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Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in the American Midwest, including Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Kansas. For questions specific to a railroad company, please seek the appropriate forum.

Moderator: railohio

 #905291  by radiotech1713
 
I grew up in Howells, NE and the railroad was long gone. I think it was the Chicago Northwestern Railroad but not sure.

Does anyone know when they abandoned the line from Scribner to Humphrey, along Highway 91.

Also when they stop going through Scribner and West Point? 1984 is what I have read.
 #906679  by Mikejf
 
You are correct on the CNW. It actually started off as the Fremont Elkhorn & Missouri Valley When it was created (according to SPV's Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America, Praries West). Unfortunately, no date is listed for the abandonment.

Mike
 #906701  by mtuandrew
 
From the C&NW Historical Society's page (http://www.cnwhs.org/ch_cnw.htm):
1983. The Coal Line starts construction under the aegis of the Western Railroad Properties Inc. A connector is make to the Union Pacific and the old Cowboy Line becomes surplus after extensive flooding and is by-passed. Powder River coal becomes the “pot of gold” for the C&NW.
This 1985 map shows that the line from Fremont to Norfolk is gone, and the C&NW has gone over to UP trackage rights.

In addition, according to this 1977 system map, the secondary line from Scribner to Humphrey through Howells was gone, except for a short spur from Humphrey to Elgin. The entire line still exists on an industry map from 1958 (no link handy, but it's from multimodalways.org). Most likely, it came off in the late 1960s or early 1970s, but you'd have to ask the C&NW Historical Society for more specifics.