Chicago and North Western Remembering the Cowboy

C. Vision brings you the final chapter of the Chicago and North Western's operations of its Western Division before its merging into the Union Pacific Railroad on April 25, 1995. This video will show you some of the rare footage of the original "Cowboy Line" from Norfolk to Chadron, Nebraska. This line was abandoned by the C&NW after December 2, 1992. The Nebkota Railway revived a portion of this line. At the time of production, Nebkota operated the line with a set of A-B-A "F" units. We catch a Nebkota train operating in the northern sandhills region of Nebraska.

The majority of movement on the west end lines by the North Western was on the Colony Line from Colony, Wyoming to Dakota Junction in Nebraska. C. Vision's cameras capture C&NW operations in the final years of its existence on this line. Included is one of the last C&NW trains in operation before the final merger.

Negotiations and rumors spread as to what the Union Pacific was going to do with this section of railroad. Then, in February of 1996, it became publicly known that U.P. had sold the Colony Line to the Dakota Minnesota and Eastern. Soon after the sale, C. Vision's cameras captured a few runbys as DM&E's Mount Rushmore locomotive pulls a train from Belle Fourche to Rapid City.

Don't miss this video as it relives the history of this great fallen flag, up until its final hours. "Remembering the Cowboy" is a video that belongs in your collection today!

Copyright 1998, C. Vision Productions

Color/90 Minutes

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• chicago
• north
• western
• division
• cowboy
• lines
• train
• railroad
• video
• dvd
• south
• dakota
• nebraska
• wyoming
• coal
• colony
• line
• rapid
• city
• chadron
• belle
• fourche
• sturgis
• hermosa
• dm&e
• Nebkota

[chevelle396guy]

Where is that depot at the end of the video located? Does it still exist?

[clasko69]

Sturgis, SD. Yes it does.

[FlyBikes089]

Doing, Chicago and North Western (CNW) still in service or shut down the business?

[clasko69]

C&NW was purchased by the Union Pacific in 1995.

[440general]

I am Spanish and a railfan. American's Railroads I like more. North Americans Steam, diesel and electrics locotives are very pretty.  Thanks: Xavier Maraña(440General).

[bkusek]

All thats left of the Cowboy Line now is between Chadron and Crawford. The Chadron yards are pretty much just used for grain car storage for the DM&E. Whats sad is that if better decisions were made by UP this could have been one of the busiest coal routes out of the Powder River.

[bruteforce76]

Thank you for posting this CNW vid. My grandfather was an engineer for CNW in the 1940's and 50's, Norfolk to Chicago mostly (from what I've been told).

[BY3LLA]

C&NW have railroads in South Central, South Dakota also?

[mrspacecase]

The shots show some nicely ballasted roadbed, and some shoddy, ill-kemp roadbed, unfortunately so typical in the last years of the C&NW. Nice video!

[UPNSP]

@BNSFrailfan FEVR operates on a portion on the old Cowboy Line.

[xtremepadrefan]

CN&W R.I.P

[JimboRailfan]

Yep, it sure is.

[lcar4000]

Is this the same line that once ran all the way to Lander Wyoming, with plans to reach the Pacific?

[deloreanman14]

I always found it interesting that the CNW used highway crossing bells on their locomotives. Does anybody else know why they did this?

[microbusss]

oh dude you're SO right! IF UP had the knowledge they'd rebuild the Cowboy Line to haul coal! This line would relief some bottleneck in North Platte!

[JoJoJopete]

The Union Pacific 1995 honors the Chicago & North Western Railway.