Manly, Iowa
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If you have any photos or other information relating to Manly, Iowa
please contribute to this page.
You can send email to manly@eldora.net
Photo from Dan Sabin Collection
Manly Union Station looking South about 1911. Track on left id Rock
Island to Cedar Rapids.
The center line is M&StL to Mason City and the track on the right with
the locomotive is CGW.
The Central Railroad of Iowa was the first railroad into Manly. The road then became the Iowa Central and then the M&StL. Regular service between Northwood, Iowa and Mason City began on Oct. 10, 1871. The line saw little use until the M&StL took over operation in 1900. Trackage rights were obtained from the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railroad (later the Rock Island in 1903) from Northwood to Albert Lea completing the M&StL route from Minneapolis to Peoria, Ill. From that time up to today under the operation of the C&NW and now the Union Pacific there has been a steady flow of trains through Manly, Iowa.
Photo from Vaughn Ward Collection
Photo from Vaughn Ward Collection
Wayne Reed Collection
Photo from Vaughn Ward Collection
Manly interlocking tower April 1964
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A 1999 field trip to the CRI&P (Rock Island) roundhouse in Manly
2002 photos of the CRI&P roundhouse
Railroad brings boom to Manly From an article that appeared in a Mason City, Iowa newspaper on October 12, 1914
5/23/2002 from Wayne Reed
My older brother worked on the Bridge Gang on the Rock Island RR and one of the jobs he was on was enlarging the turn table at the round house. During WWII a section of the round house was used to store food goods. Cases of canned good, sacks of corn and such. A lot of us teenagers from that era worked there unloading and loading box cars with the food goods. I lived in Manly form 1934 to 1947 at which time I went into the Navy.
My dad, James Reed, worked for the M&StL. He was section foreman and had the Manly to Mason City section. I am not sure how long he worked for the M&StL, but he was transferred from Gifford to Manly in 1934 and retired in the late 50's. I have a picture of him and his crew on the motor car in front of the tool house on Hiway 9. If you get to Manly again, you should go to the library and see if they still have the video tape that Perry Webb made from some old 8 mm film that a guy made of Manly, if they do you might be interested in checking it out.
I recall the day that the Rock Island Rocket came through Manly for the first time. It was such a big event for that small town that they let the school out so that we could all go down to the depot and see it for the first time. That was in the early 40's.
Wayne A. Reed
3/15/2002 - I was born in Manly, Iowa in 1930. My father, George A. Higby, was a fireman on the R.R. Across the tracks from the depot was a restaurant where the men could board or lay-over between runs and we lived across the street from the restaurant. Next door to the restaurant was an empty lot and then the home of Joe and Althea (?) Murphy. He was an engineer. Also I remember "Uncle "Grover and "Aunt" Bertha Garrett, and Carl and Lucille Workman; she and her mother, Mrs. Thomas, were the telepone operators. Anybody remember them? I enjoyed the pictures but sad to me to see the end of an era and way of life. We kids would bounce up and down on tree branches singing Casey Jones and the old R.R. songs.I still love the sound of train whistles and smell of coal smoke! Mary L. (Higby) Samms rsamms@pcweb.net
Hello. I am seeking information on Anna Johnson, who married Henry Dancliff. She died in 1890 and was buried in Manly. Here children were Henry A., Charley, Henry, Serena (Mrs. Wm. Grancy), and Matilda. Anna Johnson was the daughter of Peter Johnson of Fennimore, Wisconsin. I am seeking relatives who worked on the family tree. thanks Dan Johnson 3407 Lakewood Rd. S. Lethbridge, AB T1K 3C7 938dan@home.com JohnsonDL@em.agr.ca
2/13/2002 From a former Rock Island Employee:
THE M&STL DISCONTINUED PASSENGER SERVICE IN MANLY IN 1958. THEY ONLY RAN WHAT WE CALLED THE DOODLE BUG. IN MY RECOLECTION THIS WAS NOT MUCH OF A PASSENGER TRAIN. IT WAS MORE OF A TROLLEY CAR. THE ROCK ISLAND RAN PASSENGER SERVICE NORTH, SOUTH AND EAST THROUGH MANLY INTO THE EARLY 70'S. THE CGW ALSO RAN PASSENGER SERVICE THROUGH MANLY WELL INTO THE SIXTIES. BEEN THERE DID THAT.
YOUR PICTURES OF THE OLD ROUND HOUSE AND TURNTABLE BROUGHT BACK SOME GOOD MEMORIES. I TURNED MANY LOCOMOTIVE SETS ON THE SAME TURNTABLE FROM 1959 UNTIL THE DIESEL HOUSE WAS SHUT DOWN IN THE 70'S. I DO REMEMBER THE OLD ROUNDHOUSE IN IT'S STEAM DAYS. VISITED IT AND GOT RUN OFF OF IT MANY TIMES WHEN I WAS A YOUNGSTER. ANYWAY, I THANK YOU FOR TRIGGERING SOME MEMORIES OF MY OLD HOME TOWN.
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