Exira Sesquicentennial Special: Railroads
The abandoned Exira railroad depot, September 13, 1972The Railroad in Exira
The following information on the railroad in Exira, Iowa is taken from the 1957 Centennial History Book, pp. 32-33.
The C.R.I.&P. Railroad built a branch line to Exira and Audubon in 1878. (Ed. note: also the year Audubon was founded.) It was a great boost for the town and many new business enterprises sprung up. It furnished passenger and freight service four times a day, two north and two south-bound trains. It was the best 26 miles of road the Rock Island ever owned and the trains would often be three-quarters of a mile long. 711 carloads were shipped from Exira in the year of 1890, of this number 286 were corn, 206 hogs and 83 of cattle. The business done at Exira often reached as high as $8,000 per month. Even in those days there were "T-Bone Specials". A news item taken from the Exira Journal of 1894 said: "The largest fast stock train that was ever pulled by the Rock Island Railway was that of the last Sunday morning. The train consisted of two engines, a passenger coach and 28 carloads of cattle and hogs. The train was gaily decorated with flags, banners, etc. A number of farmers and business men boarded the train here and went to Chicago to see them marketed."
The railroad did not lack for passengers either in those days. The ticket sales for the month of August, 1908 was (sic) $914.00. It was considered a great luxury to be able to ride to Atlantic (Ed. note - 16 miles by automobile) or Audubon (Ed. note - 10 miles by automobile) on the train and return the same day. In later years when the Sunday train was eliminated it was not unusual to see a little hand car flying down the tracks with a load of young people pumping for dear life. They were on their way to Atlantic in search of entertainment.
The golden age for the railroads came to an end in Iowa in 1930. Paved roads, automobiles, trucks and bus lines gradually absorbed the business and the RockIsland reduced its service to Exira to two days a week and eliminated passenger service about 1948. Trucks are used to market livestock now and the bulk of the Railroad's business comes from hauling lumber, coal, gravel and freight.
More information on railroads is found on page 70 of the same volume:
The coming of the train had opened a wider opportunity for travel. Not only did it serve as a mode of travel to distant places, but it was the transportation to Atlantic for Chautauqua, circus and other entertainments. Special trains were put on for the state fair. People from Audubon and Atlantic came on the train to Exira for the 4th of July celebrations, for the Billy Sunday crusade, and many other events that are recorded through the years. A typical holiday was like an excursion in 1906 to Lake View. A special Northwestern train, connecting with the Rock Island at Audubon, left at 7 a.m. and returned at 10 p.m. The fare was $1.50.
The baseball team travelled by train, as did the fans. Exira had train service twice a day, and the passenger accomodations were comfortable as of the day. Merchandise was sold by the travelling salesmen and those making this area became familiar personages.
Excursion rates were in effect for special events and the fare was 1 and 1-3 for round trip.
A railroad line of interest to Exirans was the Atlantic Northern and Southern which operated from Villisca to Kimballton by way of Atlantic. The grade was put in for the line between Atlantic and Elk Horn early in 1910. The line was completed on Dec. 27, 1910, when a silver spike was driven in Atlantic to celebrate the venture. The cost was about one million dollars. In 1914 the run from Villisca to Atlantic was discontinued, and the company encountered financial difficulty. In 1927, the Atlantic Northern attempted to solicit funds to rebuild two wooden bridges in order to continue operation of the train between Atlantic and Kimballton. Soon after the company went bankrupt.
The coming of the automobile and construction of good roads has taken a toll on branch line trains. We have been fortunate to keep the Chicago, Rock Island branch, largely due to the shipments which have come into Exira. Passenger traffic has been discontinued for several years. (Ed. note: see above)
Personally, I can remember the freight trains coming through Exira. I believe it was in the late 1970's or so when the Rock Island refurbished the branch line from Atlantic to Audubon; there were many Native American workers brought into the area for the job. Also, the horn of the train could sometimes be heard during recess on the Exira Elementary schoolyard. In 1986, some buddies and I rode our three-wheelers on the tracks, which were aptly spaced for our vehicles to fit. We rode from Hamlin to Brayton, and in Exira, there were still grain cars on the side tracks.
Now the rail line from Atlantic to Audubon has been completely torn out, making way for the T-Bone Recreational Trail, a path for hiking and bicycling through the East Nishnabotna river valley. Perhaps with the coming of peak oil and resulting energy crisis, the need for rail in this part of western Iowa will return. The recent development in Iowa of ethanol plants may make rail and the use of railroad tank cars a moneymaking investment.
The C.R.I.&P. Railroad built a branch line to Exira and Audubon in 1878. (Ed. note: also the year Audubon was founded.) It was a great boost for the town and many new business enterprises sprung up. It furnished passenger and freight service four times a day, two north and two south-bound trains. It was the best 26 miles of road the Rock Island ever owned and the trains would often be three-quarters of a mile long. 711 carloads were shipped from Exira in the year of 1890, of this number 286 were corn, 206 hogs and 83 of cattle. The business done at Exira often reached as high as $8,000 per month. Even in those days there were "T-Bone Specials". A news item taken from the Exira Journal of 1894 said: "The largest fast stock train that was ever pulled by the Rock Island Railway was that of the last Sunday morning. The train consisted of two engines, a passenger coach and 28 carloads of cattle and hogs. The train was gaily decorated with flags, banners, etc. A number of farmers and business men boarded the train here and went to Chicago to see them marketed."
The railroad did not lack for passengers either in those days. The ticket sales for the month of August, 1908 was (sic) $914.00. It was considered a great luxury to be able to ride to Atlantic (Ed. note - 16 miles by automobile) or Audubon (Ed. note - 10 miles by automobile) on the train and return the same day. In later years when the Sunday train was eliminated it was not unusual to see a little hand car flying down the tracks with a load of young people pumping for dear life. They were on their way to Atlantic in search of entertainment.
The golden age for the railroads came to an end in Iowa in 1930. Paved roads, automobiles, trucks and bus lines gradually absorbed the business and the RockIsland reduced its service to Exira to two days a week and eliminated passenger service about 1948. Trucks are used to market livestock now and the bulk of the Railroad's business comes from hauling lumber, coal, gravel and freight.
More information on railroads is found on page 70 of the same volume:
The coming of the train had opened a wider opportunity for travel. Not only did it serve as a mode of travel to distant places, but it was the transportation to Atlantic for Chautauqua, circus and other entertainments. Special trains were put on for the state fair. People from Audubon and Atlantic came on the train to Exira for the 4th of July celebrations, for the Billy Sunday crusade, and many other events that are recorded through the years. A typical holiday was like an excursion in 1906 to Lake View. A special Northwestern train, connecting with the Rock Island at Audubon, left at 7 a.m. and returned at 10 p.m. The fare was $1.50.
The baseball team travelled by train, as did the fans. Exira had train service twice a day, and the passenger accomodations were comfortable as of the day. Merchandise was sold by the travelling salesmen and those making this area became familiar personages.
Excursion rates were in effect for special events and the fare was 1 and 1-3 for round trip.
A railroad line of interest to Exirans was the Atlantic Northern and Southern which operated from Villisca to Kimballton by way of Atlantic. The grade was put in for the line between Atlantic and Elk Horn early in 1910. The line was completed on Dec. 27, 1910, when a silver spike was driven in Atlantic to celebrate the venture. The cost was about one million dollars. In 1914 the run from Villisca to Atlantic was discontinued, and the company encountered financial difficulty. In 1927, the Atlantic Northern attempted to solicit funds to rebuild two wooden bridges in order to continue operation of the train between Atlantic and Kimballton. Soon after the company went bankrupt.
The coming of the automobile and construction of good roads has taken a toll on branch line trains. We have been fortunate to keep the Chicago, Rock Island branch, largely due to the shipments which have come into Exira. Passenger traffic has been discontinued for several years. (Ed. note: see above)
Personally, I can remember the freight trains coming through Exira. I believe it was in the late 1970's or so when the Rock Island refurbished the branch line from Atlantic to Audubon; there were many Native American workers brought into the area for the job. Also, the horn of the train could sometimes be heard during recess on the Exira Elementary schoolyard. In 1986, some buddies and I rode our three-wheelers on the tracks, which were aptly spaced for our vehicles to fit. We rode from Hamlin to Brayton, and in Exira, there were still grain cars on the side tracks.
Now the rail line from Atlantic to Audubon has been completely torn out, making way for the T-Bone Recreational Trail, a path for hiking and bicycling through the East Nishnabotna river valley. Perhaps with the coming of peak oil and resulting energy crisis, the need for rail in this part of western Iowa will return. The recent development in Iowa of ethanol plants may make rail and the use of railroad tank cars a moneymaking investment.
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