The Iowa River Railroad (IARR) operates freight service from

Ackley, Iowa Ackley is a city in the Franklin and Hardin counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 1,599 at the 2020 census. History In 1852, immigrants began purchasing farms and settling in the north Hardin County area. In the fall of 1852, ...

to end of track 1.4 miles south of U.S. Highway 20, north of

Steamboat Rock, Iowa Steamboat Rock is a city in Hardin County, Iowa, United States. The population was 264 at the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. History Steamboat Rock was platted in 1855. It was named from a large rock on the river bluff which ...

, for a distance of about 9 miles. With its office located in

, IARR carries corn byproducts and ethanol from Pine Lake Corn Processors to the interchange with the Canadian National Railroad in

History

In June 2006, the IARR purchased from the UP and started operations of the Marshalltown Industrial Lead from

Marshalltown, Iowa Marshalltown is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Iowa, United States, located along the Iowa River. It is the seat and most populous settlement of Marshall County and the 16th largest city in Iowa, with a population of 27,591 at ...

. In June 2006, the IARR also purchased from North Central Railway Association a rail line running between Steamboat Rock and Ackley, Iowa, which needed rehabilitation prior to operating over. Rehabilitation has been completed and that portion of the line is currently in use. In 2012, the Iowa River Railroad filed to abandonment of line running from Steamboat Rock to Marshalltown with the Surface Transportation Board. The same year, a request for imposition of a public use condition and issuance of an interim trail use for the line was filed on behalf of the conservation boards of both Marshall and Hardin Counties, as well as the cities of Marshalltown, Union, Steamboat Rock, Liscomb, Eldora and Albion and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. The action was approved by the Surface Transportation Board. The abandoned line will be turned into the Iowa River Rail Trail.

Connection

The IARR connects with the

Canadian National The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I railroad, Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern United States, M ...

(formerly

Illinois Central The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also co ...

) at Ackley. Before abandonment the line also connected with the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

at Marshalltown.

Motive power

Current motive power had consisted of a single GP30, #3004, but has gained a recent addition

GP38 The EMD GP38 is a four-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between January 1966 and December 1971. The locomotive's prime mover was an EMD 645 16-cylinder engine that generated . The company built 70 ...

M, #3802.

External links

UP Short Lines Directory

References

Iowa railroads Switching and terminal railroads Marshalltown, Iowa Railway companies established in 2006 {{Iowa-transport-stub