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riding the ABC lines of Nebraska

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Daniel Kalal:
 

The 1870s was a time of extraordinary changes throughout the great plains.   Several railroad companies were extending their lines west as fast as they  could, while at the same time land that had never seen a plow was being  homesteaded at a tremendous rate.  
 
The railroads needed towns and the towns needed the railroads.
 
And the new towns needed names.  After exhausting every last name of  the railroad board of directors and every hometown back east, a couple of  lines started to get creative.  The Burlington & Missouri labeled their  towns A-B-C...  and then filled in the full names.  Evidently the  St. Joseph & Denver City thought that was such a good idea, they did the  same thing.
 
This would be a ride from A-to-L and then from L-to-A over both of these  lines. The towns that start with -J-, -K-, and -L- are shared by both.
 
Nebraska
  
If you look though historical references, you'll see that the names of some  of the towns were in flux for a few years even if the ABCs stayed the same.   But, by the mid-1870s the names were set.
  
I'll be starting on the St. Joseph and Denver City Railroad with the town  of Alexandria.
 


It is still an active line.  Trains were coming by at least every  thirty minutes. Many were hauling coal and the rest general freight.
 

 
Alexandria.  This is one town that recognizes the history of their  name and proudly displays it.  This being January, the small creeks are  iced.
  
 
 
Like nearly all railroad towns in the Great Plains, Main Street extends  perpendicular to the tracks.
 

 
 
 
 
 
Belvidere.
 

 
This town recognizes that there are plenty of people out there who like  nothing better than to sit in the shade and watch the trains go by.   The town welcomes them.
 
 
 

 
 
 
Carleton.
 

 
The big locomotives make a lot of noise at the crossings, but they're not  going to slow down for any of these towns.
 

 
Davenport.
 

 
Hauling coal.  I assume the empties return on a different route; in any  case, I didn't see any going the other direction.
 

 
 
 
 
 
It's more common to see farm houses that look like this than otherwise.   It just doesn't take as many people (and as many farms) as it did in 1880.
 

 

 
Edgar.
 

 
No matter what make or year your tractor might be, I'm sure parts can be  found to keep it running.
 

 
The old St. Joseph and Denver City Railway is now folded into the Union  Pacific.
 

 
Fairfield.
 

 
 
 
Glenvil.
 

 
 
 
 
 
Unpaved residential streets are pretty common.
 

 
Hastings is far and away the largest and most successful of the ABC  towns.
 

 
Ingleside.  Where is Ingleside?  My coordinates put it right  here.
 

 
This is it.  The Hastings Regional Center has apparently been  through a number of names (starting with “State Asylum for the Incurably  Insane”) and is now a treatment center for Juvenile Chemical Dependency.
 

 
The Burlington & Missouri River Railroad is mostly north of the St.  Joseph & Denver City, but the two lines converge around here.  I   believe the -J-, -K-, and -L- towns to follow were created by the Burlington  Line.
 




Juniata.
 

 

 
Kenesaw.
 

 
Reaching the final town of Lowell will take a bit more effort--I cannot  simply follow the tracks.  The tracks have long been relocated elsewhere,  and poor Lowell lost out.
 

 


Lowell was once a thriving boom town and was even the county seat.   Those days are all gone with only an historical sign to remember them by.
 

 
Crossing the Platte River would have been a reason for shifting the route  of the railroad.  As newer bridges were built, some towns were bypassed  and new ones were created.  Winners and Losers.
 


Inland still has a school, but little else.
 

 

 
Harvard.
 

 
Graffton.
 

 

 
Fairmont.
 

 
I returned to Fairmont the next morning, but as the temperature was still  below thirty degrees, I prudently waited in the cafe for things to warm up.
 
 
 
Exeter.  You'll see the BN&SF train at the crossing.  The  Burlington Northern & Santa Fe has folded in the old Burlington & Missouri  River Railroad.
 

 
 
 
Dorchester.
 

 

 
Crete.
 

 
Berks...  Where is Berks?  I knew this one would be a hard one  to find.  I had the coordinates of the original town, but no map shows  that Berks.
 

 
Berks is here.  Or in any case, Berks used to be here.  Today  it's a rail siding.
 
 
 

 
Asylum.  We are back to the letter -A- and also curiously at yet  another State Lunatic Asylum, these days called the Lincoln Regional Center.
 

  
As far as I know, these two lines are the only ones in Nebraska named this  way.  But, I can only guess that there were other--perhaps less  obvious--schemes to come up with the dozens and dozens of other names.   It's not hard to find a compelling reason to go for a ride.

Lannis:
That's a great story, and great pictures.   

They had the same issue naming depots on the "Virginian Railway" when it went through Virginia to haul coal to Norfolk in the early 20th century.   They ended up using the names of family members of the board of directors if they couldn't find anything else.

Thanks for the travelogue!!

Lannis

GearheadGrrrl:
Canadian National did the same thing in western Canada, they even went so far as to have a standard design for the towns!

Daniel Kalal:

--- Quote from: GearheadGrrrl on January 31, 2015, 08:00:22 PM ---Canadian National did the same thing in western Canada, they even went so far as to have a standard design for the towns!

--- End quote ---

Yes; it's the same in the Great Plains where you'll find the standardized  "T-Town" layout used most often.

oldbike54:
Thanks Deke  ;-T Makes me want to road trip back to Nebraska .

  Dusty

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