The railroad history can be interesting, but one thing it is always changing! With the start of yesterday, February 13th, a chapter of a railroad was closed. With a big supper/meeting in Waterloo last night, the CN took ownership and welcomed Iowa Northern to its family. This line to Oelwein has yet another owner added to its history book. The line started with the Chicago Great Western as their main between Oelwein and KC in the late 1800s. With sales/mergers through the years, this section between Waterloo and Oelwein went from ownerships of the CNW to UP, UP to DWRR, DWRR to the IANR, and now to the CN. This part of the line around Waterloo is now the Waterloo Railroad leased mto Waterloo RR after UP broke the lease to the IANR with the CN sale announcement.
Here the Waterloo switcher on yesterday's Oelwein Job passes one of the few things still left after all these years to remind a guy that the CGW once owned these parts. It will be interesting to see how long the IANR icons last to remind the future photographers what once was.
