The Restored Burlington Northern Depot
                & WWII Memorial Museum
depothill.net

                                                                   <<<>>>

Railroads in Montgomery County, Iowa, and the region

Past and Present

Celebration of the Sesquicentennial of the railroad in Red Oak: http://depothill.net/depot19.html

The railroad in Montgomery County, Iowa, from 1869 thru 1905 (2 pp  .pdf)

     Burlington Route: A History of the Burlington Lines by Richard C. Overton, 1965, 746 pp.
     Available at https://archive.org/details/burlingtonrouteh00over/page/n1
     "Completion of the B. & M. [Burlington & Missouri River RR] across Iowa brought a
     tremendous change in the territory it served.  Population along the line zoomed upward,
     and during the calendar year 1870 the B. & M. reported a gross of well over two million
     dollars, about three and one half times the amount earned in 1867.

     Of equal significance, direct connections were established at Plattsmouth with the   
     Burlington's extension already underway in Nebraska.   Quietly and persistently the
system was laying the foundation for its latter-day trademark: 'Everywhere West'."  (p 96).

    The Burlington & Missouri River Railroad:    http://depothill.net/depot05.html/

    The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad:   http://www.burlingtonroute.org/Qrailroad/index.php

How BNSF and the railroad industry utilized innovation to reduce costs for shippers, 
     improve energy efficiency, and increase freight volume, all safely.   15 minute video

    Friends of the Burlington Northern Railroad website – all about people, places, and rolling stock,
    related to the BNSF and predecessors.  Includes a Red Oak Yard Map.      http://www.fobnr.org/

Budd-Built streamlined stainless steel Twin Zephyrs

Some predecessors of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway –

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy (1848 - 1970)

St Paul and Pacific Railroad (1857 – 1879)

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe (1859 – 1996)

Colorado Midland Railway (1883 – 1918)

Colorado Midland Railway route map

Northern Pacific Railway (1864 - 1970)

Fort Worth and Denver Railway (1881-1982)

Colorado and Southern Railway (1898-1908)

Great Northern Railway (1889-1970)

More Railroad Resources

The Advent and Development of Railroads in Iowa: 1855-1940 (168 pp, .pdf)
Bureau of Historic Preservation, National Park Service; nps64500143
Prepared by Dr Rebecca Conard & Tracy Ann Cunning

http://denverrails.com - a searchable listing of railroad attractions across the U.S.,
including 60 in Iowa.

1881 Railroad Map of Iowa

Iowa Railway Guide – excerpt: “If you plan to ride the coach or immigrant car, do not wear your
best clothes.  You will find after a few hours on the train, that your clothes are rumpled and dusty."

Rock Island Train Depot Museum in Eldon, Iowa. Extensive interior exhibits, and outside
displays include a refurbished caboose and an Electro-Motive Diesel GP-7 locomotive.

At the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad in Boone, Iowa, the James H Andrew Railroad

Museum & History Center features memorabilia from all eras of railroading in Iowa. 

Theater and extensive research library. 

Midwest Central Railroad in Mt Pleasant, Iowa, brings the excitement of rail travel 100 years ago to

life behind authentic steam powered trains.   Experience live action of train engines and rolling stock

as well as educational displays and tours of the operation.   Click on  http://www.mcrr.org/

http://www.cherokeedepot.org/ Restored Illinois Central 1896 Depot in Cherokee, Iowa

RailsWest Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa: 

http://www.thehistoricalsociety.org/museums/railswest.html

1899 Chicago Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot, including Historic Railcars

and working HO Scale Model Railroad.  Also, railroad artifacts, exhibits, and gift shop.

The 32 acre Milwaukee Railroad Shops National Registry of Historic Preservation District in Sioux City, Iowa:
https://www.siouxcityrailroadmuseum.org with roundhouse, restored steam locomotive, boxcars, cabooses,
artifacts, documents. The complex was built in 1917 by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railway.

Railroad museums and attractions throughout Iowa:

https://iowadot.gov/iowarail/Historical-Culture/Museums-And-Attractions

Above: undated photo of the Depot, constructed 1903, in Red Oak, Iowa

Visit the Merci Boxcar in Cedar Rapids - a gift from grateful French Citizens, after WWII.

Railroad Station Historical Society - to encourage the preservation and growth of historical knowledge of

railroad stations/depots and other railroad/railway structures worldwide:  http://rrshs.org/

http://www.railfan.net – extensive website of railroad related museums & societies, photos, videos,

model railroads, magazines, railines (North America & worldwide), locomotives & equipment, forums, etc.

http://railarchive.com – numerous locomotive (steam, electric, diesel) photos, and manuals about

locomotive operation. Also, documents from railroad events, Fairs, and publicity booklets.

National Railway Historical Society: http://www.nrhs.com - projects to support rail preservation,

restoration, education, and operation. Includes local chapters and publications.

Top 15 Extinct American Steam Locomotives video

https://www.railserve.com -- 180 categories of hyperlinks to thousands of railroad related sites,
e.g., travel, hobby, industry, history, images, railcams, streaming RR radio communications,
garden RR, model RR, online and download train games, employment, statistics, memorabilia.

https://railroaddata.com – 50 main categories, 100 subcategories, 4,600+ hyperlinks –
e.g. depots, photos, forums, RR societies, locomotives, RR history, webcams, steam, magazines.

trainconductorhq.com -- being a train conductor or engineer, plus interesting blog posts.

trainweb.net -- travel by train, railcams, railroad photos, model railroading, depots,
circus trains, Mexican railroads, RR museums, abandoned railroads, derailments,
high-speed rail, locomotives, light rail, European RR, narrow gauge, & much more.

Union Pacific Railroad Museum -- Council Bluffs, Iowa    Free admission

Friends of the 457 – A beautifully restored ALCO 2-8-0 steam engine locomotive,
built in 1912 for the Minneapolis & St Louis RR. Free, open air viewing daily,
6 am to 11 pm, and tours during events (see website). Located in the 58 acre
East Park, Mason City, Iowa, containing two rivers and recreational facilities.

American Locomotive Company (ALCO) – Manufactured steam engine locomotives from
1901, and later diesel-electrics. During WWII, 3,000 tanks and 4,400 howitzer motor carriages.

themetrains.com -- American Orient Express, Freedom Train, Auto-Train, The Rexall
Train, Royal Train, Greenbriar Presidential Express, Chessie Steam Special, & more.

 The unsolved bombing of the Denver Zephyr, in Southwest Iowa, during World War II.
 "There were, no doubt, those who simply believed they were spared by an act of
 providence... The search for the Zephyr bomber was about to begin."  The case file of
 the FBI alone comprised 6,754 pages.  Read a 14 page (.pdf) article on the bombing.

Great Scenic Railway Journeys – videos of scenic railway journeys in US and Canada.


                           Traveling by Train

usa-by-rail.com -- discovering North America by rail.

https://www.amtrak.com/

VIA Rail Canada

          Railroads beyond Iowa and the Midwest

Urban Railroads - The New York Transit Museum has extensive on-line texts and images about

the nation’s largest urban system. Includes fascinating images of urban railroad highlines.

Model Railroading & regional Train Clubs

House of Trains Shop - Benson neighborhood, Omaha, NE

JJCL Model Train Shop - Hastings, IA

Nebraska-Iowa Railroaders Club - Oak View Mall, Omaha, NE

Train Time Models Shop - La Vista, NE

Western Heritage Division, National Model Railroad Association -
East Central Nebraska and Western Iowa

Chippewa Northwestern Railway Society - Seward, NE

Omaha N-Trak, National Model Railroad Association - Club

RiverCity Railroaders - Club
Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa

Beatrice Area Railroad Enthusiasts   Club - Beatrice, NE

Spring Creek Model Trains - Model Railroad Hobby Store
Deshler, NE

HobbyTown Shop - La Vista, NE

Nishna Valley Model Railroad    Club - Harlan, IA

Plans for the N Gauge The Red Oak Layout model
railroad, from Model Railroader (33 pp .pdf)
<<<>>>

Some train songs

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Henri Mancini

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Judy Garland, 1946

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe   Johnny Mercer, The Pied Pipers, Jo Stafford, Paul Weston & Orchestra, 1945

If you miss the train I’m on Peter, Paul and Mary, 1962

If you miss the train I’m on Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, Stark Sands

If you miss the train I’m on Joan Baez

If you miss the train I’m on The Brothers Four

If you miss the train I’m on The Hooters

If you miss the train I’m on synthesizer by Binayak Potla

If you miss the train I'm on   "Song for Memories"

Freight Train Joan Baez

Midnight Special Creedence Clearwater Revival

Rock Island Line Lonnie Donegan

Folsom Prison Blues Johnny Cash

City of New Orleans Arlo Guthrie

Ballad of John Henry Harry Belafonte

Mystery Train Junior Parker

This Train is Bound for Glory The Brothers Four, 1962

This Train is Bound for Glory Sister Rosetta Tharpe, 1964

This Train is Bound for Glory  The Seekers, 1964

This Train is Bound for Glory The Wailers, 1967

This Train is Bound for Glory Johnny Cash

This Train is Bound for Glory The Old Crow Medicine Show

This Train is Bound for Glory  Terry McMillan

Ballad of Casey Jones Pete Seeger

Dixie Flyer Big Tom

The Trolley Song from Meet Me in St Louis  Judy Garland, 1944

Downbound Train Bruce Springsteen

Paddy on the Railway Wolfe Tones

The Wreck of the Old 97 Boxcar Willie

The Wabash Cannonball Roy Acuff

Take the A Train   Dave Brubeck, 1966

Take the A Train   Sarah Vaughan, 1967

Take the A Train  Harry James, Buddy Rich

Take the A Train  BBC Big Band Orchestra

Take the A Train  Wynton Marsalis

Take the A Train  Steve Gadd, Michel Petrucciani, Anthony Jackson, 1998

Long Train Running The Dobbie Brothers

Last Train to Clarksville The Monkees, 1966

Bringing in the Georgia Mail Sam Bush, 2006

Chattanooga Choo Choo Glenn Miller,
The Nicholas Brothers, Dorthy Danridge, 1941

Chattanooga Choo Choo Carmen Miranda

Chattanooga Choo Choo The Andrews Sisters

Chattanooga Choo Choo The BBC Big Band Orchestra

Chattanooga Choo Choo Floyd Cramer, 1962

Chattanooga Choo Choo Ronnie Verrell, 1966

Chattanooga Choo Choo Ray Conniff, 1974

Chattanooga Choo Choo The Rudi Bohn Orchestra, 1976

Chattanooga Choo Choo Hayley Westenra & Heather Small, 2005

Chattanooga Choo Choo Teddy Stauffer’s Teddies & Phyllis Heymans

Chattanooga Choo Choo The Glenn Miller Orchestra (UK)

Chattanooga Choo Choo Herb Alpert, 2014

<<<>>>

" Celebrating Railroad Heritage & Honoring World War II Veterans "