Photo by Dan Breyfogle, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad
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About Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad
Riding the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad delivers a standard‑gauge heritage experience across Iowa’s Des Moines River Valley. The train, powered by the ex‑Chinese JS‑class 2‑8‑2 #8419 steam locomotive and diesel units, traverses 17.7 kilometres of restored former interurban track, crossing the 156‑foot Bass Point Creek bridge and winding from Boone through historic Fraser to the former Fraser Junction site. Seasonal excursions showcase the Kate Shelley High Bridge, holiday-themed trains and special dinner‑car events.
History
The line that became the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad begins in 1893 when the Boone Valley Coal and Railroad Company, founded by Hamilton Browne, builds a three‑mile spur from Fraser to Fraser Junction to ship coal. After a 1902 reorganization as the Newton and North Western Railroad, the company extends south to Boone in January 1904, connects with the Chicago and North Western Railway, and later that year loses Browne’s leadership when Boston investors H. T. Loring and Son and H. V. and H. W. Poor Co. assume control. The Newton and North Western is bought by the Fort Dodge, Des Moines and Southern Railroad in 1909, which electrifies the route, replaces a flooded Des Moines River trestle in 1912, and later, after a 1954 flood destroys the Fraser power plant, dieselizes with GE 70‑ton switchers in 1955 and ends passenger service; the line passes to the Des Moines and Central Iowa in 1954 and is absorbed by the Chicago and North Western in 1968, which files abandonment petitions. In 1982 local citizens form the Save‑the‑Tracks fund, and by June 1983 they purchase a 12‑mile segment between Boone and Fraser Junction for $50,000, reorganizing as the Boone Railroad Historical Society and launching the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad with its first train on October 29 1983. Subsequent milestones include acquiring five interurban cars in late 1984, building a new Boone depot in 1985, importing Chinese steam locomotive JS‑8419 in 1989 (first run May 1990), weather‑related suspension during the 1993 Great Flood and restoration the following year, adding 1.66 mi of former FDDMS track in February 2001, and opening the James H. Andrew Railroad Museum and History Center in 2012.
The Trains
The Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad runs on standard‑gauge track for about 17.7 kilometres, leaving Boone, passing the former coal town of Fraser and terminating at the former Fraser Junction near Wolf, with the line crossing the 156‑foot Bass Point Creek bridge. Its motive power includes ex‑Chinese JS‑class 2‑8‑2 steam locomotive #8419 and the former U.S. Air Force 80‑ton switcher originally numbered 7858, which the society renumbered 2254 in honor of its donors; diesel switchers also handle freight duties. Passenger service employs restored interurban cars, dining cars and specialty holiday cars that operate over the historic former Fort Dodge, Des Moines & Southern interurban right‑of‑way.
Nearby
Boone, the county seat of Boone County in central Iowa, grew up around coal mining and the railroad, and still sits on the Union Pacific main line — the former Chicago & North Western, once a division and crew change point. The town of roughly 12,500 celebrates that heritage with Pufferbilly Days, one of Iowa's top five community festivals, and was the birthplace of First Lady Mamie Doud Eisenhower. Ledges State Park lies four miles south, and the original Lincoln Highway ran through the center of town.
Where to Stay
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