Nebraska is a state that lies both in the Great Plains and in the Midwestern United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwest; and Wyoming to the west. It is the only triply landlocked U.S. state.
A transcontinental railroad or transcontinental railway is contiguous railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass and has terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single railroad or over those owned or controlled by multiple railway companies along a continuous route. Although Europe is crisscrossed by railways, the railroads within Europe are usually not considered transcontinental, with the possible exception of the historic Orient Express. Transcontinental railroads helped open up unpopulated interior regions of continents to exploration and settlement that would not otherwise have been feasible. In many cases they also formed the backbones of cross-country passenger and freight transportation networks. Many of them continue to have an important role in freight transportation and some like the Transsiberian Railroad even have passenger trains going from one end to the other.
Sidney is a city in and the county seat of Cheyenne County, Nebraska, United States. This city is nine miles north from the Colorado state line. The population was 6,757 at the 2010 census.
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and also in New Mexico and Texas through subsidiaries Colorado and Southern Railway, Fort Worth and Denver Railway, and Burlington-Rock Island Railroad. Its primary connections included Chicago, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Denver. Because of this extensive trackage in the midwest and mountain states, the railroad used the advertising slogans "Everywhere West", "Way of the Zephyrs", and "The Way West".
The Boston and Albany Railroad was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York, later becoming part of the New York Central Railroad system, Conrail, and CSX Transportation. The line is currently used by CSX for freight. Passenger service is still provided on the line by Amtrak, as part of their Lake Shore Limited service, and by the MBTA Commuter Rail system, which owns the section east of Worcester and operates it as its Framingham/Worcester Line.
The Mount Lowe Railway was the third in a series of scenic mountain railroads in America created as a tourist attraction on Echo Mountain and Mount Lowe, north of Los Angeles, California. The railway, originally incorporated by Professor Thaddeus S. C. Lowe as the Pasadena & Mt. Wilson Railroad Co., existed from 1893 until its official abandonment in 1938, and had the distinction of being the only scenic mountain, electric traction railroad ever built in the United States. Lowe's partner and engineer was David J. Macpherson, a civil engineer graduate of Cornell University. The Mount Lowe Railway was a fulfillment of 19th century Pasadenans' desire to have a scenic mountain railroad to the crest of the San Gabriel Mountains.
The St. Joseph and Grand Island Railroad (SJ&GI) had it's start with the St Joseph and Denver City Railroad which, after several changes of destination, was completed as the St Joseph and Western (SJ&W), between St Joseph and Hastings, Nebraska in 1872.
The Nebkota Railway was a Class III railroad that began operations in 1994 with 73.5 miles (118.3 km) of former Chicago and North Western Railway Cowboy Line track between Merriman and Chadron, Nebraska. Prior to the abandonments, the railroad hauled primarily grain along with some gravel and timber.
Sidney Township is a township in Champaign County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, its population was 1,733 and it contained 715 housing units.
The Indiana Southern Railroad is a short line or Class III railroad operating in the United States state of Indiana. It began operations in 1992 as a RailTex property, and was acquired by RailAmerica in 2000. RailAmerica was itself acquired by Genesee & Wyoming in December 2012.
The Omaha Quartermaster Depot Historic District, including several brick structures built in Italianate and other styles, was built for the U.S. Army between 1881 and 1894. Located in South Omaha between Hickory and 22nd Streets, Woolworth Avenue and the Union Pacific Railroad main line in Omaha, Nebraska, the depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district in 1979. The depot previously operated as United States Army Reserve facility. The facility is considered surplus by the GSA and was put up for auction in the fall of 2013.
The Lone Tree Ferry, later known as the Council Bluffs and Nebraska Ferry Company, was the crossing of the Missouri River at Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska, US, that was established in 1850 by William D. Brown. Brown was the first pioneer to see the potential for a city on the site, and the landing became a popular gathering site for the first settlers of the Nebraska Territory. Named after a solitary tree on the Nebraska bank of the river, the Lone Tree Ferry became central to the founding and development of the City of Omaha.
Railroads in Omaha, Nebraska, have been integral to the growth and development of the city, the state of Nebraska, the Western United States and the entire United States. The convergence of many railroad forces upon the city was by happenstance and synergy, as none of the Omaha leaders had a comprehensive strategy for bringing railroads to the city.
Enos Lowe was a pioneer doctor and businessman who was among the original founders of Omaha, Nebraska and served as president of the Second Iowa Constitutional Convention.
The Fonda, Johnstown and Gloversville Railroad (FJ&G) was formerly a 132-mile steam engine and electric interurban railroad that connected its namesake towns in east central New York State to Schenectady, New York. It had a successful and profitable transportation business from 1870 until the 1980s carrying workers, salesmen, and executives of the very large number of glove manufacturing companies in the area to the New York Central (NYC) station at Schenectady. From here they could catch trains south to New York City (NYC) or west to Chicago. It also handled freight and had freight interchange with both the New York Central and the Delaware and Hudson railroads. Passenger business declined starting before the Great Depression and particularly during it. Following a determined and expensive effort to recapture passenger business by acquiring five ultra modern high-speed Bullet interurban cars in 1932, the FJ&G abandoned passenger service in 1938. Freight business continued on for a few more decades, was later taken over by the Delaware and Otsego Railroad management and then eventually abandoned.
The Sidney Black Hills Stage Road or Route was a trail connecting Sidney, Nebraska, Sidney Barracks, and the Union Pacific Railroad with Fort Robinson, Red Cloud Agency, Spotted Tail Agency, Custer City, Dakota Territory, and Deadwood, Dakota Territory between 1876 and 1887, when it was replaced.
The Nebraska Northwestern Railroad is a Class III railroad that began operations in April 2010 after it purchased 7.22 miles (11.62 km) of former Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern, now Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad, previously Chicago and North Western Railway Cowboy Line track between Dakota Junction and the rail yard at Chadron, Nebraska. In addition to the 7.22 miles of owned track, the railroad leased the line between the connection with the DME Rapid City line at Dakota Junction and the connection with BNSF Railway at Crawford, Nebraska.
One of three railways to operate on the Saanich Peninsula, the Victoria and Sidney Railway Company was formed in 1892 as part of the City of Victoria's plan for a rail line serve the Saanich Peninsula. A survey for a rail route from Victoria to Sidney had been started in 1888 and a rail-steam-rail link was proposed by BC Premier Amor de Cosmos in 1871, but then voted down by Victoria City Council. After granting the V&S certain tax concessions and various loans construction began on a rail line from downtown Victoria to downtown Sidney. Surveying and grading soon began and passed through nearly every important community between Victoria and Sidney. Operations began from Topaz Avenue, close to the Mayfair Mall today, to downtown Sideny at the intersection of Beacon Ave. and 1st, in 1894. At the time the Saanich Peninsula was mostly forested with only limited areas under cultivation. Timber and cordwood production was key industry in the area and provided a major source of freight revenue for the railroad. Since all the early V&S locomotives were wood burners, local residents quickly dubbed the train the "Cordwood Limited". A slightly less complimentary name for it was the "tri-weekly" because although it ran every day, it tried weakly.
Deadwood Draw is part of the Sidney-Black Hills Trail near Sidney, Nebraska, which provided supplies for gold mining operations in the Black Hills from 1874 to 1881. The draw served as a staging area for freight wagons carrying supplies to the Black Hills and contains ruts caused by the wheels of the freight wagons and the animals that pulled them. The draw is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
