The railroad is gone but the station still stands...

The former Chicago Great Western depot in Elma, Iowa was turned into a museum after the railroad was abandoned by the Chicago North Western Railroad that had taken over the CGW in a merger.

It was a cold winter...

The Cedar River in downtown Waterloo, Iowa during the arctic cold snap this winter.

Awaiting its fate...

A Waterloo Apartment building that has sat abandoned is awaiting its final fate as the bulldozers will soon demolish it.

Creative Re-use

The former train station in Ames, Iowa home of Iowa State University is being turned into a new restaurant.

Is that enough horsepower?

A pair of Iowa Northern MP2000D locomotives have no shortage of horsepower pulling a pair of cars along Canadian National tracks in north Waterloo, Iowa. The locomotives have been in storage for more than 2 years due to their cost of operation but a locomotive shortage forced Iowa Northern to put them back in service.

Waiting for the boys of summer...

The Waterloo Riverfront Stadium home of the Waterloo Bucks baseball teams during its winter downtime.

The Mustang some would like to forget

A 1976 Ford Mustang Cobra II on display at a annual car show at a local car dealership in Waterloo, Iowa where all the money raised goes to a charity. The Mustang II was a car created in response to the first oil crises in 1973. Many were not happy with the new design but Ford improved it over the years before replacing it with a new model in 1979.

Out in the snow

A Peoria Charter bus sits in the parking lot of the Crossroads Mall in Waterloo, Iowa as its passengers spend the night at a nearby hotel. This overnight stay may not have been scheduled as the weather had been very bad with many highways in the area being closed.

Out in the cold

Iowa Northern Railway 678 spent many years hauling passengers for Amtrak when it was numbered 241. Today it still hauls passengers as it pulls the Hawkeye Express train to University of Iowa home football games and in December for the Snowflake Express. Most of the year the locomotive and its passenger cars can be seen sitting at Bryant Yard in Waterloo, Iowa as it is this particular day in a snow storm.

Another empty store

Another empty retail store that was taken during a snow storm at the Crossroads Mall in Waterloo, Iowa.

Architectural Beauty tainted by evil

The Castle Apartments in Waterloo, Iowa are a beautiful piece of architecture having been built in the early 1910's. Sadly the unique structure was tainted when a young girl was murdered by her neighbor who then stashed her body in the attic space before being caught by police.

The buildings have been empty for years and are scheduled to be torn town at some point.

The Cedar River and Waterloo East Side Commercial District

Looking across the  4th Street bridge in Waterloo, Iowa across the Cedar River toward the Historic East Commercial District on a snowy morning.

Veterans Memorial Hall in Waterloo, Iowa

Veterans Memorial Hall in Waterloo, Iowa during a late January snow storm.

Younkers, an Iowa institution since 1856 was a victim of the collapse of the Bon-Ton. It started off as a dry-foods store in Keokuk, Iowa and grew to a regional chain.

Pictured is the former Younkers store at the Crossroads Mall in Waterloo, Iowa looking a little desitude during a late January snow storm.

The Whitesidewalls

The Whitesidewalls performing at Summerfest in Hampton, IA in August, 2018. This outstanding band performs at Summerfest every August which is just one of their many performances during the year.

The Station Time Forgot

This was once the Chicago Great Western station in Des Moines, Iowa. The station replaced the so called Union Station which was across the Des Moines river on the eastbank side of Des Moines near the Iowa State Capital in 1950, but all passenger service would end by 1962. The railroad itself was merged with the Chicago & North Western in 1968 and most of its routes including the one that passed by this station have been abandoned.

The station was turned into a restaurant at some point but is not currently being used. The building is somewhat isolated although one Thomas Beck road passes the station just to the left and a multi-use trail follows the former railroad right of way.

The Church and the Corn Field

A church stands along side a corn field in a quintessential Iowa image in a photo taken on a rural road outside of Waterloo, Iowa.

Character

The First United Methodist Church in Fort Dodge, Iowa. As the old saying goes...they don't build them like than anymore.

Her fate is sealed...

The former Milwaukee Road train station in Mason City, Iowa that is soon face the wrecking ball like many classic train stations have recently as current owner Canadian Pacific no longer sees a need for it.

No train is coming

Former Rock Island Passenger depot in Independence, Iowa. The tracks in front the depot are decoration only.