1985 The last time the Southern was in Bryson City

RI541

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aaaaaaaaagghhhhh....right in the heart..... cough,,cough.. ...cant ya cough,,hack,,cough,,weeeeeeeezzzkkkkkk (hair ball)...... cut me some..... hack,,cough,,weeezkk,,cough....... slack? :D :D :confused:
 

IMRL393

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Originally posted by Bob Collins
Shane;

I'm afraid the question goes begging?? What Rock Island trackage:confused: :confused:

I grew up in Council Bluffs, Iowa and in those days before TV the Rock Island Line was a mighty fine Road. Last time I looked under the bridge there were no tracks to be seen:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Even all the bankrupt blue hoppers were all gone!!

Bob

Hey Bob -

Didn't you see my RI RR bridge photo ("Going, going...") ?

The RI bridge and track (A recent MapQuest map on the area still labels that track "Rock Island Lines Railroad"!) are here in Davenport - and I even saw THREE blue RI hoppers within the last two weeks on the Bettendorf - Davenport track !!!

So the ROCK is still alive and well in Davenport ... especially in my basement !!!!!!!

:D

- George
 
Originally posted by Tyson Rayles
Thanks Vic, I have been having so much fun with this that I haven't got squat done on the layout! :( :rolleyes: :D

That makes two of us, Tyson. I've got to get away from this 'puter and get back to the basement. Even my wife is now referring to my layout as "that overgrown diorama in the basement." Worse yet, I was talking to one of my grown daughters on the phone a couple of evenings ago, and she referred to my layout as "The Spider Haven & Cricket Central" :(

BTW: that's a really neat picture. As I said elsewhere, you just get better and better.
 

billk

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Jun 12, 2001
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Originally posted by Bob Collins
Shane;

I'm afraid the question goes begging?? What Rock Island trackage:confused: :confused:

I grew up in Council Bluffs, Iowa and in those days before TV the Rock Island Line was a mighty fine Road. Last time I looked under the bridge there were no tracks to be seen:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Even all the bankrupt blue hoppers were all gone!!

Bob

Thanks for straightening me out, Bob. I always thought RI stood for Rapidly Indigent.
 

Bob Collins

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Sources now report that the crate itself is all a hoax. Although there is a crate involved in the plot, it is just used to cover up the tank inside that is being used to transport "spirits." When in Scotland it was used to move single malt "beverages" and when it was seen in the south there seems to be evidence that moonshine was being moved by the Southern. No wonder they are such a happy lot:D :D

The giveaway was when my agents noticed the "Hazardous Materials" signage on the sides of the crate:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Bob
 

Bob Collins

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Hey billk;

I used to ride the Hiawatha to your hometown years ago. It too seems to have disappeared. Are the Milwaukee tracks there still active?

I really don't know what the deal is in Council Bluffs. There are still a couple of tracks in the area where the mainlines of both the RI and Milwaukee used to be. I'm not at all sure who uses them now. Also the big yard the RI had is gone. Same with where the CB&Q used to cross those mainlines. I think they have very limited presence in CB anymore and use their line that crosses the Missouri River at Plattsmouth , NE almost exclusively.

Bob
 

billk

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Marion, IA, USA
Bob - re: railroad in Marion - The tracks have just recently been abandoned. The city is in the usual quandry of what to do with them - biking/hiking trails, etc. For the last few years service has been less than daily, mostly to a scrap iron place.

The roof of the old depot was restored and put over a pavilion in the town square, and I think a lot of the bricks were reused as well. It's kinda neat - still has that RRish look to it. There's a caboose on display in the square as well.

Actually, I consider a little place called Sargen, Nebraska as my "home town" - Marion is just where I live! Here's a picture of the first locomotive to arrive in Sargent.
 

Bob Collins

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I have been in Sergeant many times. Used to drive up from Broken Bow through Sergeant on the way up to the Long Pine, Bassett, Valentine area. Beautiful country. I recent bought a copy of a neat book called "The Cowboy Railroad." It is a history of the CNW from Norfolk through Chadron and both to the Black Hills and Wyoming. I used to do a lot of phesant hunting up in the Long Pine area. I actually learned to drive on the gravel that ran north from Sergeant up toward Bassett.

My connect to Marion is actually to Cedar Rapids where my mother was born and raised and where my grandparents lived until the 50's when they both died. Lots of family buried in Linwood Cemetery there.

Bob
 

Tyson Rayles

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Marty thanks, it's in the mail. :D :D :D
Casey thanks, it took a while to get a handle on it, but I think I'm going in the right direction.
billk your picture is alot more realilistic than mine! :D :p :D
Bob thanks alot for spreading our little secret all over the internet, the fuzz will probably be here any minute! :rolleyes: