Rock Island Lines News Clips from March / April 1980

March 31, 2020 marks 40 years since the Rock Island Railroad rolled into history as being one of the nation's largest railroad shutdowns. I was just a kid at the time but I saw how it affected my family whom three generations worked for the Rock Island Railroad. It was a sad day for the system and it left many towns empty-handed taking years for many of them to recover.
I remember well the weekend just before the shutdown as my grandpa who started as a Brakeman in 1938 and then a Conductor in 1941 took me down to the Silvis Yard for one last look. I remember the Silvis Yard area being a beehive of activity with Rock Island cars and locomotives being returned to all the major hubs along the line to be turned over to the Trustees of the railroad on April 1 at 12:01 AM.
I remember revisiting Sillvis Yard again that summer when one of many Trustees' auctions took place selling everything from Rock island paperwork to cabooses. The crowds were crazy with people wanting to buy and collect items from the now shutdown line.
Within a few years after the shutdown, my grandpa passed away just as I was coming to age with wanting to know more about his career with the Rock Island. I never got that chance however many of his close friend's took me under their wing to share many stories that I cherish to this day. My grandma also helped with those connections when she asked if I wanted any of my grandpa's railroad items that he'd been storing in the attic since his retirement in 1973. Needless to say, I took it all knowing someday I would display it in my model railroad room.
Some items that were saved from my grandpa's collections were some TV news clips he recorded from March and April 1980. None of these are new and some of the clips are a little rough and have probably been seen before. However, I thought I would share them out anyway on this 40th Anniversary after the Rock Island Railroad's shutdown.

[@1Nanerz]

Rock management “We’re going to drive this railroad into the ground..” Milwaukee management “Hold my beer.”

[@timetable5245]

Tough way to say goodbye to a career and friends. The Rock Island was a great railroad.

[@captainmorgan757]

So many railroads can lament the same tune. Most of the employees, back in the day, took pride in their work and were careful with the equipment, unlike these days. No matter how frugal the employees were and how much they sacrificed, it was *always* management that sold a railroad "down the river" whether it be by boldface lies, closed door deals, or under-the-table pay offs. With every new contract the employee was left with less again, again, and again. Quarter after financial quarter the railroad boasted "record profits", but when it came to a pay raise for the employees they were always met with the same words, "Sorry, boys! The well is dry".

[@vicodumb]

Amazing how much of the "redundant" Rock track is still in service. Thank you for compiling this Tony.

[@douglasskaalrud6865]

The stuff still in existence is profitable. The stuff that lost money is gone. It’s not rocket science.

[@vicodumb]

@@douglasskaalrud6865 How profound. What's with the attitude?

[@ernestpassaro9663]

No kidding 😂

[@ernestpassaro9663]

A railroad is a business like any other if they can’t turn a profit they go bankrupt plain and simple !

[@_cyan2742]

"And it all seemed so unjust, for a railroad that was once such a proud winner, to die a loser."

[@apocalypserailroad9047]

Sad!!! Like the story of America!!! Bye bye Rock.. bye bye America!

[@oldclip70]

I want to say thank you. I wish this was around when I was college studying Transportation/Logistics. This is a gem. We should learn from this. Amazing the airlines could get bailouts since 9/11. I went to the library reading the annual reports from the Rock Island. But collage of TV segments from the Quad Cities are priceless. Thank you for posting this.

[@CornCountryRails]

Christopher, I'm glad you enjoyed it. It is interesting to watch but also sad in the same way no what the fate of the railroad was. Thanks for watching. Tony

[@wtxrailfan]

Capitalist sharks ate all the meat and left nothing but the bones. An all too common occurrence in the history of American railroads. Thanks for the video. 🚂🚃🚃🚃

[@blainenodes8182]

us blue collar workers are going the way of the R ock island...thanks to AI

[@1Nanerz]

I know how those railroaders feel. Lost my job over a mandated jab. Complete political BS.

[@jalilmuhammad8270]

The Rock Island Railroad faltered after simply being left to rot in the 1970s and 1980.

[@eugeneschulte4950]

The Rock Island depot in Pipestone Minnesota still stand. The only depot left from 4 different lines. The Rock Island left Pipestone in 1969.

[@ronsmith3905]

Thanks for posting this. I have a copy of this same video. Love the run by and the yard shots. Hard to watch the reaction of those employees. But this is documentation that isn't doctored, it was the real news at the time. Still hard to believe they would let a class 1 railroad just fade into history. Thanks again for posting. Cheers!!

[@geoffreylee5199]

Sounds like the C.M.St.P.&P. end …

[@cehayes74]

Thank You 😊 for this excellent footage !!! My connection to the Rock Island Railroad was when the RTA had taken over the commuter service & my grandfather had 2 GP-38’s in HO Scale. Since then, I’ve been a RI Junkie reading 📖 & collecting anything about the RI !!! Thank You again for this treasure !!!

[@roscoepcoltrane5499]

My father was a very proud Brakeman here.....there still is a hole in my families heart in my house, my mother still has his retro pay check that bounced 4 times....my uncle was a flagman here for 3 years to pay for his collage.....

[@travelingman484]

Depressing.

[@BrokenWrenches]

Thanks for posting, fascinating video for me. My grandfather worked for the rock in silvis for years, was yardmaster at some point. He died as well as the railroad before i was born. I grew up in the silvis area in the late 80’s-90’s. Spent a lot of Saturdays as a young boy walking what remained of the silvis railyard.

[@Robbi496]

John Dow Farrington rebuilt the railroad during the depression and Downing Jenks, Jervis Langdon and yes, Bill Gibbons and John Ingram wrecked it

[@billd.6847]

I remember the bad track at Danville Arkansas and 10 mph speed limits. I asked the engineer how long it took to get to Little Rock, he said one time they had two derailments and it took 3 days to go 100 miles.

[@Robbi496]

interestingly enough, the Iowa interstate, which runs much of their track through Iowa, is a going concern

[@BuckeyeNationRailroader]

I never got to see the Rock Island, but I surely will never stop being a fan

[@BossSpringsteen69]

I wish i was still in Illinois at the time and a rail nut. Well i came back to Illinois in 83 then became a rail nut.

[@dmbodeen]

My home town of Geneseo got a shout out at 9:49 great video thanks for sharing

[@CornCountryRails]

I'm glad to see Geneseo's Depot is still standing to. Thanks for watching! Tony

[@N-Scale]

Thanks Tony the whole thing is and was a shame !!! How funny at the end " Why would you want a caboose? "

[@CornCountryRails]

MIke, I know I would take a caboose, I have room in my backyard. Yes, a shame is correct and it hard to tell what could have been if the Rock Island was still around today when I see so many off-spring shortline railroads that are making a go of it on once Rock Island rails in Iowa. Thanks for watching! Tony

[@rimodeler7963]

Hi Tony - I appreciate you posting these news clips .......... very interesting and yet sad to watch at the same time. I'm glad to have experienced the Rock Island in the mid-to-late 1960s in central Iowa at a time when the railroad was somewhat of a going concern. I have many great memories of those cherished experiences. Thanks!! Mike

[@CornCountryRails]

MIke, I agree interesting to watch but sad and at the same time as we know what the fate of the railroad was. I guess we can have a better fate for the Rock Island through our memories and model railroading. LOL! Thanks for watching! Tony

[@jonburney]

Thanks so much for posting this! I grew up in Silvis post-Rock Island Railway and was always told of the streamliners and steam trains that used to travel our rails. Fortunately the railway never fully died and train horns can still be heard everyday in the Quad Cities. I'm so glad the historical society is taking over the Silvis yard now - can't wait to go home and see live steam in the QCA again!

[@racerxfile]

Thank you for putting this video up. I grew up in Missouri and as a young kid, there was nothing more thrilling to me than to see a Rock Island freight come thundering over a trestle near Gerald or skirting around Owensville out to the clay factory. I was 13 when the Rock's flag fell for the last time...but I still remember it fondly, so this video was very much appreciated and really hit home.

[@RailPreserver2K]

The railroad has been revived in shortline form

[@robertweber3140]

Thanks for sharing Tony. Some great memories...

[@CornCountryRails]

Thank you for watching! Tony

[@matthewwolff3729]

Must have been a sight to see in its heyday.

[@blainenodes8182]

Yes sir ❗ 1949 1st sight of twin star rocket @stpaul depot,chased r.i.till 1980 last freight MSP we had 9 r.r.chased em' all

[@TomKlimczak]

This is amazing footage. I wonder if the original recordings exist. Thanks for sharing this.

[@CornCountryRails]

I know at one time (20 years ago) RITS had copies they were selling that is probably were better quality. I'm not sure if there are still some around. Tony

[@TomKlimczak]

@@CornCountryRails , the scene of the reporter walking by the burned up E7 about made it rain indoors here.

[@NishnaValleyRailVideos]

It’s sad to know she would never be the same line, at least there is 2 railroads that live on in her memory, Rock Island Rail and Iowa Interstate, The Iowa Interstate Logo is the same logo as the Rock Island Pelt Logo, Iowa Interstate has a HU from them, 516 is kinda a knockoff Rocket Paint Scheme. And I kinda see the similarities between The Iowa Interstate paint scheme and the rock Island Route Of the rockets paint scheme. And rock Island Rail is the new rock Island, it will never be the “Rock Island” but it’s the closest we will get

[@JasonTrew2018]

I just turned 1 when The Rock was shut down, I wish I could have something from them. At least a friend I know did bring The Rock back from the dead, even though it's in Mississippi.

[@kevinhoward9593]

A good chunk of Rock Island tracks are owned by Iowa Interstate Railroad. But it was four years after this film.

[@25mfd]

@ 17:16... listening to that, i would say that statement is 100% CORRECT... we operate in a free market capitalistic system, it's not the governments responsibility to prop up failing industries

[@xr6lad]

Hence why you country is a falling apart mess.