Nostalgia & History > Milwaukee Road in Iowa

I think it's high time for a Milwaukee break. Though these aren't the best shots of mine quality wise, I had to include a few anyway because the line has been torn up and removed for so long now. It's hard to believe this line hosted the Union Pacific "City of Everywhere" at 79 mph across Iowa right up till Amtrak day in April of 1971. By the end of the Seventies this line was all 10 mph, and by the end of 1980 it was abandon. Today, you can hardly tell a railroad ever went there. But went there it did, so lets travel back for a moment across the current of years to a happier time.

The first shot is westbound train #221 (the daily UP connection train) with GP-40 trio 2037-2064-2014 taken about mid way between Martelle and Morley, Iowa in July of 1976.

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Another day, this time in August of 1976, finds westbound train #221 with the standard trio of GP-40's for power going by the huge grain elevators in Martelle, Iowa.

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GP-30 #1014 and a couple of new MP-15 switchers take a break at the downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa diesel facility in June of 1977.

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An eastbound freight is ready to depart Marion, Iowa in June of 1977 with GP-40's 2043-2070 and UP U-30C #2875.

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A going shot.

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For a man with a "CNW...." handle, you have some good CMSTP&P images. Thanks for posting. Gerry

GPutz Wrote:
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> For a man with a "CNW...." handle, you have some
> good CMSTP&P images. Thanks for posting. Gerry
wish i had them but just didn't have a car then . glad you did show more Richard

CNW8531 Wrote:
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> A going shot.


That's not going... it's gone.
Thanks for posting - wish I had a chance to see it before it was no more.

Thanks for posting these Angus. That is the MILW I remember as a kid growing up in Marion.

Your first shot says between Martelle and Morley. Unfortunately my 1968 Iowa Div profile book is out on loan, so I cant tell you what milepost you are at.
Martelle was MP 213.9 and had a 7,000 plus ft siding there for meets.

The EB train with the signals are taken east of the 35th St crossing at Marion. To your left would have been Linn Co OP. When the ICG started service after the MILW took over, the end of track was right at this spot.

Maximum speed on the mainline by 1976 was 50, down to 40 by 1977 and 30 by 1978. When your employer C&NW got all the MILW trains east of Tama, it went down to the 10 mph most remember by the beginning of 1979 and those famous Savanna to Marion "Turns"(they were trains 106/107) powered by sets of F's began.

Thanks for bringing back some memories pal. I owe you a beer at Vitales next time in Clinton:}.

MILW86A

Very nice! I took the liberty of trying Sharpen on your pictures...testing..this is better done on the other end but I think you might be able to make these great shots really shine:

Auto-Levels, Sharpen, and size to 8X6, 100dpi

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