Nostalgia & History > 25 years ago this month

The Milwaukee made their abandoment of the Iowa Division mainline to Omaha west of Green Island, IA "offical".

I believe the portions that were abandoned were from Green Island to Dove(East end of Marion), Louisa to Slater, and Woodward to Perry.

C&NW(later UP) operated Slater to Woodward up until about 2001/2002. All ripped out now. Also they had the line from Perry to Herndon up til about 2000. All ripped out. No one ever operated Herndon to Bayard. Bayard on west now is part of BNSF.

The ICG, CCP, IC, and CN operated Louisa to Marion. Now except for a mile or two at Louisa, all the track from Marion is gone too.

Hard to fathom still after 25 years.

MILW86A

Has it really been that long now! I'm starting to feel old just thinking about it. I remember younger days though when I was a junior high school kid and my folks pulled me out of school one day to ride the passenger train out of Marion, Iowa, into Chicago and back for the day. It was April of 1971, just one week before Amtrak took over and the "Cities" train was discontinued. They didn't exactly have to drag me along either. I remember dad telling me "Your going to learn alot more today than you would have if you'd went to school." He was right. I can still remember that day, Wow, what a time we had! That day is long gone my friends. So is the Cities train we rode. So is the Milwaukee railroad we rode over, at yes, 79 mph!! The very tracks are even torn up and reclaimed by nature and farmers alike. All we have for passenger service today is Amtrak, and it doesn't serve the Marion/Cedar Rapids area and never will. Furthermore, it's very existence is in danger itself. But, I still have the memory of riding the Milwaukee Road on UP's "City of Everywhere" behind four E units in the pre-Amtrak days! For me, things have never been the same since that day.

Yeah next year will be 35 years since the Cities was discontinued. I rode it with my folks in April 1971. I was a little guy back then, but I think that trip got me to be a train enthusiast.

I also miss trio's of GP40's on freights, and also the old BN/MILW run through Columbia II coal train they ran from January 1978 up until the switch to the C&NW between Clinton and Tama that December.

MILW86A

Not exactly taken at Marion (Camanche instead), but it is a trio of GP-40's that for so long was the standard power for the Iowa line. These units no doubt have been through Marion more times than can be counted.

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It's my own personal observation that BN picked what little meat was left on the bones of the MILW, and the line eastward from Council Bluffs is one more example.

All most mist the this post. The MILW line that i mist i never did see one train on it. I just to day drove over the line and the poll line is still in with the grade nere Keystone Ia. I wish more was still in but there a lot ripped out . o well there is a lot of lines in iowa that got ripped out that may have made it today . Richard

I worked on the section out of Atkins, IA for three summers and about 6 months after college graduation until Uncle Sam required my services. The yard area at Atkins is preserved as the Roundhouse area. It has some mowed walking trails in the summer and many of the foundations from all the buildings can be found. My folks took us a a trip by train boarding at Marion to Portland,OR down the coast to LA and back to Marion in the 60's and had the time of my life. Lived only two blocks from the main and watched the city trains for 20 years. My son only whiches that I had taken pictures.

bkr Wrote:
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> I worked on the section out of Atkins, IA for
> three summers and about 6 months after college
> graduation until Uncle Sam required my services.
> The yard area at Atkins is preserved as the
> Roundhouse area. It has some mowed walking trails
> in the summer and many of the foundations from all
> the buildings can be found. My folks took us a a
> trip by train boarding at Marion to Portland,OR
> down the coast to LA and back to Marion in the
> 60's and had the time of my life. Lived only two
> blocks from the main and watched the city trains
> for 20 years. My son only whiches that I had taken
> pictures.

My middle brothers godparents lived on a farm NW of Atkins on a gravel road about a 3/4 of mile north of the tracks. In the 1970's, that was the west end of the Atkins siding. I think after the passenger train was discontinued, they took the other main out from Atkins to Newhall.

Atkins became a crew change point sometime in the early teens. It replaced Marion because Savanna to Marion was only 98 miles, and to Atkins was 103, so in order for engineers to be paid 100 miles, it was moved there. Besides the roundhouse, and coaling tower, they had a bunkhouse for the crews. I've always been searching for a picture of the building.

In 1972 crews began running through Atkins to Perry. When the track conditions became bad, around late 1977/early 1978, crews were changing at Atkins then would either deadhead home to Savanna or Perry, or layover at the Townhouse Motel there on the Marion/Cedar Rapids border. One retired engineer told me they used to go eat quite a bit at either the Big Boy or Shakeys Pizza across the street from there.

I've got a B&W photo of a BN coal train changing out at Atkins from November 1978. If I ever get a scanner, I'll definately post on here.

MILW86A

The second main was taken out before the passenger trains stopped running. The Double track was shortened to west Atkins about 1970. I worked with the contractor that removed the ties from the second main. Also worked a derailment at West Atkins the week of Thanksgiving in 1972.