Ben Safourek's Montezuma (IA) branch line movies part 6.

[@sandyg9228]

August 21, 1972 was my 18th birthday and I was preparing to head off to college. The weedy track and the orange hi-rail MOW van/pickup bring back lots of memories of the Rock I observed in NW Iowa’s “bow and arrow” division.

[@mistyjewell1679]

Thank you immensely for sharing this footage!!!! Seldom will we see videos of the few that didn't make it into the Conrail takeover, and the differed maintenance they had to undergo in order to stay afloat!..?? The only thing that kept the right of way "clear" was the trains themselves! The ICC could have played a "small" part in that! Milwaukee Road...?? It is unlikely that any of us will ever see a Class 1 railroad, even a branch line, get to such a state and still carry rail traffic.

[@timetable5245]

Thanks for posting this great Rock Island memory. The brakeman opening the door at the depot to turn in waybills or bills of lading doesn't happen anymore.

[@georgecarter838]

Love those SW-1's very much. The first locomotive I ran when I was certified as engineer in 1990 was a SW-1. Thank you for sharing these wonderful memories of the Rock Island branch lines, but thank you for a even wonderful memory of my favorite diesel switcher.

[@gerhardanderson3823]

Can't tell you how much I have enjoyed watching this series. They all have been great, but really loved this last one with the SW1. Thank you so much for posting these video's. Much appreciated.

[@fiddlyphuk6414]

Used to fan that hill track up into the yard back in the 80s. It was Ia Interstate then when they were using 1st gen. EMDs and Alcos. Man did they put on a show. Sometimes they stalled and had to split the train.The crew never looked happy when that happened. I think that track is still in use.

[@andybrown1539]

Yes it was always a good show, and track still exists to serve Crandic customers in Hills and North Liberty

[@davidbudka1298]

Thank you for sharing.

[@ElCapitan1718]

Looking at Google Maps, it appears that all traces of this line are gone in 2023. Were the rails lifted shortly after the Rock ceased operations in 1980, or did the branch survive for a while as a shortline? While the carloads were not plentiful, it looks like there was sufficient business to warrant service on an "as required" basis. This video reminds me of the M-K-T between Wichita Falls, TX and Altus, OK in the early 1970's. The track conditions were very similar, with sections of the M-K-T line void of ballast and obscured by vegetation. These remnants of railroading past are more inspiring to me than the high-speed freight corridors that operate today.

[@andybrown1539]

The track may have been pulled up even before 1980 because this line was abandoned by RI in the mid '70s but operated for a while by a short line called Central Iowa Railway Corp. There are still spots where you can see the grade but yes a lot of it has been erased.

[@ElCapitan1718]

@@andybrown1539 Thank you. I appreciate you sharing this video.

[@remylopez4821]

@ElCapitan1718 I remember seeing the M K T Depot on main street in 1990 when I was at Altus AFB for tech school. I would ride my bicycle around town on weekends and explore the train spots. It was abandoned at the time, and I always wondered what it’s history was and what trains served when I was there the Burlington Northern had took over the Frisco line and there was a couple of other short lines that for the life of me I can’t remember, but thank you for that tidbit of information

[@25mfd]

with no hand held radios, trains like this couldn't be too long... not without at least a brakeman... and two would be preferrable.... but the 1972 national agreement was the beginnings of the crew reductions... and watching this vid makes me believe this was definitely targeted as a "blankable assignment"

[@OgaugeTrainsplusslotCars]

Love those old Trains

[@huntermossakajunkerman9646]

There were places so weed grown you wouldn't even know a set of tracks were there. I wonder what show/movie the camera crew were shooting.

[@danieltemple5545]

I was thinking that myself. It's amazing the train didn't derail.

[@jimikrentkowski4073]

I think they were filming the court order to remain open? Would like to see the news reel to confirm.

[@rjdio3750]

This stuff is amazing - thank you for posting!

[@samwillson5814]

What year did the discontinue service east of Riverside going towards Lone Tree? In some old notes I have, it says possibly going east of Lone Tree to Nichols was ended around 1960? Nichols to Muscatine ended maybe 1930's?

[@andybrown1539]

Iowa Jct. (Riverside) to Lone Tree, and Nichols to Muscatine was abandoned in 1938, with Lone Tree then served via Nichols. Nichols to Lone Tree was then abandoned in 1958.

[@samwillson5814]

@@andybrown1539 Thanks Andy.

[@tristanstrains]

Very nice 👍👍

[@trisb0999]

Jeez that's some bad trackage

[@JBB4118]

Quite a train for that little SW1. Bet the hogger had fun with that weight and crappy weed covered track!

[@michigandon]

Those M9 speeders @ 2:00!

[@Hopen111YT]

Epic

[@danielboone3770]

😍😍😍😍😍🤩🤩

[@JeffRichBLET129]

Andy, what Division of Rock Island is this branch on? I'm curious to pull a timetable.

[@andybrown1539]

Boy I don't know, East Iowa maybe?

[@JeffRichBLET129]

@@andybrown1539 Illinois Division for certain, I can find track profiles from Iowa City to Hills post abandonment after 1972.

[@kelvintorrence5994]

i know railroads are cheap an psr ,butt running on grass tracks now thats cheap

[@grantv2313]

The RI hadn’t been profitable for years by this point and was only surviving on loans. They came out of bankruptcy for a third time and switched to the blue and white paint scheme around 1975 but had to go bankrupt and be liquidated by early 1980. This video was from 1972 so they only had about 7 years left at this point so the grass covered tracks aren’t a surprise . No money for maintenance.