I grew up in St. Charles so your series has provided me with countless memories and historical supportive information. I remember the trains as they still ran in the late 50's & 60's. We used the bridge over the Fox River and I recall them on their route as they traveled west towards Virgil, Richardson and Sycamore. The Great Western Trsil has preserved the legacy, often I see the old station in Sycamore which is now part of a home. ❤
So very glad that our series has helped to resurrect some good memories for you! The railroad (like many others) was vitally important to so many generations in rural towns all across the midwest, before most of the railroads faded away. The Great Western Trail is a beautiful stretch between St Charles and Sycamore - great for cycling and walking. We'd recommend you visit the Iowa Heritage Trail if you ever have the opportunity. It features beautiful scenery along the Little Maquoketa river valley. They also do a very good job with benches and rest stops along the trail. Thanks again for commenting!
I greatly enjoyed this video! As a lifelong resident of Dubuque's northend, it brings me great joy to watch my children now enjoy these areas, as I did, when I was young.
Thank you for watching and commenting! We are very glad that you found it of interest and that you enjoyed it with your family. The north end of Dubuque has a lot of interesting history related to it - and we only covered a small part in this video. We hope that we did it justice. Thanks again for the kind words!
You mentioned a few weeks ago this video was coming up, saw it this morning. The Heritage trail was the first rail trail for me to ride on. I started at the Sageville trail head. It was just beautiful and I was having such a great time I overextended my ride length (for a 72 yr old) to 11 miles. I was so tired on the return trip I had to walk my bike most of the last mile. But today I easily ride 22 miles. I returned a week later to ride from Graf almost to Dyersville. This trail has plenty of benches and tables for resting. Several bathrooms
Thanks for watching and commenting! Glad that you found it of interest. Yes, the Iowa Heritage Trail is quite beautiful, especially those long stretches along the Little Maquoketa river, with limestone bluffs. Quite scenic and peaceful. Must have been a real treat to ride trains through this area as well. And the trail is also very well appointed as you say - lots of benches, rest stops with bathrooms, bicycle repair stations, signage, etc. Iowa should be proud of this trail. Thanks for sharing your own experience riding the trail.
I might be the last person living that worked this line. I ran the local switch engine out of Fairgrounds yard. Picked up massive logs at Durango off the siding in the picture next to the station in one of your pictures. In fact there was a gon rail car there on that spot in your picture. I never saw the station. Iowa DOT and North Western worked hard on abandoning this rail route. I worked the yard making up trains to go to Oelwein . 16 hours then 14 hours .This should have been a Amtrak route to Des Moines! Illinois ran a train to Dubuque called the BLACKHAWK. Illinois begged the Governor Ray's Iowa DOT to chip in on the operation. Dubuque is in Iowa. (too bad for them!) Iowa DOT would hang up on them! So the train came off. There are people that want that train back! It will come back but as maybe 10 trains a day only as far as Rockford. Run by Metra. Passenger trains lost money as the mail and packages were put on General Motors trucks. Today that mail is on XPO trucks. There was a radio talk show I called in to. The guest was the head of the Iowa DOT he lied and said the track was gone. I called him out on it. The host cut me off and hung up on me. Too bad all the mileposts and other railroad item's are gone. But pictures put of up of things that were there. This was a major rail line with 10 arm poles for wires , ballast and heavy rail. Very scenic too. .
Wow! Thanks for sharing your many experiences with the CGW. That is indeed very interesting to hear and to learn. You have had extensive experience and first hand knowledge of this railroad. As you say, there are not too many people with your knowledge and experience still alive today. Glad that you are still around to convey this information! We didn't know that the line was being considered for an Amtrak route - that's very interesting. Too bad that that never happened. We need more Amtrak routes throughout the country. Rail travel is a great thing - and is generally more efficient and greener for both freight and passenger traffic. Thanks again for taking the time to comment - and for watching our channel!
The bridge at Durango has crushed rock as a barrier to keep the river's water action from meandering. Down in the western bank is a 1960 Chevy, rusted and junk, as part of the rip-rap. It is now covered by more rock but I have seen it. Don't have a picture but it's there. If somebody with sonar probed around, the image would be of the rear end of a '60 Chevy, as it's face down. So on my HO scale model of the CGW from Chicago to Oelwein, I have a dark blue 1960 Chevy in the river bank at Durango.
Thanks for watching and commenting! That's interesting regarding the old Chevy relic embedded in the riverbank. We did not notice that, but our attention was less on the river at that point. Remarkable that you've been able to capture that detail in your scale models of the Durango location. Thanks again!
I hope you will continue this series to St. Paul. I live in one of the small towns in Southeast Minnesota that this railroad passed through. There are a few old artifacts remaining.
Thanks for watching and glad that you enjoy this series! We will definitely consider it for the future. We've got a few other railroad lines that we may do first, however. Thanks again for the comment!
Thanks for watching and commenting! It is indeed a beautiful trail, for cycling, walking, jogging, etc. It is well maintained as well. We very much enjoyed our ride along Iowa Heritage Trail, and pretty much all parts of it. Thanks again!
I have been enjoying this series since the start. In this particular video, I really liked the overhead views that were in the first part of the video. They helped give context to the long strings of nothing but bike riding. (I get that there isn't as much to see in Iowa.) Those views disappeared in the back half around Durango. I would recommend more of that in the future. Nevertheless, great job!
Thanks for watching our videos and for the kind words! Glad that you are finding them interesting and enjoyable. Thanks too for the suggestion regarding the drone aerial shots. We use them when possible - but sometimes it is difficult - for example, when close to an airport and restricted airspace. Also too, when we follow the trail on bicycle, we don't have room to pack the drone in addition to the cameras - and so we can only take footage if we return to those locations for additional footage - which we sometimes do. But point taken. Thanks again for commenting!
This was one of my favorite Chicago,Great,Western railroads episodes. you make some of the best videos I have ever seen in my life. I only have one question: why was the town of Durango named Durango and what where some of the mines by Durango. Have an amazing day, bye. :)
Thanks for the kind words and support! Thanks too for commenting. Regarding Durango, that is an excellent question. We don't have any specific contemporary (1830s) evidence as to why the town was named Durango. Just as an observation, other nearby mining towns, such as Potosi, were given similar somewhat exotic names, and perhaps these names were referencing mining towns in Mexico and South America. But that is simply an observation. Thanks again for commenting!
Excellent observation! Spot on! Yes, we noticed that as well when riding by - although we didn't call it out. Thanks for watching and for the careful observation. And thanks for commenting - pointing this out to our viewers.
I love your videos! I am an avid cyclist who used to frequent the Great Western and Illinois Prairie Path trails in DuPage county, so the bike footage is appreciated. Have you thought about doing a video about the Elroy Sparta State trail in SW Wisconsin? It's got caves with bats!
Thanks very much for the comment and for watching our videos! Yes, we have indeed considered the Elroy Sparta Trail in Wisconsin - and may tackle that subject within the next few years. We have not ridden that trail as yet but have watched a few videos - and the tunnels alone would be worth exploring. Thanks again!
I find it so odd, the Dunlieth Bridge section sits in to the side of the trail...I crossed that bridge a thousands of times in my car. Also still weird to hear the highway called Route 3. Forever it was Hwy 52, a main route from DBQ to the Twin Cities.
Thanks for sharing your experiences regarding this bridge section. By today's standards, it does look a bit lightweight. But on the other hand, it survived and functioned for a very long time, so we cannot argue with its engineering. Interesting also about the road name change. Thanks for watching and commenting! We appreciate it!
I might have seen you from the locomotive. In the summer the conductor would ride shirt less on top of the caboose! I came down that street with the horn on all the way. Never hit anyone either! Other guys before me hit plenty of people and cars.
Waited anxiously for your latest installment! I tried to look for anything on Sageville, other than a post office and it appeared to be Marshfield near the railroad. The timetables never noted this as a stop, though. The nice 1910 view of Durango at 29:49 shows two recognizable buildings still around--the front white house on the left and the two story mill(?) on the right. To me the "Durango Depot" bar and grill may be interesting but hardly historic
Thanks for watching and commenting! We hope that it lived up to expectations. Yes, Sageville may have been used as an excursion stop now and again, but never really served as a formal stop. Durango is a very interesting place. Would have liked to have spent more time there. The Durango tavern establishment is said to have many photos of earlier Durango and the railroad, and so serves as something of a history repository. Thanks again!
Once again, another enjoyable video in the journey. IMHO, the Heritage Trail portion has some of the most beautiful scenery along the CGW route from Chicago to Oelwein. It is also the longest portion that you can directly access to travel on. It has a lot of markers with plenty of historical info also. I used to walk the trail in Dubuque from 22nd St to 32nd St before back problems limited my ability to walk distances. Some mornings as I walked I could swear that a train lead by an F3, F7 or even FP7 116-A was passing by as I walked it. At 22nd St. there used to be an info board with some info about the CGW. But it disappeared after the Bee Branch work a few years ago. Did you stop in at Durango Depot? That place has some great railroad pictures on the walls. As always, looking forward to the next video.
Thank you for the continued support and for commenting! Thanks too for sharing your experience with the Dubuque Heritage Trail. It is a very nice trail - and it benefits the neighborhood. Easy to imagine trains running along this trail. I especially liked the train line directly through Elm Street. That is reminiscent of other train towns that we've visited, where trains run right down the middle of a street - some of which are still active today (eg, Bellevue). We didn't have a chance to stop at the Durango Depot - and in hindsight we should have made the time. Looked like a nice place - but we had a lot of ground to cover and many stops to make (many, many bridges) - and so pressed on. Thanks again!
Thank you for another video in your series "Disused Stations of the Chicago Great Western". You covered a short distance of the trackage in this video, but you provided some interesting information. The book "Chicago Great Western: Depots Along the Corn Belt" by Joe Piersen and Jerry Huddelston has this to say about the Fairgrounds Station: On Page 23 On story frame with unusual roof. On page 85 under the name Fair Grounds, Iowa it says, "Different spellings; Fairgrounds is the common spelling, "Fairground" is the earlier name, which was still in use in the timetable dated August 7, 1908. It was later renamed with an "S". In 1906 the depot was painted. Install lights in the depot probably1920. The following information for Durango, Iowa appears on Page 23: D&NW Two story frame, Standard 16'x40'. On Page 85 the following information is given for the Durango, Iowa depot: 1886 Depot Two Story 16'x40'. 1904 Add agent's quarters to depot, extension to depot, not separate house. 1913 Install concrete foundation to keep depot from washing out during high waters (near river). 1951 Retire depot 16'x40'. Also retire half boxcar body shelter 9' 2" x 20. It was nice to see that railroad bridges that dated back to the 1910s were still being used by the bicycle/hiking trails.
Thanks for the continued support and for the very informative comments. This additional information adds a great deal to our understanding - as well as to our viewers. Very good to know that Durango was actually a bit longer than we had estimated - by 8'. We based our measurements off of aerial photographs and then tested the images when modeling the depot - and they seemed to correspond at 32' - but 40' is no doubt the correct size. So many thanks for that. Also interesting that Durango had a general concern about flooding. We had read of flooding earlier in the 20th century - but apparently it happened more often than we realized. Thanks again!
So as a at 8 mins 46 sec you state the flexsteel property was turned over to the city of Dubuque... flexsteel still owns the property and is marketing it for redevelopment but the city has no ownership of the property. so do you have a source for this information?
Thanks for this observation! Our sources were the various articles that appeared in various Iowa newspapers - the Des Moines Register, the Muscatine Journal, Sioux City Journal, The Gazette, etc, in the 2017-2020 timeframe, regarding the closure of the old FlexSteel plant in Dubuque, and the complex negotiations for building a new factory, retaining approximately 200 jobs. It's possible that we misinterpreted one article which stated that the land would be turned over to "Dubuque Initiatives", a non-profit organization, which would demolish the old plant and prepare the site for new development. If you have better or more up-to-date information, that the property continues to be owned by FlexSteel, then that's good information.
Thanks for the observant comment. We don't recall seeing any rails or ties along this stretch on Elm Street. They seemed to be stress cracks in the pavement.
This series continues to be fun, informative and engaging. As always, I'll eagerly be awaiting the next installment!
Very glad that you have found the series to be informative and interesting! Thanks for watching, commenting, and for the support! Much appreciated!
I grew up in St. Charles so your series has provided me with countless memories and historical supportive information. I remember the trains as they still ran in the late 50's & 60's. We used the bridge over the Fox River and I recall them on their route as they traveled west towards Virgil, Richardson and Sycamore. The Great Western Trsil has preserved the legacy, often I see the old station in Sycamore which is now part of a home. ❤
So very glad that our series has helped to resurrect some good memories for you! The railroad (like many others) was vitally important to so many generations in rural towns all across the midwest, before most of the railroads faded away. The Great Western Trail is a beautiful stretch between St Charles and Sycamore - great for cycling and walking. We'd recommend you visit the Iowa Heritage Trail if you ever have the opportunity. It features beautiful scenery along the Little Maquoketa river valley. They also do a very good job with benches and rest stops along the trail. Thanks again for commenting!
I greatly enjoyed this video! As a lifelong resident of Dubuque's northend, it brings me great joy to watch my children now enjoy these areas, as I did, when I was young.
Thank you for watching and commenting! We are very glad that you found it of interest and that you enjoyed it with your family. The north end of Dubuque has a lot of interesting history related to it - and we only covered a small part in this video. We hope that we did it justice. Thanks again for the kind words!
Great Informative and History. Your series is very interesting
Thanks for watching and commenting! Glad that you found the video and series informative!
You mentioned a few weeks ago this video was coming up, saw it this morning. The Heritage trail was the first rail trail for me to ride on. I started at the Sageville trail head. It was just beautiful and I was having such a great time I overextended my ride length (for a 72 yr old) to 11 miles. I was so tired on the return trip I had to walk my bike most of the last mile. But today I easily ride 22 miles.
I returned a week later to ride from Graf almost to Dyersville. This trail has plenty of benches and tables for resting. Several bathrooms
Thanks for watching and commenting! Glad that you found it of interest. Yes, the Iowa Heritage Trail is quite beautiful, especially those long stretches along the Little Maquoketa river, with limestone bluffs. Quite scenic and peaceful. Must have been a real treat to ride trains through this area as well. And the trail is also very well appointed as you say - lots of benches, rest stops with bathrooms, bicycle repair stations, signage, etc. Iowa should be proud of this trail. Thanks for sharing your own experience riding the trail.
Lucky people like me can not do any ride like this. But a train ride would be fine. Trains and bikes are a natural don't tell the Iowa DOT
I might be the last person living that worked this line. I ran the local switch engine out of Fairgrounds yard. Picked up massive logs at Durango off the siding in the picture next to the station in one of your pictures. In fact there was a gon rail car there on that spot in your picture. I never saw the station. Iowa DOT and North Western worked hard on abandoning this rail route. I worked the yard making up trains to go to Oelwein . 16 hours then 14 hours .This should have been a Amtrak route to Des Moines! Illinois ran a train to Dubuque called the BLACKHAWK. Illinois begged the Governor Ray's Iowa DOT to chip in on the operation. Dubuque is in Iowa. (too bad for them!) Iowa DOT would hang up on them! So the train came off. There are people that want that train back! It will come back but as maybe 10 trains a day only as far as Rockford. Run by Metra. Passenger trains lost money as the mail and packages were put on General Motors trucks. Today that mail is on XPO trucks. There was a radio talk show I called in to. The guest was the head of the Iowa DOT he lied and said the track was gone. I called him out on it. The host cut me off and hung up on me. Too bad all the mileposts and other railroad item's are gone. But pictures put of up of things that were there. This was a major rail line with 10 arm poles for wires , ballast and heavy rail. Very scenic too. .
Wow! Thanks for sharing your many experiences with the CGW. That is indeed very interesting to hear and to learn. You have had extensive experience and first hand knowledge of this railroad. As you say, there are not too many people with your knowledge and experience still alive today. Glad that you are still around to convey this information! We didn't know that the line was being considered for an Amtrak route - that's very interesting. Too bad that that never happened. We need more Amtrak routes throughout the country. Rail travel is a great thing - and is generally more efficient and greener for both freight and passenger traffic. Thanks again for taking the time to comment - and for watching our channel!
The bridge at Durango has crushed rock as a barrier to keep the river's water action from meandering. Down in the western bank is a 1960 Chevy, rusted and junk, as part of the rip-rap.
It is now covered by more rock but I have seen it. Don't have a picture but it's there.
If somebody with sonar probed around, the image would be of the rear end of a '60 Chevy, as it's face down.
So on my HO scale model of the CGW from Chicago to Oelwein, I have a dark blue 1960 Chevy in the river bank at Durango.
Thanks for watching and commenting! That's interesting regarding the old Chevy relic embedded in the riverbank. We did not notice that, but our attention was less on the river at that point. Remarkable that you've been able to capture that detail in your scale models of the Durango location. Thanks again!
Another great video! More detail every time
Thanks for watching and for the kind words! Glad that you find these videos interesting!
I hope you will continue this series to St. Paul. I live in one of the small towns in Southeast Minnesota that this railroad passed through. There are a few old artifacts remaining.
Thanks for watching and glad that you enjoy this series! We will definitely consider it for the future. We've got a few other railroad lines that we may do first, however. Thanks again for the comment!
Run that route along heritage trail between heritage pond and Durango almost every day
Thanks for watching and commenting! It is indeed a beautiful trail, for cycling, walking, jogging, etc. It is well maintained as well. We very much enjoyed our ride along Iowa Heritage Trail, and pretty much all parts of it. Thanks again!
I have been enjoying this series since the start. In this particular video, I really liked the overhead views that were in the first part of the video. They helped give context to the long strings of nothing but bike riding. (I get that there isn't as much to see in Iowa.) Those views disappeared in the back half around Durango. I would recommend more of that in the future. Nevertheless, great job!
Thanks for watching our videos and for the kind words! Glad that you are finding them interesting and enjoyable. Thanks too for the suggestion regarding the drone aerial shots. We use them when possible - but sometimes it is difficult - for example, when close to an airport and restricted airspace. Also too, when we follow the trail on bicycle, we don't have room to pack the drone in addition to the cameras - and so we can only take footage if we return to those locations for additional footage - which we sometimes do. But point taken. Thanks again for commenting!
This was one of my favorite Chicago,Great,Western railroads episodes. you make some of the best videos I have ever seen in my life. I only have one question: why was the town of Durango named Durango and what where some of the mines by Durango. Have an amazing day, bye. :)
Thanks for the kind words and support! Thanks too for commenting. Regarding Durango, that is an excellent question. We don't have any specific contemporary (1830s) evidence as to why the town was named Durango. Just as an observation, other nearby mining towns, such as Potosi, were given similar somewhat exotic names, and perhaps these names were referencing mining towns in Mexico and South America. But that is simply an observation. Thanks again for commenting!
I spotted a telegraph pole at the 15:21 mark. No wires or insulators that I could see. The Postal Telegraph Company had their lines along the CGW.
Excellent observation! Spot on! Yes, we noticed that as well when riding by - although we didn't call it out. Thanks for watching and for the careful observation. And thanks for commenting - pointing this out to our viewers.
And they were used for signal lines. Good catch! I missed that.
I love your videos! I am an avid cyclist who used to frequent the Great Western and Illinois Prairie Path trails in DuPage county, so the bike footage is appreciated. Have you thought about doing a video about the Elroy Sparta State trail in SW Wisconsin? It's got caves with bats!
Thanks very much for the comment and for watching our videos! Yes, we have indeed considered the Elroy Sparta Trail in Wisconsin - and may tackle that subject within the next few years. We have not ridden that trail as yet but have watched a few videos - and the tunnels alone would be worth exploring. Thanks again!
I find it so odd, the Dunlieth Bridge section sits in to the side of the trail...I crossed that bridge a thousands of times in my car. Also still weird to hear the highway called Route 3. Forever it was Hwy 52, a main route from DBQ to the Twin Cities.
Thanks for sharing your experiences regarding this bridge section. By today's standards, it does look a bit lightweight. But on the other hand, it survived and functioned for a very long time, so we cannot argue with its engineering. Interesting also about the road name change. Thanks for watching and commenting! We appreciate it!
another great vid ... added these stations to my google earth RR map
Thanks for watching and supporting our channel!
Awesome video and information about the CGW, I remember the trains running there back in the late 70s.
Thanks for watching the video - and for commenting. Glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for the support!
I might have seen you from the locomotive. In the summer the conductor would ride shirt less on top of the caboose! I came down that street with the horn on all the way. Never hit anyone either! Other guys before me hit plenty of people and cars.
Waited anxiously for your latest installment! I tried to look for anything on Sageville, other than a post office and it appeared to be Marshfield near the railroad. The timetables never noted this as a stop, though. The nice 1910 view of Durango at 29:49 shows two recognizable buildings still around--the front white house on the left and the two story mill(?) on the right. To me the "Durango Depot" bar and grill may be interesting but hardly historic
Thanks for watching and commenting! We hope that it lived up to expectations. Yes, Sageville may have been used as an excursion stop now and again, but never really served as a formal stop. Durango is a very interesting place. Would have liked to have spent more time there. The Durango tavern establishment is said to have many photos of earlier Durango and the railroad, and so serves as something of a history repository. Thanks again!
Once again, another enjoyable video in the journey. IMHO, the Heritage Trail portion has some of the most beautiful scenery along the CGW route from Chicago to Oelwein. It is also the longest portion that you can directly access to travel on. It has a lot of markers with plenty of historical info also.
I used to walk the trail in Dubuque from 22nd St to 32nd St before back problems limited my ability to walk distances. Some mornings as I walked I could swear that a train lead by an F3, F7 or even FP7 116-A was passing by as I walked it.
At 22nd St. there used to be an info board with some info about the CGW. But it disappeared after the Bee Branch work a few years ago.
Did you stop in at Durango Depot? That place has some great railroad pictures on the walls.
As always, looking forward to the next video.
Thank you for the continued support and for commenting! Thanks too for sharing your experience with the Dubuque Heritage Trail. It is a very nice trail - and it benefits the neighborhood. Easy to imagine trains running along this trail. I especially liked the train line directly through Elm Street. That is reminiscent of other train towns that we've visited, where trains run right down the middle of a street - some of which are still active today (eg, Bellevue). We didn't have a chance to stop at the Durango Depot - and in hindsight we should have made the time. Looked like a nice place - but we had a lot of ground to cover and many stops to make (many, many bridges) - and so pressed on. Thanks again!
Thank you for another video in your series "Disused Stations of the Chicago Great Western". You covered a short distance of the trackage in this video, but you provided some interesting information. The book "Chicago Great Western: Depots Along the Corn Belt" by Joe Piersen and Jerry Huddelston has this to say about the Fairgrounds Station: On Page 23 On story frame with unusual roof. On page 85 under the name Fair Grounds, Iowa it says, "Different spellings; Fairgrounds is the common spelling, "Fairground" is the earlier name, which was still in use in the timetable dated August 7, 1908. It was later renamed with an "S". In 1906 the depot was painted. Install lights in the depot probably1920. The following information for Durango, Iowa appears on Page 23: D&NW Two story frame, Standard 16'x40'. On Page 85 the following information is given for the Durango, Iowa depot: 1886 Depot Two Story 16'x40'. 1904 Add agent's quarters to depot, extension to depot, not separate house. 1913 Install concrete foundation to keep depot from washing out during high waters (near river). 1951 Retire depot 16'x40'. Also retire half boxcar body shelter 9' 2" x 20. It was nice to see that railroad bridges that dated back to the 1910s were still being used by the bicycle/hiking trails.
Thanks for the continued support and for the very informative comments. This additional information adds a great deal to our understanding - as well as to our viewers. Very good to know that Durango was actually a bit longer than we had estimated - by 8'. We based our measurements off of aerial photographs and then tested the images when modeling the depot - and they seemed to correspond at 32' - but 40' is no doubt the correct size. So many thanks for that. Also interesting that Durango had a general concern about flooding. We had read of flooding earlier in the 20th century - but apparently it happened more often than we realized. Thanks again!
So as a at 8 mins 46 sec you state the flexsteel property was turned over to the city of Dubuque... flexsteel still owns the property and is marketing it for redevelopment but the city has no ownership of the property. so do you have a source for this information?
Thanks for this observation! Our sources were the various articles that appeared in various Iowa newspapers - the Des Moines Register, the Muscatine Journal, Sioux City Journal, The Gazette, etc, in the 2017-2020 timeframe, regarding the closure of the old FlexSteel plant in Dubuque, and the complex negotiations for building a new factory, retaining approximately 200 jobs. It's possible that we misinterpreted one article which stated that the land would be turned over to "Dubuque Initiatives", a non-profit organization, which would demolish the old plant and prepare the site for new development. If you have better or more up-to-date information, that the property continues to be owned by FlexSteel, then that's good information.
Are those still rails in the pavement on the left at 2:20? Pretty cool
After trying to look at that street view on Google Earth, I think they appear to be only strange seams in the concrete pavement. Awwww
Thanks for the observant comment. We don't recall seeing any rails or ties along this stretch on Elm Street. They seemed to be stress cracks in the pavement.
The state of Iowa always has money to rip up tracks not maintain them or retain them. Just tax them to build better roads and airports.