Hi Everyone, I have friends that just moved to Bridgewater, IA. Looking at Google Earth it appears that a right-of-way passes through the south end of town. I can't tell if there are still tracks there or not. Does anybody know if a railroad did indeed go through Bridgewater, IA? If so, what railroad was it? Where did it go? Is it still active? Thank you for any help anyone can give. pajrr
Thanks for the excuse to go browsing in my Official Guides.
Bridgewater was on a branch that ran from Creston, on the CB&Q main line, northwest 47 miles to Cumberland. The Q was great about offering mixed trains on their branches, and my latest (1962) Guide still shows the service, altho Bridgewater's name has been inexplicably dropped. It was listed with the others on the route in my 1951 Guide.
Good bet that that branch is now history, along with so many others.
Iowa fascinates me. Both sides of my family are from there, I lived there for a spell myself, and I keep learning of new town names such as Bridgewater. Iowa's got to run out sometime, but it hasn't yet.
Based on the Iowa maps in the SPV Railroad Atlas series, the entire branch from Creston to Cumberland is gone (and yes, Bridgewater is shown).Fred, these atlases are pretty good for showing the obscure names and railroad lines in whatever state may interest you.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
The entire branch lasted into the BN era. It was still there in 1986 for the Trains' Iowa issue.
Around 1970, the movie "Cold Turkey" was partially shot in Greenfield on this branch. The brick depot that appears in some scenes is there, on the south end of town. It still stood, although derelict, a few years ago. There is one night scene where a train's horn can be heard.
Jeff
CShaveRR Based on the Iowa maps in the SPV Railroad Atlas series, the entire branch from Creston to Cumberland is gone (and yes, Bridgewater is shown).Fred, these atlases are pretty good for showing the obscure names and railroad lines in whatever state may interest you.
Good thought, Carl; I should have remembered my own DeLorme road atlas for the state. DeLorme also shows railroad lines; also, abandoned lines in some cases, although not this one.
I had the good fortune to ride in one of these old Q mixed trains, Burlington to Washington, in Iowa, 50 years ago. The trip of about 50 miles took 4-5 hours; the track was OK (for 20 mph or so?) but there was just a lot of work. The accommodation for passengers and crew was an ancient combine with (worn) plush seats, stove and oil lamps -- a trip back into the day before yesterday, even for 1961!
I wonder what's shakin' in Bridgewater these days to attract the friends of the original poster. Pop. is under 200, and some hits on the Internet mention cults and ghosts!
Q branch line mixed. Burlington, IA to Washington, IA:
Summer 1963
You depart from the Burlington Station's stub track. An EMD switch engine coated black proclaims "Everywhere West" in white. The little engine pulls 10 freight cars ending with a combine coach through the yards before heading north by northwest.
The ancient combine coach is as described prior. The coach is 1/3 full. The block of Ice in the water dispenser melts at a speed to meet the need. The bottom of commode offers a birds eye view of ties passing by at 20 MPH.
Heat relief is obtained by open coach windows. Stick your head out into the breeze. Withdraw in cuts to avoid a leafy face slap. The corn is tasseling and its pollen drives another young passenger to sneezing tears.
The crew riding the coach retires to baggage section. A rough stretch of track causes a large jolt. The door separating baggage from passengers flies open. All can see the conductor and brakemen playing poker. A crew member rushes to close the door.
A passenger says, "Leave it open." Another says, "Yea, it'll help the breeze." With the baggage doors half open it does. The crew continues their game in full view.
You pass well maintained little stations with an agent. At Yarmouth, two teenage boys are met by their grandfather. They are headed to the old family farm to help bail hay. No bus serves Yarmouth. More get off along the way. Your party is the only group traveling all the way to Washington.
Your relatives meet you in Washington. As cars are switched you see a handful waiting to go south out through the back window of a Rambler station wagon. You will ride the Rambler back to Burlington that night.
50 years and a different world. Your last ride on the line four years later shows how fast change comes.
James H. Kyner, Civil War veteran and later a grading contractor who worked on various railroad projects in the latter part of the 19th century, wrote his memoirs in 1937. (End of Track, reprinted in 1960 by Bison Book, University of Nebraska. My copy is from their third printing in 1967.)
One project, that he only devotes one paragraph too, was his company doing grading work for the CB&Q on a branch line in Iowa. He says when he did the work for a small yard, the town wasn't yet named, but is now known as Bridgewater.
Victrola: You certainly had a crowd. A friend and I were the only passengers on that 1961 ride, which was a few days before Christmas.
One thing I was looking for, because an aunt had told me about it, was an interruption of the trip at some point while the switch engine (same as you describe) cut off to go wandering into the country to service a customer.
My aunt, the only passenger, used the crewless interval to shave her legs. This was in the 1930s sometime. On our trip, the crew took off on the same business, which certainly added to the time-warp quality of the experience. (My friend and I did not shave our legs.)
Say, what happened four years later?
It took few people in the combination coach to make a crowd. Both trips, the train would stop to switch local customers. Will collect remembrances and report on 1967 trip when time permits. At age 12, you remember more.
.
http://www.iowadot.gov/iowarail/railroads/maps/Chronology.pdf
Unfortunately it doesn't say railroad names, but an interesting map none the less. Wish other states had maps like this. It would be nice to see.
Creston to Greenfield Line was BNSF's until 1997 when they sold the branch to Track-Tech . The Bridgewater Segment Was built by the Western Iowa RR Co in 1885 (Cumberland to Fontanelle) and the Creston & Northern RR in 1878-1879 (creston to Fontanelle) ... Greenfield - Bridgewater Cumberland was abandoned in 1988, but the citation is not clear.
Per STB:
Track Tech acquired this line from The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company (BNSF) in June 1997. Track Tech, Inc.--Acquisition and Operation--The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company, STB Finance Docket No. 33434 (STB served Sept. 12, 1997). Petitioner also acquired six other lines from BNSF in November 1996 and filed petitions for exemption to abandon these lines in STB Docket No. AB-493 (Sub-Nos. 1X, 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, and 6X). The exemptions in Sub-Nos. 1X, 2X, and 5X were granted by decisions served on January 12, 1998. The exemptions in Sub-Nos. 3X, 4X, and 6X were granted by decisions served on February 24, 1998.
(Track Tech was another scam operator, but Instead of the usual culprit (A&K Materials) - the black hats were worn by the Tie Yard of Omaha (TYO). Things got really weird when the trail scam collided with the scrapping scam with the NIMBY's watching from the peanut gallery.)
The train that ran through Bridgewater Iowa was locally known as The North Branch, which ran from Creston to Cumberland, Iowa. Locals also called it The Cumberland Rose. My dad was a CB&Q conductor on the 3 day a week run in the mid 1970s until he retired. The run didn't pay as well as the runs to Omaha or Lincoln, but he was home every night. He used to get me passes for the trip and my buddies and I would pack lunches and comic books and make a day out of the trip, sitting in the combo car. The track wasn't in very good shape, so I think the max speed was about 25mph. One hot day the conductor strung a rope across the baggage car door opening and let us sit on the doorsill with our feet hanging out. We grabbed for leaves as the train passed through a tunnel of trees. If any of you can help out, I'd like to know which model of EMD switch engine was used on that run. If you look on Google Earth you can still see the beginning of the branch on the east end of the Creston yard. The tracks appear to still go north to the coal fired power plant northwest of Creston. When I rode the branch there was still a turntable on the northern end of the line at Cumberland, but unused since the steam days, before my time.
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