Piles of archbar and other types of trucks were a common sight at train wreck scenes and such is the case here (left). A ramp way has been built to facilitate the off-load- ing of shingles from the M&StL boxcar.
time of this second wreck. Proceeding southwestward from the summit of this grade there is a 4° curve to the right approximately 1,300 feet long, followed by 1,800 feet of tangent, succeeding which and extending to and beyond the foot of the grade; there are three curves, as follows: a 2° curve to the left, a 3° curve to the right and a 3° curve to the left. These curves are ap- proximately equal in length and there is
no appreciable tangent between Bad day No. 1
The first accident to which Steam- boat Rock played host was a fairly mi- nor dust-up compared to its cohorts which followed. Austin & Albia RPO, M&StL Train 1 (the daily all-coach train between St. Paul and Des Moines) was derailed south of Steam- boat Rock at 10:05 a.m., August 20, 1901. The clerks in the car were jostled but uninjured. There was no damage to the mail and the total delay was a mere 45 minutes.1
Would that they
could all have been so harmless! Bad day No. 2
The second incident was not quite so easy to slough off. Let’s take a moment to describe in greater detail the geography and to- pography of the area around Steam- boat Rock. The first district of the east- ern division of the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad–a single-track line from Albert Lea, Minnesota,
124.7
miles south to Marshalltown, Iowa,– enters the Iowa River Valley from the northeast and crosses the Iowa River in a general northeast to southwest di- rection. The river valley floor is reached by a stiff 1.5% grade in both
This interesting view (above right) was shot from atop a derailed freight car. Notice the panorama of the town of Steamboat Rock which pulls together the town’s eleva- tor, depot, water tank, pump house and windmill. The towing engine sits on the oth- er side of the river. The end detail of Iowa Central gondola No. 03363, with its truss rod reinforcement, is very interesting. Also, note the disarray of the roadbed. This is a second panorama of the wreck scene (right). Details seen in this view include the special “End Ice Boxes” lettering on the Illi- nois Central reefer and the “Post No Adver- tisements” legend on the M&StL boxcar– details often missing from models.
RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN 75
directions. Helper service was provided eastbound and westbound out of Steamboat Rock until just prior to the
them. This means that for a distance of about 1 km (roughly 3,200 feet) at the east end of this grade there is prac- tically no straight track. About 500 feet east (up hill) of the foot of the grade, the track enters upon a bridge roughly 500 feet long over the Iowa River. The
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