I've been modeling this area and have number of maps and track charts, so
maybe I can help. Looking at an Appanoose County from 1919 the Wabash and
CB&Q lines both leave the North side of Albia closely following the present
day route of Hwy 5. I think the only "new" track that got built because of
Red Rock dam was between Knoxville and Des Moines.
For "the other track that runs off on the west side of town", there are a
couple of possibilities. Even in 1919 there was the south main that ran
through the south side of Albia in a deep cut. This ran from what was Ward
Tower, now Halpin, to Maxon. This track had a lower grade for eastbounds,
but as far as I know never had a depot. There was also spur that ran from
Ward Tower up through Hiteman and served a number of coal mines in that
area. That may be the "other" track.
Stephen
-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Chambers [mailto:ace1942us@y...]
Sent: Wednesday, December 11, 2002 2:01 PM
To: BRHSlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [BRHSlist] Re: Albia depot and the "Capital City Limited."
First of all, I have a question. My grandmother
raised
me, and I remember both her and my mother talking
about
the track that runs from Albia to Des Moines. They
told me that the track used to run along part of the
present route of Iowa highway 5 and that during the
Depression, Grandma frequently had bums riding the
freights coming to her door looking for handouts. Her
house was where North A Street would have crossed that
track. They also told me that the railroad crossed
the hollow where the present junction of highways 5
and 137 is now located on a long trestle. That would
mean that the junction of the Des Moines Branch with
the main line would have been somewhere in the
northeast corner of Albia.
But then there is the monkey wrench of "the other
track that runs off on the west side of town." That
would be the present east-west main line. I recently
did a Google search on "Chariton," the next large town
west of Albia, and found that the track was completed
to Albia in maybe 1866 and to Chariton the following
year.
Can anyone help me? When was the Des Moines branch
built, and could there have been a major relocation of
that branch through Albia during the 20s or 30s?
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