A Resurrection From the Dead

[mlgillson]

Compare this photo taken in 2008



With this one taken in June, 2013.



The crossing in question http://www.rxrsignals.net/Iowa/Oelwein/60/

A new grain loading facility is being constructed North of the crossing. Here are a couple links regarding it:

http://www.communitynewspapergroup.com/ ... .flash.swf (this is a flash file, right-click to zoom in or out)

http://media.agricharts.com/sites/658/N ... screen.pdf

[AndyWS]

Cool. Always nice to see dead rail lines brought back to life.

[LARDLOGO]

Good, at least they aren't lazy like BNSF is

[SirKrunch]

There should be plenty of used signal parts available from the IARR to fix those signals up... they've begun ripping the 30+ miles of track they abandoned last year from Highway 20 to Marshalltown. The railroad is estimating it will take them six months to finish.

[AndyWS]

Isn't that the one they resurrected around 2005-06 after 20 years out of service and refurbishing those Griswolds? Sorry to hear it didn't work out in the long run.

[mlgillson]

Isn't that the one they resurrected around 2005-06 after 20 years out of service and refurbishing those Griswolds? Sorry to hear it didn't work out in the long run.

Yup.

Since this crossing is on a state maintained highway, they may have to put in all new equipment and reinstall gates. Yes, I said reinstall gates. We'll see...

Before the Cheap & Nothing Wasted abandoned this CGW line in favor of the old Rock Island Short Line, this crossing had gates. I saw a picture of it somewhere...

Crossing work will likely take place while the Iowa DOT has the road closed for road work.

[SirKrunch]

Isn't that the one they resurrected around 2005-06 after 20 years out of service and refurbishing those Griswolds? Sorry to hear it didn't work out in the long run.

Yeah... the 41 or so mile long line between Ackley and Marshalltown. Unfortunately the flooding in 08 and 10 really took its toll on that line. It was already in bad shape when they originally purchased it, and the plan was to eventually replace every 4th tie along the entire stretch. But when you're a shortline with limited finances... and keep deferring maintenance... The ethanol plant was the one major shipper on the line. The idea when it was brought back into service was for the plant to purchase its grain from the other elevators along the line, but that never worked out. (FS Albion did fertilizer and ammonia - which they even installed a new siding and ammonia holding tank for, United in Union did fertilizer as did the Eldora co-op, and the plastics manufacturer in Eldora did 1 or 2 cars a month from the UP interchange in Marshalltown.)
IARR put the bulk of their finances (and still are) into track work on the portion of the line from the link with CN at Ackley to the plant. This year they've been re-ballasting and replacing ties in that area. They also now do transloading in the added "yard" area about a mile or so South of Ackley for the Co-operatives on the abandoned portion of the line South of MP 209.
Most talk from people formerly employed by the railroad though... they're surprised it took them this long. The biggest investor in the line was a rail salvage company. I talked to their first employed engineer (who took a position with Iowa Interstate a little after a year working for them) and he figured they'd petition to abandon the line South of the plant after the first year to turn a profit on the sale.
IARR got their abandonment approval last year already to yank the line... but until recently, they had only taken out a handful of sidings. There was a lot of talk recently of investors coming up possibly to make an offer to save the line... and also that the salvage value of the line wasn't near as much as they'd hoped for - again because of the terrible condition of the line. Unfortunately though, it seems as though any possibility of purchase has fallen through now, as noted by eslade4 on the AmesRailFans Yahoo group who railfans the line and has taken a lot of photos of operations the past couple years. He was out watching a small crew out taming the weeds as well as loosening bolts and pulling spikes last week at Albion. IARR is getting in gear with ripping rail, because their abandonment authority runs out soon.

The IARR is starting to pull spikes and unbolt joints on the section to be
abandoned from Marshalltown to Steamboat Rock (MP209) They started during this
past week I think.
There are 11 pics starting here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eslade4/9226883942/

Here is a shot from the same area (Bethel) when the IARR was taking tanks from
Marshalltown to New Century FS in Albion in 2011. The moved included a run
around in Liscomb so it was a bit of a round about move.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eslade4/57 ... 6026379938

This section of the line from Steamboat to Marshalltown is to be come a trail
assuming grants come through.

From what eslade4 had mentioned elsewhere - I believe the M&STl Yahoo Group page - The last run South of the plant was in December of 2011, when they went South to collect all the cars stored along the line and bring them up to EOT at 209.

OH - AND ONE OTHER HEADS UP:
In case you weren't aware, the same major investor that owns the IARR, also was the one who purchased the FEVR tourist line in Nebraska (Fremont to Hooper).
Things aren't looking quite so good for that line either... possible abandonment and trail talk is beginning as well.

[SirKrunch]

Before the Cheap & Nothing Wasted abandoned this CGW line in favor of the old Rock Island Short Line, this crossing had gates. I saw a picture of it somewhere..

FRA inventory data changed from gates to no gates in mid 1985.
That's about the time they also changed the speed table from 40mph to 10mph.
(Not that the data on there is all that trustworthy either. For the record, it shows the exempt signs first being reported in 2005.)

[AndyWS]

[From what eslade4 had mentioned elsewhere - I believe the M&STl Yahoo Group page - The last run South of the plant was in December of 2011, when they went South to collect all the cars stored along the line and bring them up to EOT at 209.

OH - AND ONE OTHER HEADS UP:
In case you weren't aware, the same major investor that owns the IARR, also was the one who purchased the FEVR tourist line in Nebraska (Fremont to Hooper).
Things aren't looking quite so good for that line either... possible abandonment and trail talk is beginning as well.

Thanks for that info. Interestingly, someone has a photo of the IARR GP30 at Steamboat Rock dated January of this year, although it could be a typo.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=3421137

[SirKrunch]

[From what eslade4 had mentioned elsewhere - I believe the M&STl Yahoo Group page - The last run South of the plant was in December of 2011, when they went South to collect all the cars stored along the line and bring them up to EOT at 209.

OH - AND ONE OTHER HEADS UP:
In case you weren't aware, the same major investor that owns the IARR, also was the one who purchased the FEVR tourist line in Nebraska (Fremont to Hooper).
Things aren't looking quite so good for that line either... possible abandonment and trail talk is beginning as well.

Thanks for that info. Interestingly, someone has a photo of the IARR GP30 at Steamboat Rock dated January of this year, although it could be a typo.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=3421137

That's one of their parking spots for their power, by the crossing South of the plant. The plant has a Steamboat Rock mailing address, though it is about 5 or so miles North of the actual town. They either tie it up there for the night, or South of the signals at the D15 crossing closer to Ackley.