Cresco, IA: Lost/Milwaukee Depot and Lost Wood Grain Elevator

(Satellite, south of the tracks, which were south of 1st Ave., and halfway between Elm and 2nd Streets.)

West Grain Elevator: (Satellite)

East Grain Elevator: (Satellite)

John Harker posted two images with the comment: "Thomas J Post captured Milw train #601, Marquette - Austin via Calmar, at the Cresco, Iowa freight station in June 1976.  It was being pulled by GP9 328 and an unidentified SD9.  Based on the timetable, the train was a daily except Monday and was scheduled to arrive in Cresco at 11:36 am from Calmar.  It was either running later on this day or it was overcast.  I scanned and edited this image from an original Kodak Ektachrome processed slide in my collection.  Attached for reference is an aerial map showing the location of the freight station."

Tim Schneider: when was this line yanked?

Mark Montague: Tim Schneider Last run November 1983. Pulled up around June-July 1984.

James Ziegler: Wish this line was still there.

Mark Montague: James Ziegler This line had its advocates. Lower ruling grade of 0.9% versus 1.4% for the Austin-Mason City-Calmar routing. It carried approximately 15,000 overhead cars per year plus generated 600 online carloads in the late seventies.

By 1982, the rail was completely worn out. Speed had dropped from 25 mph to 10 mph. The country was in recession. So the Milwaukee II plan was adjusted to drop this segment in favor of rebuilding the shorter Austin-Mason City line.

Years later I read in Railway Age that Soo Line wished this 68 mile segment had been retained.

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There were house tracks behind the depot. Those sidings probably served the grain elevator that we see in the background of the first image.

1981/82 Cresco SE Quad @ 24,000

Mike Cunningham posted two photos with the comment: "Here's a couple of pictures to add to John's pictures and notes on this line. I have a date of 1984 on the back."

Lynn Wood: Is this the Cresco Iowa that a Milw: ukee Road Maintenance of Way worker who found a young American Buffalo wandering on the right of way, no open gates spotted, brought it into the local bar and gave it beer out of his work helmet? Before calling the sheriff to find out whose livestock had been sauntering down the right of way?

Patrick Young: Is this Cresco, Iowa? The locomotive there is looking pretty sad and needs a makeover.

Mike Cunningham: Patrick Young yup..Cresco..looking sad when I drove by in 84. Locomotive brought in for display in the park...

Hugh Jassel: Patrick Young I believe the locomotive.. a boxcar and caboose were either pushed or pulled with a payloader to Cresco. They had to get the train to Cresco quickly because scrapping was already starting on the line.

Mark Montague: Yes. This is the accurate account of getting the 101-A to Cresco. It was non-operational at that time, later restored to running but not much track to move on.

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Grain elevators were built on the east and west sides of town to replace the one we see in the top photo.

Cresco East
[This location stores grain and supplies fertilizer.]

Cresco West
[The part in the foreground is probably their feed mill and the bigger gins in the back would be their grain storage.]

The two wood grain elevators on the west side caught my eye. Unfortunately, according to this satellite image, the tall one is gone. (York Street was built on the Milwaukee RoW.)

Satellite

The street view coverage of this town is very poor, so I fired up Google Earth. The satellite image above was taken in Nov 2023. This previous image does have the wood elevator.

Google Earth, Jul 2020