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Appanoose County Community Railroad Albia Limited August 16, 2008 Part 2

A Southern Appalachia Railway Museum Rare Mileage Trip

by Chris Guenzler



Our train has now turned onto the former Wabash Railroad tracks that the Appanoose County Community Railroad uses to get to their outside world connection with the BNSF at Albia.





If the tracks still went straight they would have gone down to La Plata and cross the BNSF mainline right where the Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout Point is today.





Our train's speed increased with slightly better tracks on the ex Wabash section of the Appanoose County Community Railroad.





Iowa is truly farm country.





Our passengers all enjoying their trip on the Appanoose County Community Railroad.





Crossing over Iowa Highway 2 that I had been on earlier this morning.





The train came to a rural grade crossing.





A pair of trees that our train passed between.





More of the most beautiful Iowa scenery.





Our train was rolling north down the old Wabash Railroad.





The train came to another rural grade crossings can be dangerous if the public does not follow the driving laws.





The train went over another bridge that we crossed over.





The train came to another grade crossing.





The train took the first curve on the Wabash section on this railroad.





Our train came to a rural grade crossing.





More of that beautiful Iowa scenery.





Our train just came out of this curve.





The train just crossed this bridge.





Our train rolled down the straight track on the old Wabash Railroad.





The train crossed over a road that farmers use to get to their fields.





There is a semaphore signal that warns of the Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad Crossing ahead.





Looking back at that semaphore signal.





At the crossing of the Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad, we had a green signal.





The train crossed the Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad.





The train came to the crossing diamond and a UP unit on the interchange track.





Looking east at the Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad.





One last look at the Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad crossing just south of Moravia.





The Wabash Station in Moravia at its relocated location. It was once across the street from where it is today.





The main street crossing at Moravia.





Don's Jons We are number 1 in the number 2 Business. The passengers had a bathroom break at this uniquely named facility.





Appanoose County Community Railroad engine 116.





Our train in Moravia.





Appanoose County Community Railroad engine 973.





Union Pacific SD-40T-2 2858.





Union Pacific SD-40T-2 2830.





FURX SD-40-2 7929.





The southbound semaphore signal just north of the Moravia Depot.





Four views of the Southern Iowa Railway Station in Moravia across the tracks from where the Wabash Depot once stood.





Leaving Moravia behind.





A well maintained railroad.





The clouds are beginning to build this afternoon.





More of that wonderful Iowa scenery.





Our train was running along Iowa Highway 5.





Our train took a curve.





The train ran down a section of straight track.





Two views of slight curves.





The clouds are getting bigger.





Our train took a big sweeping curve.





Looking back at the tracks we had just ridden over.





More of that great Iowa scenery.







The Relco facility that we were supposed to have visited and I mooned them because they cancelled our tour.





As we reached the edge of Albia, grade crossing protection returned.





At this cross buck crossing there is also a bell ringer.





Our train crossed over the BNSF southern mainline through Albia.





The bridge over the BNSF southern mainline.





Our train reached the siding where the engine would run around our train to pull us back to Centerville. But once on that end, it would push us north as far as we could go on this railroad.





Passengers get off for the engine run around move.





Our engine runs around our train.





Our engine is coupling up to our train.





Our train now with engine positioned right will wait for all passengers to reboard and will back north. I went to the rear to get pictures to see just how far towards the BNSF northern mainline through Albia we get.





The train backed through the Albia yard.





The train crossed the first street, East Benton Avenue.





The train crossed another grade crossing.





We ran by the Wabash phone box.





The train went across the overpass across North 8th Street.





The last piece of straight track on the railroad but there is something blocking our path to the derail that protects the BNSF north mainline in Albia.





BNSF 1054 was blocking our path towards the derail. We got as close to that engine as we could before we started back to Centerville.



Click here for the final part of this story!