Iron Roads - Making Tracks Across Nebraska



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7/31/2021 New coordinator for the Railroad section is:
Linda Ziemann, Conductor

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"ALL ABOARD" ** Your Contributions are Encouraged. Email the website coordinator.

Nebraska Railroad Accidents Old RR News Articles
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Nebraska Railroads By County Railroad Trivia


From Omaha to Promintory Point, Utah, and on to California, Nebraska was the Gateway to the West for folks traveling on the Iron Road. Many of our ancestors worked on those Iron Roads in Nebraska. Others came to Nebraska on them.


REA: From 1850 to 1975, the Railway Express Agency (REA) moved the nation's packages and freight. Once as common as FedEx and UPS, the big green trucks and rail cars of the REA were a welcome sight to anyone expecting a package. If your relative worked for the REA, he worked for the Railway Express Agency.

 

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The Story Behind the TRAIN OF TOMORROW.

Back in 1944, a group of General Motors officials on an inspection trip were riding in the cab of a Diesel locomotive. All were stirred by the magnificent view from the operating compartment in the nose of the locomotive.
Almost immediately, they began to weight the possibility of providing the same glorious, unobstructed view for passengers.
General Motors is not in the railroad car building business. Yet its interest in the improvement of all forms of transportation is historic.
From February to June 1945, the designs resulted in a scale model shown to more than 350 top railroad executives, and they too added ideas and suggestions.
The blue and silver Train of Tomorrow is the fulfillment of visions of many men and organizations. Its revolutionary advances will begin to appear in regularly scheduled trains.

Train of Tomorrow -- Came through Minden, Neb.(traveling thru the state) in November 1949

Star Dust - - Sky View -- Dream Cloud -- Moon Glow

Click on the above sections of the Train of Tomorrow Cars to see further explanation of the luxury & finery. Use your "back" key to return to this main page. ENJOY!

Phyllis Cloyd has written a wonderful poem about Nebraska Trains and has granted her permission to share it on this page. Thank You, Phyllis!

Simple Pleasures

When I look back on my childhood,
    Living on the Nebraska plain,
I remember the sight of a ribbon of smoke
    From a fast approaching train.

Sometimes a silvery-sleek passenger train
    With windows of unknown faces,
More often it was a big, noisy freight
    With box cars from far away places.

With eager excitement I waited
    For the train to come in to view
So I could try to count the cars
    As they passed by in review.

But my fondest recollection,
    To this day so perfectly clear
Was the smile and friendly wave
    From the locomotive engineer.

     by  Phyllis Merryman Cloyd
©2000

OFF-Site Menu:

Note: The Following Web Pages Are Not Located Within This Web Site. You Will Need To Use Your Back Arrow If You Wish To Return Here.

  • All Aboard - Railroad Records & Genealogical Information Information for research. Found on the Advancing Genealogists website.

  • Orphan Trains

  • History of the Missouri Pacific Railroad

  • The UP Railroad History

  • Freemont and Elkhorn Valley Railroad

  • Great History of the Railroad in Valentine, NE.
  • Golden Spike National Historic Site
  • Great Plains Chapter, National Railroad Historical Society

  • The Big Springs Train Robbery First Robbery of the Union Pacific Railroad.

  • History of the Railroads in Kansas

  • General Railroad Historical Site
  • From the new "Legacy" web site: "A Day Behind The Throttle With An Engineer"

  • National Archives: Railroad Accidents

    Inquiries are sometimes received about persons who died in railroad accidents, often at unknown locations. This is virtually an impossible problem, as there are no centralized records of railroad accidents which identify victims of accidents prior to 1911. Such questions regarding accidents prior to 1911 can be researched only from local sources, and then only if the location and at least the approximate date of the accident is known. If the accident happened between 1911 and 1984, there is a good chance that the National Archives would have some information on the accident. The National Archives are the custodians of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) and the Federal Railroad Administration investigations and reports between those dates. Again, I must emphasize this will only cover the period from 1911 to 1984. Prior to 1911, local newspapers are your best bet. Check Guide to Railroad Records at the National Archives for how to find information.

  • Also From "Legacy": "A Day On The Locomotive With The Fireman"
  • South Platte Press Books on Nebraska and Other Railroads

    Union Pacific Seniority list of Section Hands for the North Platte Branch - Posted on Keith County NEGenWeb Project site. It is not dated as a document, but gives an effective date of 1935. It includes several names and what we believe dates of employment, ranging from 1898-1928. It is broken down by section numbers and the names for each section, including Sarben, Keystone, Lewellen, Oshkosh, Broadwater, Northport, Gering, Lyman, Yoder, and Cottier. The page consists of a scan of the document, as well as a text transcription.

    Union Pacific Seniority list, Grand Island, Nebraska - Union Pacific Seniority list of Transportation Employees and Yardmens Seniority Roster. This doesn't seem to be dated, but the last date shown is 1944. This has been presented to this site as part of the NEGenWeb Project OnLine Library.

    Debt of Gratitude!

    *The following volunteers from the Nebraska Genealogy Web (NEGenWeb), who so kindly and graciously did research and emailed valuable information for this site. Deepest thanks to: Barb Hruza, Pam Rietsch, Ginger Cisewski, Carolyn Wilkerson, James Kinman, Bill Wever, Ted and Carole Miller, and Connie Snyder. This is one dedicated group of volunteers that enjoy sharing and helping. Thanks to all of you!


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