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Saturday—November 19, 2005
Trail Day—01
Trail Mile—19.9
Location—Start: MoPac Station, Jefferson City, Missouri. End:
Russellville, Missouri
This central area of Missouri is rich in history that
molded and made this great country of ours. The old MoPac Bagnell
Branch Railroad began at such a place, on the banks of the mighty
Missouri, where Lewis and Clark
passed, where the likes of Daniel Boone
passed, below where the great capitol of the State of Missouri now
stands. Here we begin our trek, at the old Missouri Pacific
Railroad Station.
It’s a cool, crisp morning, but fair. Four
fellows, all seasoned hikers stand for their picture in front
of the old railroad landmark. They are: Sonny R., retired mail
carrier with over 50,000 miles under his feet, Artful Dodger
and Nimblewill Nomad, intrepid long distance hikers, and Josh
C., a young Eagle Scout who has walked many-a-mile earning his
hiking badge.
A little after eight, we’re off, first to pass the Governor’s
Mansion, Old Lohman Landing, then the
Capitol. In a short while, and on West Main Street, we pick
up what’s left of the old Bagnell Branch line, a short stretch of
track still serving a number of industrial sites along Industrial
Drive in Jefferson City.
Near the intersection of Industrial and Truman the tracks end
abruptly at a road
barricade. From
here on we’ll find only faint traces of the old abandoned railgrade.
We’d sure like to hike right on that old railgrade, but we know that
to do so would put us on private land; we’d be trespassing, not a
very good idea, especially now, during hunting season. So we choose
the next best alternative – roads that follow along nearby. First,
it’s busy Truman Boulevard, then North Ten Mile Drive, and finally
to get us out of town, Country Club Drive and Fairgrounds Road. At
the end of Fairgrounds and near the beginning of Scruggs Station
Road, stood one of the first depots along the old Bagnell Branch
line, Scruggs Station. All that remains today is a short, shallow,
overgrown grade-cut along the ridge.
We’re on little-used country roads now, heading west, climbing up
and down through hills and valleys that fringe the mighty river, and
along ridges that form the beginning of the Ozark Highlands. The
day has turned quite pleasant, perfect for hiking, and we enjoy each
others company as we journey along.
Next stop along the way is Plummer. As best we can tell, nothing,
but nothing remains of Plummer. Lohman comes next, passed by – by
the railroad, and by time. The old
depot
still stands, along with scattered vestiges of a once-thriving
town. Some old storefronts survive, along with the grain elevator,
milling company, a few well-kept homes. The bank, post office, a
scant few other businesses have somehow managed since railroad
times.
Out of Lohman, the old railgrade winds and climbs the valley of
Logan Creek, one of many upper tributaries feeding the North
Moreau. We climb by Branch Road, up and over the ridge, then down
and into the next valley where the old railgrade passes again.
We’re all truckin’ now, moving along, hypnotized by the smooth,
repetitive rhythm of walking. While in this pleasant state, and
while popping the ridge back, a strange, eerie feeling came over me,
caused by a faint but familiar sound, a far away sound, as if from
another place, another time. Astride the gentle breeze of the day
did it come, first nudging my subconscious, then, right there within
my ears did that old familiar sound reverberate. “A train whistle;
it’s a train whistle. This can’t be,” I whisper to myself. But
there it was again, faint, far off, surreal. “I know a train
whistle when I hear one,” again, I whisper to myself. I stopped in
my tracks, right then and there to listen intently for the longest
time. But the sound was no more. Just the gentle lull of the wind.
By day’s end, and before reaching Josh’s home near Russellville,
comes the sound of the train whistle many more times. The Union
Pacific (Amtrak) still passes by Centertown, a distance to the
north, and from our roadwalk today the whistle from those trains
could be heard. So, that’s the logical explanation. Ahh, but that
first, faint sound on the ridge today; it was distinctly different.
What I heard, could it have been one of the old Iron Horses
whistling down over time – from those ghost trains of long ago!
Perhaps, perhaps not.
We all bid Josh farewell at his home, then Sonny, Artful Dodger
and I hike on to reach Russellville well before dark. The old
railgrade passes my sister, Salle’s, house, there to continue below
Railroad Avenue into “downtown” Russellville. I hike the overgrown
railgrade, taking pictures where I can. The hike is concluded for
the day at the old Russellville Hotel/Bar, now managed as
Squeak’s Place, one of a very few
businesses still in existence since those glorious railroad days.
Monday—November 21, 2005
Trail Day—02
Trail Mile—19.3/39.2
Location—Start: Russellville, Missouri. End: Eldon, Missouri
Yesterday, Sunday, was a day off but we’re out and hiking the old
Bagnell Branch railgrade again today. With me are Sonny, Joyce K.,
and Artful Dodger. It’s another cool, clear morning and
we’re moving a little before nine.
First stop is just a few yards west on Railroad Avenue, as I snap
pictures of the old Russellville Depot location, where the beautiful Bank of Russellville building
now stands. It’s on then to Jungmeyer Lumber for a picture with
Bud, current owner, one of the few businesses still in existence
since the early days of the railroad.
On the outskirts of Russellville the old railgrade remains in
service – as the walkway from town
to the new high school. On west and south now, we start dropping
into the deeper and more rugged valley of the South Moreau. Here
are numerous cuts through crowns and lesser ridgelines, deep in
places. At Morgan Creek, two concrete piers that supported that span still stand, wrapped in
tangled vines. This morning, and in the warming sun they remain a
proud testament, a pleasant reminder of those grand days past.
Turning from the flats along Enon and Settlen Roads, we enter the
little berg of Enon, the old grade-crossing hardly noticeable. To
the left lean the moldering remains of an old grain storage
building, a rusting “Dixie – Better Feeds” sign now serving more as a structural support. A bit further
along stands the weathered remains of an old general store. As to
the railroad days, that’s about it for Enon.
From Enon to Olean the old railgrade pretty much follows South
Moreau Creek. We climb, to pop up, down and along the bluff before
descending once more to the valley north and east of Olean. Father
Time has treated the little village of Olean kindly. Numerous
structures in fair repair survive from the railroad era. Among
them, the old depot, grain elevator and milling company. It’s
lunchtime, so we take a break and treat ourselves to the special at
the Hut, one of the long-thriving
local businesses.
As to Olean’s railroad days, there’s much pride within this little
community, a prime example being the old 1880s
depot. It’s been maintained over
the years, a labor of love that glows – and that shows in the
well-kept condition of that fine old structure. Today, you’ll find
it all decked out in true 1930s and ‘40s MoPac colors – colonial
yellow with brown trim. Oh, and if I may, a note here as to the
keen interest amongst railroad buffs concerning the old Bagnell
Branch line. Take a minute now, and if you would, click here on
http://www.mopac.org/models_duckworth.asp. This page, Charlie
Duckworth’s, is one among many in the “MoPac Modelers Showcase
Gallery,” featured on the Missouri Pacific Historical Society
website. His beautiful, true-to-scale HO models of the old
Russellville and Olean depots are absolute delights to behold –
please take a look!
From Olean, Joyce K. continues with us and Joyce B. joins along as
we make the gentle climb toward the city of Eldon. The old
railgrade, along with a number of concrete culverts can be seen
along the way. The grade’s all overgrown, of course, except where
businesses stand directly on the old grade. A good example, the
Eldon Ford dealership. The old
railgrade goes right straight through the place! Ditto for numerous
business structures in Eldon. Through town, the old grade cuts
about a forty-five, so it’s easy enough to follow, through the
Capital Region Medical Clinic, then in the front door and out the
back of the IOOF building. We end the day at the old caboose, near the former site of the
Eldon Depot. It’s been a fun, memorable day.
Tuesday—November 22, 2005
Trail Day—03
Trail Mile—11.1/50.3
Location—Start: Eldon, Missouri. End: Camp Bagnell, Missouri
Another fine day for hiking, the final one along the old MoPac
Bagnell Branch line. Sonny, Artful Dodger, and the old
Nimblewill Nomad move out from the caboose a little after ten. We’re still cutting a forty-five
along the old railgrade, straight through Eldon. Just across SR52
the old grade crosses the now abandoned Rock Island Line. We
struggle through the vines and brush to reach the crossing. I had so looked forward
to getting here, to locating this spot, but as I stand in the tangle
now, it proves totally unimpressive. I had hoped to find the old
“X” section of rail still here, since most of the Rock Island iron
and cross-ties have remained in place. But no such luck. What I
hadn’t figured was: the old Rock Island Line didn’t shut down
through Eldon until 1982, fully 18 years after the Bagnell trains
ceased to roll. So, apparently, somewhere during that time, the
Rock Island folks replaced the old cross-rail section with straight
iron. I take a few pictures – through the briars, brush, and tangle
– from here to fight my way back out to the streets of Eldon, and on
toward rail’s end at Camp Bagnell.
On Cender Road, near West Aurora,
we’re back on the old railgrade, literally on it. For, through here
the road has been moved almost directly over the railgrade. It
appears dark with coal dust and cinders, castaways over time from
the old locomotives. I collect some souvenirs: a few clinkers, the
remains of an original spike from the 1880s. Here, next Cender
Road, a house trailer sits square on the grade. Ho boy, I bet folks
living here experience some really unsettling shudder and hear some
bewildering sounds from time-to-time!
From West Aurora, which stands at near 1,000 feet, for the next
eight miles, and as we hike south toward the Osage, the railgrade
will drop nearly 400 feet. The old 4-6-0 wheel-configured
locomotives that plied the Bagnell line most assuredly had their
work cut out for them as they lumbered (no pun intended), loaded
with railroad cross-ties up, up and up some more, from Bagnell to
Eldon. The later lugging of construction supplies and materials for
the dam, during the ‘30s, down the grade to Bagnell, would certainly
have been an easier haul. We’ve got an easy haul now, on down and
in to Camp Bagnell. Just south of West Aurora, Rita R., Sonny’s
wife, joins us. Our last obstacle, crossing, then hiking along
four-lane US54, is soon behind us.
From the highway to Bagnell, we’ve got the longest and most pleasant
hike right on the old railgrade, a gravel, then cinder treadway on
in. We reach Camp Bagnell before
three.
So now we know the mystery of it all. Ahh yes, the mystery! For
now we know from where the old trains came, whistling and clanging,
to the where of it – the far away places they rumbled, leaving only
trailing silence – and that faint, haunting whistle in the wind. I
am contentedly pleased, and I must tell you – now that I know the
mystery, I am no less captivated by the excitement of it all. That
little barefoot tyke is still here, alive and well, deep in the
heart of this old man. And that childhood bewilderment and
wonderings I’ve spoken of from so many years ago? Well, that
excitement is still fully aglow, as strong and bright now – as way
back then. Thanks, dear friends all, for coming along. It’s been a
journey of fulfillment. Oh yes, it’s certainly been a happy,
memorable time! |
MoPac 2005: Bagnell Branch
Rail Trail Hike
