Keokuk Union Depot Roof Restoration Complete

rlsteam · **Posted:** Fri Dec 14, 2018 7:10 pm

The photo from our web site "history" page actually shows one of the CB&Q's Twin Zephyrs at Keokuk in the early 1950s. Perhaps it was running on the Mark Twain Zephyr schedule; the MTZ had four cars, including a baggage car. The Zephyr that is for sale is the gutted Mark Twain Zephyr, in Granite City, Illinois. Of course we would love to have that train since it ran through Keokuk, but it's too long for our stub track and, if anyone could ever afford to buy and restore it, the city of Hannibal where "Mark Twain" lived probably has a better claim.

To extend our stub track would require a street crossing and then into property of Pioneer Railcorp. The connection to Pioneer Railcorp was lost several years ago during storm sewer construction on Bank Street, when the crossing was eliminated.

NS 3322 · **Posted:** Sat Dec 15, 2018 11:05 am

Les Beckman wrote:

NS 3322 wrote:

rlsteam wrote:

I don't know the exack length, but the stub track is long enough to hold a Pullman (formerly held the parlor car "Chief Keokuck," former Wabash car now at NOPBT under another name). See the photo on this page: https://www.keokukuniondepot.org/history.html

NOPBT?

I believe that the car is now on the New Orleans Public Belt (NOPB) and is now known as the "Louisiana".

Les

Thanks Les, that is what I thought!

rlsteam · **Posted:** Tue Dec 25, 2018 12:06 am

Janet M. Smith, president of the Keokuk Union Depot Foundation, took this view of the Depot with roof tiling completed on December 20. The view is from the US-136 bridge over the Mississippi.

NKP779 · **Joined:** Mon Mar 14, 2011 4:10 pm **Posts:** 89

Fantastic accomplishment for the folks there! I would like to defend the honor of NKP 765 in May of 1980. Due to the track conditions on the TP&W between LaHarpe and Keokuk with a 10 mph limit, it was planned that the NKP 765 would drop off at LaHarpe wye for turning and servicing and water, and the diesels would take the passenger train the rest of the way. The 765 was having some superheater problems but that is not why it didn't take the train the entire route. With the 10 mph death march to Keokuk, it delayed everything and the train didn't get back to East Peoria until after midnight.

However, it was a haunting sound to listen to the 765's guest whistle, Tom Stephens' N&W hooter whistle, blow across the river on a very clear night!

rlsteam · **Posted:** Fri Dec 28, 2018 3:31 pm

Thanks, that answers my question! Considering KJRY (Pioneer Railcorp) track condition and speeds today I wondered if the Keokuk line was capable of handling the 765. Then this 1980 shot (source unknown) of these TP&W units with train at the Keokuk Union Depot would be the part of that excursion that 765 did not pull?

PMC · **Joined:** Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:55 pm **Posts:** 2870

rlsteam wrote:

. Then this 1980 shot (source unknown) of these TP&W units with train at the Keokuk Union Depot would be the part of that excursion that 765 did not pull?

Yes, I am in the crowd there somewhere along with my parents, brother and great aunt. Actually if I know myself I am probably checking out the ex-Rock Island track in the area and my parents are panicked and looking for me. I am sure I still have the station by station booklet of the TP&W and all the lines it crossed, prepared by the group who organized the trip, Golden Arrow Lines, which stored their cars just north of the TP&W in Eastern Illinois as I recall.