Hawkeye Express Gets Rubber Tires
October 5, 1996

Acting on an Email note from someone who should know, I got up early on Saturday morning to see the football train depart from Des Moines and to watch the Madison County "Zephyr" pass the station as well. Since the game was to start early today, the football train was to load at 6:30 a.m. By 6:15, only a travel agency representative and another railfan had appeared. I walked over and had a talk with the travel agency person and learned that there'd not been enough confirmed reservations for a train today, so the football fans would be taking a bus (and having a "dry" trip) instead.

At 6:37, the "Zephyr" called Short Line Yard to obtain permission to pass through the yard and junction. While we waited for the train, I had an interesting visit with the other railfan, and learned that he was once employed as a conductor on the Rock Island, running out of Council Bluffs. A little after 7:00, both the bus and today's MCZ appeared. The "Zephyr" was behind IAIS SD 103, with IATR 1500 generator car, hastily stenciled 750, Tallahassee (a regular on the MCZ), Naiscoot River, and coach-baggage 004.

The MCZ headed on west to Earlham, the football fans departed for a quick, if not quite so nostalgic, trip to Iowa City, and I took the Jeep back to Indianola.

That's It!