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Due to the grade on Albia Hill a new Eastbound(south track on South Albia Hill) was constructed from Halpin to Maxon where the two tracks split east of Albia. The North track is westbound. South Track is Eastbound (although with current track warrants either could be used. CTC was installed Maxon to Halpin and remoted to the Albia Depot later moved to the DS office in 1986 and the depot abolished and torn down. When the new depot was built the old wooden depot was moved to the west of the brick depot and used as the freight house. Both gone now. The M&St.L came in from the north and was merged into the CNW. This track was long out of service until the new corn plant was opened at Eddyville. Then the CNW brought the corn in and switched the plant delivering the finished product to the BN at Maxon. We started with nothing and worked up to 2 to 30 cars five days a week of corn sweetener. Most was going to keep California sweet. Working the Ottumwa Dispatchers job when the office was in Galesburg, Cargill would have a monthly dinner for the train crews and the Dispatchers were also invited (a day off with pay and paid travel out and back) at times. And do not forget the Wabash and Des Moines Branch running north out of Albia. There were two lines until the Corp of Eng. would not build two lines when the Red Rock Dam was put in and then the two railroads shared the line from Albia to Des Moines. Wabash became N&W and then NS. Every three years it was swapped back and forth as to who did the dispatching. So as a BN employee and Dispatcher I also had to take the Wabash rule test also. Trouble was the Wabash DS in Morbley would not or could not take the time to work with the Des Moines Branch and their train crews were not happy while the BN DS had no trouble handling the traffic. After I got off the job it was finally stopped with the by then NS traffic moving from Hannibal thru Galesburg and west to Albia and Des Moines by BN. I worked the job from Cicero and bumped on to it to move to Galesburg in '83. Worked 2nd trick relief till could own 2nd trick for about 5 years and the transation from train orders to track warrants before moving on to better jobs in the office in '89-09 Sam John Henry as the radio would change the sound of the initals Steve in SC
On Wednesday, January 18, 2023 at 06:46:47 AM EST, Jerold Crawford <jeroldincitruspark@gmail.com> wrote:
I wondered if anyone can tell me why the CB&Q double track mainline split into two separate routes in the town of Albia and near Avery, both in Iowa. Where was the Albia depot situated so that it could service railroad passengers from both directions? I also can not remember which track would have been eastbound and which one was westbound. I have been confused ever since I started following the Chicago & NW Railroad and can not remember which way either one is,? I noticed somewhere in a map somewhere that the C&NW (nee M&STL) that the original intersection in Maxon is no longer there having been replaced by a private rail connection to the CB&Q a bit farther east. Can someone share what the story is with that change? -- Jerold CrawfordCitrus Park FL, formerly from Corydon (Wayne County) and Des Moines, IAjeroldincitruspark@gmail.com_._,_._,_
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