoon to relax then later, the rental car was delivered and I went to the Red Rooster for dinner before relaxing the rest of the evening.
11/11/2010 I arose at 5:30 AM and was out of the hotel after I had breakfast, checked e-mail and checked out. I drove north on US Highway 63 and the car started to act oddly, accelerating up hills and dropping speeds going down hills. Just before Bloomfield, Iowa, I was enjoying the morning countryside when I crested a hill doing 75 miles an hour. I saw a car off the road and dropped my speed, but was pulled over by the Bloomfield Police. When I explained what was going on, he wrote the ticket for 60 MPH in a 55 MPH zone. I was fine with that, although this was my first speeding ticket, which I could mail in by December 12, 2010. I drove north to the junction of Iowa 138 and turned left to Pella, where I made my only planned stop on the way to Des Monies.
The Pella Rock Island station built in 1906. The Des Moines Valley Railroad built the first tracks through the area in 1865, and they built a simple frame depot to serve passengers' needs. For ten years, Pella served as the only rail stop in Marion County until a competing station was built in Knoxville, Iowa by the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad. The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad leased the Des Moines Valley's tracks beginning in 1878 and provided freight service through 1980.
The old frame building was replaced, in 1906, with a single story, brick depot which served as a passenger station until the latter 1940's. The last passenger service was as a stop on a short line motor train service between Eldon in southeast Iowa and Des Moines. The station was freight only by 1949. In 1975, the future of the depot was thrown into question when the Rock Island Line filed for bankruptcy protection. However, the Pella Corporation, whose headquarters are adjacent, acquired the property and converted the depot into a company museum. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
From here I drove the 42 miles into Des Moines and parked in the Science World parking garage for my steam trip to Council Bluffs.
The Chinese Rocket to Council Bluffs 11/11/2010Here I found Randy Jackson and Dave Smetko and after a few minutes, the train crew checked me in for the trip. I talked with Steve Sandberg of Milwaukee Road 261, who would be our engineer west of Atlantic. We heard the train approaching and I went up on the parking structure to catch it entering the Rock Island station to pick us.
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Iowa Interstate QJ 2-10-2 7081 arriving at the Des Moines Rock Island station.
I walked over to get my luggage, boarded the train and took the forward table in the "Abraham Lincoln". The train consisted of QJ 2-10-2 7081, water car, tool car, diner "Abraham Lincoln" and business car "Hawkeye", then departed at 10:19 AM, bound for Council Bluffs, and I decided to ride on the open platform of the "Hawkeye".
Our journey started rolling west along the Raccoon River.
Curving out of Des Moines.
The Raccoon River, a 30.8-mile-long tributary of the Des Moines River.
A junction with a former Chicago and North Western line in West Des Moines.
Crossing Walnut Creek.
The Raccoon River.
West Des Moines.
The train curving in West Des Moines.
The siding in West Des Moines.
One more look at the Raccoon River.
Rolling along Commerce Avenue in Commerce.
Old Rock Island automatic block signals.
Rolling west between the trees.
Crossing a creek.
More former Rock Island signals.
Taking another slight curve on this railroad.
The siding at Booneville.
Booneville, Iowa.
Crossing the Raccoon River just west of Booneville on a four-span through truss bridge.
The Raccoon River.
The train took several curves along our route.
Crossing another creek.
Passing Milepost 379.
More Rock Island signals.
Desoto, Iowa.
Climbing the grade.
Crossing another creek.
Then a third one.
Looking back down the straight track.
The grain elevator in Earlham.
Earlham, Iowa.
The siding at Earlham would be extended in the future.
Looking back down the straight rails.
Crossing over Interstate 80.
A grain elevator at Dexter.
Curving into Stuart.
Stuart, Iowa.
The spedometer cable came loose on the steam engine and we stopped at Stuart to fix it before continuing west.
The former Rock Island station in Stuart, built in 1869, as we left town heading west.
Iowa countryside.
The large ethanol plant in Menlo, Iowa.
Passing through Menlo.
A look back at a curve west of Menlo.
Crossing another creek.
Casey, Iowa.
Looking back.
Crossing another creek.
Adair, Iowa
Dropping down the grade from Adair.
It was along here on July 21, 1873 --The James-Younger Gang's first train robbery (and the first train robbery west of the Mississippi River) happened on this date. Nine gang members (and possibly one or two more) participated in this robbery, namely Jesse James, Frank James, Cole Younger, Jim Younger (who decided to rejoin the gang), John Younger, Clell Miller, Bill Chadwell and newcomers Bob Younger and Charlie Pitts. The gang's target was the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. A train of that company was coming through Adair, Iowa on July 21, 1873. The gang met near Adair. While two of the gang ate a meal at a house near the train station, the other seven men stole a tie hammer and a spike bar from a handcar house. A short time later, all the gang met up about a mile-and-a-half away from the depot. The nine men used the hammer and spike bar to pry off the fishplate connecting two rails of the track, and then they pulled out the spikes. A rope was tied to the end of the disconnected north rail and it was slid under the end of the south rail. The gang then hid nearby in a small bank and held onto the rope.
A short time later, the train came down the tracks. The gang had intended for the train to halt, but it didn't. Instead, Engineer John Rafferty slammed on the air brakes and the train derailed. Two cars went on their sides into a nearby ditch. Other cars laid on their sides. Rafferty was crushed by the engine and instantly killed. Fireman Dennis Foley was also seriously injured. The passengers were scared and some were wounded. The gang was shocked. Nevertheless, half of them boarded the train, while the other half stayed outside holding the horses. They went to the express car and ordered, at gun point, guard John Burgess to open the safe. Burgess did this, but only $2,000 was in the safe. The gang took this. Disappointed that there was not more money, they decided to go through the passenger cars and order the passengers to give up their jewelry and money. They stole only from men, not women or children. While they were stealing the money from passengers, Cole told the passengers they had not intended to kill or physically harm anyone. While this was going on inside the train, the gang members outside were shooting their guns into the air to keep the passengers inside the cars. After the gang finished with the passengers (gaining only an extra $1,000 from them), they ran outside, jumped on their horses, and vanished.
The wind mill farm of western Iowa. I went back inside and transferred the pictures from the camera into my laptop then numbered them, finishing as the train arrived in Atlantic for a thirty-minute stop.
