(rshsdepot) Eldon, IA

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

Retired railroaders fix up old depot
By CINDY TOOPES, Ottumwa Courier staff writer

ELDON - Some Southeast Iowa retired engineers and conductors are investing
their time, money and effort in preserving something for us - the Eldon
Depot and memories of the Rock Island Line Railroad.

Steve Roe and Jimmy Bedford, both of Eldon, recently shared their knowledge
and plans for the depot, a reminder of Eldon's heyday as a busy railroad
town.

Roe is a retired engineer and secretary of Eldon Depot Committee Inc., which
was formed in April 2001.

"The depot building has set idle since 1980, the year the Rock Island Line
ended," Roe said. "Jimmy was a neighbor to Lee Carlburg who owned it. When
Lee wanted to sell it, Jimmy jumped at the chance."

Bedford, a retired conductor and president of the restoration committee,
said the depot was constructed in the 1800s, possibly dating back to October
1870 when the first train chugged into Eldon. Committee members and various
volunteers have worked on cleaning, repairing and remodeling. One modern
convenience is a handicapped-accessible restroom.

One end of the building features display cases, which contain memorabilia
such as passenger punches, old postcards and station stamps; a table filled
with a model train, pulled by an engine labeled "Route of the Rocket;" a
stand-up display of a conductor's uniform; and wall decorations such as a
Rock Island Line sign and lighting fixtures from old passenger trains.

The next chore is working on the other end of the building, which was the
waiting room, complete with ticket window. The wood around the windows still
bears carvings made by passengers or railroaders who waited for the train so
long ago.

After the first settlers came to the Eldon area about 1843, the town
flourished because two railroad lines converged there - the Rock Island Line
and the Keokuk/DesMoines. In 1869 the Rock Island Line completed its track
to Leavenworth, Kan., and brought its first train to Eldon Oct. 28, 1870.
The railroads were the town's largest employers for many years.

By 1975, the Rock Island Line entered its third and final bankruptcy. A wage
dispute led to a strike by railroad clerks in August 1979. The Interstate
Commerce Commission ordered the Kansas City Terminal Railway to take over
Rock Island's operations. The bankruptcy court ordered liquidation of the
railroad in 1980, the largest such liquidation in U.S. history. On March 31,
1980, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad operated its last train.

Roe and Bedford said the restoration group meets monthly on the fourth
Wednesday at the KD Center, which was originally the living quarters for
Missouri crews.

Monetary donations may be sent to Eldon Depot Committee Inc., P.O. Box 68,
Eldon, Iowa, 52554. The group is currently selling commemorative coffee mugs
and those interested in donating memorabilia should contact Roe at (641)
652-3281.

"Any money we get goes back into the depot restoration," Roe said. "All
volunteers are welcome."

They hope to have to depot done by the end of this year. That will be
fitting - the Rock Island Line's 150th birthday will be Oct. 10 of this
year.

(Source for historical information: a Web site maintained by Simpson
College)

  Bernie Wagenblast
  Transportation Communications Newsletter
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications/





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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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