Iron Mountain Railway receives facelift
JACKSON, Mo. (KBSI) – The Iron Mountain Railway has gotten a facelift.
Once the target of Americas most legendary train robberies the Iron Mountain Railway sits in the heart of Jackson Missouri. Two trains have aged over time and needed some repairs. Thanks to some grant funding and some volunteer community efforts the railway is ready for more historical ventures.
The Iron Mountain was famously robbed by Jesse James and his gang.
Elane Moonier, is the Railway Volunteer Coordinator she talks about the grant funding.
“They have recently been renovated somewhat on the exterior side due to a couple of grants we received. One from the Emory Heritage Grant and then the second is from the National Railway Historical Society.”
The grants were used to put on a new roof as the current roofs were almost 100 years old and leaked, and to painting the exterior to the original color it was from 1926 and painting the lettering. Moonier says the painting was done completely by community volunteers.
She shares the rich history behind these near century old trains.
“Both of these cars came from the Crab Orchard Railway, and they came in 1986, and they came here with the 1986 steam engine that also came here at the same time, and they were actually the origin or the beginning of the Iron Mountain Railway in Jackson which has been here now for 39 years in service” says Moonier.
These 1920’s era trains are still in their original condition. The railway gives a 2-hour train ride on Saturdays to anyone with a ticket. Moonier shares it’s like stepping back in time!
“Its got a very vintage look to it and we try to preserve that because we think people like to step out of their ordinary daytime. We think they would like to step back into this vintage time a little bit and enjoy this history with us” says Moonier.
The Iron Mountain Railway is a nonprofit focused on teaching the history of the Missouri railway. Ran completely on volunteers and community efforts.
“So we teach the history of this rail line, we teach the history of the Jesse jams train robbery because that is a part of this rail line” says Moonier.” It was the first train to be robbed in Missouri. It was robbed in 1874 by Jesse James so we love to tell that to our passengers and tell them the story of the James gang how they came to rob this train, and we have our own gang of outlaws who like to hold up the train and rob it.”
For more information on tickets and railway details.
St. Louis Iron Mountain Railway | Train Jackson | Missouri
