Muscatine and Iowa City Railway

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The Muscatine and Iowa City Railway was a short-lived railroad that leased several lines in southeastern Iowa in 1916 from the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway. Those lines had been built in the 1870s and 1880s by predecessors of the Rock Island, and were mostly abandoned in the 1970s.

Iowa State of the United States of America

Iowa is a state in the Midwestern United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states; Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the east, Missouri to the south, Nebraska to the west, South Dakota to the northwest and Minnesota to the north.

History

The Muscatine Western Railroad was incorporated on May 23, 1870 to build a railroad from Muscatine, Iowa west to the Missouri River at the western border of the state, forming part of the proposed New York City-Council Bluffs Continental Railway. [1] Work began on April 21, 1872, and on May 27 the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Minnesota Railway (BCR&M) bought the property and franchises of the company. The first train ran on July 2 of that year, between Muscatine and the main line of the BCR&M at Nichols, and track was laid beyond to Riverside by the end of 1873. [2] [3] However, after the Panic of 1873 hit, the BCR&M defaulted on payment of interest on its bonds due November 1, 1873, and did not extend the line beyond Riverside. [4]

Muscatine, Iowa City in Iowa

Muscatine is a city in Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The population was estimated at 23,968 in 2015, an increase from 22,697 in the 2000 census. The county seat of Muscatine County, it is located along the Mississippi River. The local business association says that the name Muscatine is not used by any other community.

Missouri River major river in the central United States, tributary of the Mississippi

The Missouri River is the longest river in North America. Rising in the Rocky Mountains of western Montana, the Missouri flows east and south for 2,341 miles (3,767 km) before entering the Mississippi River north of St. Louis, Missouri. The river drains a sparsely populated, semi-arid watershed of more than 500,000 square miles (1,300,000 km2), which includes parts of ten U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. Although nominally considered a tributary of the Mississippi, the Missouri River above the confluence is much longer and carries a comparable volume of water. When combined with the lower Mississippi River, it forms the world's fourth longest river system.

New York City Largest city in the United States

The City of New York, usually called either New York City (NYC) or simply New York (NY), is the most populous city in the United States. With an estimated 2017 population of 8,622,698 distributed over a land area of about 302.6 square miles (784 km2), New York is also the most densely populated major city in the United States. Located at the southern tip of the state of New York, the city is the center of the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass and one of the world's most populous megacities, with an estimated 20,320,876 people in its 2017 Metropolitan Statistical Area and 23,876,155 residents in its Combined Statistical Area. A global power city, New York City has been described as the cultural, financial, and media capital of the world, and exerts a significant impact upon commerce, entertainment, research, technology, education, politics, tourism, art, fashion, and sports. The city's fast pace has inspired the term New York minute. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy.

The Iowa City and Western Railway was organized in 1878 to build from Iowa City west to Montezuma through the English River valley. It was built from Iowa City to What Cheer in 1879, and in 1880 a line was completed from Thornburg to Montezuma, making the original line beyond Thornburg to What Cheer into a branch. [5] BCR&M successor Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway (BCR&N) soon acquired control of and leased the Iowa City and Western, which connected with the old Muscatine Western near Riverside. [6] The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway (CRI&P) gained control of the BCR&N by lease in June 1902, [7] and in June 1903 the property of the BCR&N, along with that of the Iowa City and Western (which had been conveyed to the BCR&N in May 1902), was sold to the CRI&P. [8]

English River (Iowa) watercourse in the United States of America

The English River is a tributary of the Iowa River in southeastern Iowa in the United States. The main stem of the river is 37.4 miles (60.2 km) long. Including its longest headwaters tributary, the North English River, the total length increases to 89.2 miles (143.6 km). Via the Iowa River, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed. The Deep River is a minor tributary of the English River. The towns of North English, South English and Deep River are named for the English and Deep rivers.

Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway

The Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway (BCR&N) was a railroad that operated in the United States from 1876 to 1903. It was formed to take over the operations of the bankrupt Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Minnesota Railway, which was, in turn, the result of merging several predecessor lines, the construction of which began in 1869. The corporate headquarters were in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and it had operations in Iowa and in Minnesota. It was succeeded by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway.

The Muscatine and Iowa City Railway was incorporated on October 25, 1915, and leased, effective January 1, 1916, the aforementioned CRI&P lines: Muscatine to Montezuma, Iowa Junction (near Riverside) to Iowa City, and Thornburg to What Cheer. It planned to convert from steam to gas-electric locomotives for freight and self-propelled gas-electric motor cars for passengers. [9] Operation lasted less than a year, as the company was placed in receivership on July 1, and ceased operations on August 11, returning the lines to the Rock Island. [10]

Steam locomotive railway locomotive that produces its pulling power through a steam engine

A steam locomotive is a type of railway locomotive that produces its pulling power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning combustible material – usually coal, wood, or oil – to produce steam in a boiler. The steam moves reciprocating pistons which are mechanically connected to the locomotive's main wheels (drivers). Both fuel and water supplies are carried with the locomotive, either on the locomotive itself or in wagons (tenders) pulled behind.

In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver—a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights"—especially in cases where a company cannot meet financial obligations or enters bankruptcy. The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in the English chancery courts, where receivers were appointed to protect real property. Receiverships are also a remedy of last resort in litigation involving the conduct of executive agencies that fail to comply with constitutional or statutory obligations to populations that rely on those agencies for their basic human rights.

In 1938, the CRI&P abandoned the eastern end of the line, between Muscatine and Iowa Junction, except for a short branch from Nichols to Lone Tree, which was operated until 1958. The branch to What Cheer was abandoned in 1957, but the remainder of the line, now accessed from the Rock Island's main line at Iowa City, remained intact until 1972, when the Central Iowa Railway bought the line from Hills, just outside Iowa City, to Montezuma. That company soon ceased operations, [11] and the stub at Iowa City is now operated by the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway.

Central Iowa Railway was a 63-mile freight railroad that operated during 1974 from Hills, Iowa to Montezuma, Iowa.

Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway Shortline railroad in Iowa

The Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway, also known as the CRANDIC, is a Class III railroad operating in the US state of Iowa.

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What Cheer is a city in Keokuk County, Iowa, United States. It is a former coal town, and from the 1870s to the early 1900s was one of the major coal-producing centers of Iowa. Its greatest recorded population was 3,246, in the 1890 census. Since the 1910s, the population has fallen to 646 in the 2010 census.

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Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railroad Passenger Station, also known as Rock Island Railroad Depot and the Rock Island Depot Railroad Museum, is a historic building located in Clarion, Iowa, United States. The station was built in 1898 by contractor A. H. Connor & Company of Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railroad (BCR&N). Clarion also had a Chicago Great Western Railway depot, no longer extant. At one time there were 14 trains that served the city. In 1903 the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway acquired the BCR&N, and this depot served that railroad. The single story, Romanesque Revival, brick structure measures 26 by 88.5 feet. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Freight House historic building in Burlington, Iowa, USA

The Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Freight House, also known as the Rock Island Freight House, is a historic building located in Burlington, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

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Iowa Falls Union Depot

Iowa Falls Union Depot is a historic building located in Iowa Falls, Iowa, United States. The Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad, an affiliate of the Illinois Central Railroad (IC), laid the first rail track to Iowa Falls in 1866. The following year the Iowa Falls & Sioux City Railroad, another IC affiliate, continued construction of the line to the west, and it reached Sioux City by 1870. They built a plain, two-story frame depot to serve Iowa Falls. The Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway (BCR&N) by way of its affiliate the Cedar Rapids, Iowa Falls & North Western, entered Iowa Falls in 1880. They built their own depot. It was basically another east-west route, but local business leaders desired a north-south route to serve the community.

References

  1. ↑ American Railroad Manual, 1873, p. 486
  2. ↑ S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, History of Muscatine County, Iowa, Volume I, 1911, pp. 460, 463, 464
  3. ↑ Supreme Court of Iowa, The Muscatine Western R.R. Co. v. Horton et al. (appeal from Louisa District Court), December 17, 1873
  4. ↑ Henry V. Poor, Manual of the Railroads of the United States, 1876-77, p. 301
  5. ↑ Nineteenth Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners for the Year Ending June 30, 1896, p. 185
  6. ↑ Henry V. Poor, Manual of the Railroads of the United States, 1880, p. 856
  7. ↑ Poor's Railroad Manual Company, Poor's Manual of the Railroads of the United States, 1903, p. 1525
  8. ↑ Interstate Commerce Commission (1929), Valuation Docket No. 152: Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Company , 24 Val. Rep., p. 709
  9. ↑ Railway Age Gazette, November 12, 1915, p. 924
  10. ↑ Electric Railway Journal, November 4, 1916, p. 993
  11. ↑ Iowa Department of Transportation, Iowa Railroad Abandonments Log, September 17, 2008
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