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HUB CITY HERITAGE CORP. - RAILWAY MUSEUM
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Location: 26 2nd Ave. SW - Oelwein, IA 50662
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Contact: Bill Mundt
Phone: 319.283.1939
Fax:
Email: williamandshirley@mchsi.com
Website: www.CGWO.org |
The Hub City Heritage Corp. - Railway Museum is open Sunday afternoons from 1-4 until Labor Day. This museum was originally the home of Wells Fargo and Company Express (1912) and in 1918, was acquired by the American Railway Express Co. in a consolidation movement and in the 1930s became the Railway Express. Much of the interior of this building is as it was when it was vacated in 1969. Inside is a photo display of historical and modern locomotives and rolling stock, track repair equipment and railway express memorabilia.
The yard office and yard tower were the heart of the Chicago Great Western in its heyday. The tower offers a wonderful view of the former CGW switching yards and downtown Oelwein. On display, are a wooden Rock Island caboose built around 1910-1914, a bay window Chicago Great Western caboose built around 1960 and an SW-1 diesel locomotive built in 1941 and belonging to the Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Paul and Omaha Railroad. The Chicago Great Western Railway was one of the country's leading regional carriers from the turn of the century through the 1960s. Oelwein was the headquarters (Hub City) from 1952 until its merger with the Chicago and Northwestern in 1968. The CGW covered 1432 miles in IL, MN, MO, IA and had a presence in NE and KS. It is open Sundays from 1-4 p.m. through Labor Day. The mailing address is: Hub City Heritage Corp., P.O. Box 300, Oelwein, IA 50662
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