Osage, IA: Sulfer Explosion, Wood Grain Elevator and IC Depot

Sulfur Storage: (Satellite)

Wood Elevator: (Satellite)

IC Depot: (Satellite)

Feed Mill: (Satellite)

Oct 17, 2026, 7:36am fire engine dispatch:

wcfcourier
"The Osage Fire Department stated on its Facebook page that the structure may smolder or burn for the next couple of days. If smoke becomes an irritant, residents are advised to keep their windows closed."

Once again, we see that supplying fertilizer is an important service provided by a co-op. The building that burned is near the top of this image.

Satellite

The elevator has grown a lot, but it still has its wood elevator core. This former-IC route is still owned by CN, and it is obvious that CN provides rail service.

Street View, Oct 2024

I think potash is another fertilizer.

Street View, Oct 2024

I recognize this L-shaped building as a classic IC-depot design. Since it is still close to the tracks and well maintained, I presume that CN now uses it as an office.

Street View, Oct 2024

The concrete silos peaking above the depot in the above view are part of a feed mill. Feed must be heavy because the trailer has three axles.

Street View, Oct 2024

Actually, I noticed that the rear axle is not touching the ground. So its purpose is not to reduce road impact but to accommodate soft gravel driveways on farms. The augur is mounted on the front of the trailer, normally they are on the back. This mounting makes sense because the driver doesn't have to backup to the farmer's feed storage, and the driver has a good view of the end of the auger as it approaches the feed bin. 

Street View, Oct 2024

A different street view driver caught three feed trucks. Again, they have extra axles that normally don't touch the road.

Street View, Aug 2021

You know you are in a rural town when you have to stop for a combine.

Street View, Oct 2024

The concrete silos for the feed mill would have been a grain elevator along the CGW. That route is now abandoned.

rail.guide

Wheeler, KS: Wood Grain Elevators

Abandoned: (Satellite)

Still used: (Satellite)

Street View, Jul 2024

Street View, Jul 2024

Street View, Jul 2024

Bob Kisken posted six photos with the comment: "WHEELER KS NOT USED MY FAFORITE."

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This IC route is still owned by CN.

rail.guide

Macksville, KS: Wood Grain Elevator and Flour Mill

Wood: (Satellite)

I wonder what the concrete building used to be.

Street View, Sep 2025

This is on the other side of the road. Its call The Stfford County Flour Mills., but it looks like a normal storage elevator rather than a flour mill.

Street View, Sep 2025

John Krattinger posted
Macksville, Kansas

Yuma, CO: BNSF/CB&Q Depot, Wood Grain Elevator and Some Big Elevators

Depot: (Satellite)

Wood Elevator: (Satellite, the elevator is a little northeast of Google's pin.)

It looks like BNSF is still using this depot. The wood elevator is in the center background and the facility has grown into an ADM Edible Bean Specialties facility.

Street View, Aug 2026

Michael Behm posted, cropped
The Chicago Burlington & Quincy Depot from Yuma, Colorado. My picture from 9/12/26

Mike Bartels: The Nov. 22, 1949, Rocky Mountain News said construction had begun on a new depot at Yuma. The old one had been demolished in a freight train derailment on Aug. 10, 1947. An old coach had served as a temporary facility.

On the west side of town is a Westplains grain storage elevator with a couple of big ground piles on the right. On the left side is a Nutrien Ag Solutions facility. Looks like they get rail service for liquid fertilizer.

Street View, Aug 20216

And on the east side of town is an even larger grain storage elevator. I wonder what the old elevator on the far left is used for. The facility on the right is labeled Murphy-Brown of Yuma. I think it is a feed mill.

Street View, Aug 2026

Across the road from the CHS storage elevator is a CHS retail fertilizer facility.

Street View, Aug 2026

And further east is the Helena Agri-Enterprises selling more chemicals for farming. They supply much more than row-crop farming. "Whether you’re a farmer or forester, nursery grower or golf course manager, it’s our goal to make your job easier and to provide more value through our products and services." [HelenaAgri]

Street View, Aug 2023

Yuma is on the BNSF/CB&Q mainline between Chicago and Denver.

1902

This map accurately marks the location of the depot.

1972/75 Yuma North and South Quads @ 24,000

Renville, MN: Wood Grain Elevator

Wood: (Satellite)

Concrete: (Satellite)

Feed Mill: (Satellite)

In addition to the wood elevator on the left, the town has concrete silos and metal bins.

Street View, Jun 2026

Wesley Peters posted two photos with the comment:

Grain Elevator Photography Trip 2, North Dakota/South Dakota/Minnesota.

Renville, Renville County, MN.

Renville Farmers Elevator. False-front drive-thru headhouse built in 1978, Hogenson Construction Co. Bushel capacity unknown. Distributor house removed after 2010.

One of six surviving drive-thru headhouses by Hogenson Construction Co. in Minnesota.

Photographed on 7/20/2025.

Photos courtesy of Wesley Peters.

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And east of the storage elevators is this elevator. I presume it is a feed mill.

Street View

The railroad was the Milwaukee, and it is now the TC&W.

tcwr via Dennis DeBruler

As expected, the shortline provides rail service to the elevator.

Satellite

Orleans, NE: CB&Q Depot, Wood Grain Elevators and NK&C Railroad

(Satellite)

Street View, Sep 2025

Michael Behm posted
The Chicago Burlington & Quincy depot from Orleans, Nebraska. My picture from 9-12-26

Comments on Michael's post

The town has a big new elevator and a couple of old elevators.

Street View, Sep 2025

None of the big bins existed in 2012 and the older elevator was bigger.

Street View, Jun 2012

The new elevator sometimes has a big ground pile.

Satellite

The town still has a couple of wood grain elevators.

Street View, Sep 2025

rail.guide

Orleans is where the branch to St. Francis left the route across the southern part of Nebraska.

1902

NK&C = Nebraska, Kansas & Colorado (NKCR)

rail.guide

Omnitrax
"Nebraska, Kansas & Colorado Railway (NKCR) owns and operates approximately 509 miles of track in three states and carries a diverse mix of traffic including wheat, corn, coal and fertilizer. NKCR, one of several railroads in Nebraska, has benefited from its ability to attract high throughput grain elevators to its lines due to its superior service record and excellent relationship with BNSF. More specifically, NKCR recently made considerable track improvements in conjunction with upgrade investments by the owners of grain elevators at Venango, Nebraska, Loomis, Nebraska and Holyoke, Colorado, each of which now loads 110-car shuttle trains. In addition to grain, NKCR ships liquid fertilizer shuttle unloaders at Maywood, Nebraska, Imperial, Nebraska and Holyoke, Colorado in addition to the dry fertilizer shuttle unloader at Loomis, Nebraska."

Hector, MN: Wood Grain Elavator

West: (Satellite)

East: (Satellite)

South side:

Street View, Jun 2026

North side:

Street View, Jun 2026

Wesley Peters posted two photos with the comment:

Grain Elevator Photography Trip 2, North Dakota/South Dakota/Minnesota.

Hector, Renville County, MN.

Farmers Elevator Co. Built in 1938, T. E. Ibberson Co. 40,000-bushel capacity.

Still standing of June 2026.

Photographed on 7/20/2025.

Photos courtesy of Wesley Peters.

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The above elevator is west of Main Street. This elevator is on the east side.

Street View, Jun 2026

The elevators get rail service because this Milwaukee route is now owned by the Twin Cities & Western Railroad (TC&W) .

tcwr via Dennis DeBruler

I looked at other views of the north side of the west elevator to see how many of them had tank cars. Every view since 2014 had tank cars. And they are delivering them to Agri Trading Fats and Oils. I also discovered that they recently rebuilt the receiving facility so that they could unload tank cars indoors.

Street View, Apr 2023