GC49G1Z Grand Defunct Railroad 8 (Traditional Cache) in Iowa, United States created by billfordillman

GC49G1Z ▼

A cache by billfordillman Message this owner

Hidden : 4/9/2013

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:

You will need to pull off the highway and park on the shoulder. The shoulder is plenty wide enough near the bridge for parking but this is a highway so be careful. You will be looking for a matchstick container that has been painted green.
Be cautious of the exposed culvert near the south east corner of the bridge. It may be difficult to see at night. Congrats to sheldenn for FTF!

This Hwy 63 Bridge is not here to cross a natural ravine like the one just north of here crossing the ravine made by Little Soap Creek. This cut was made to allow the passage of a railroad grade. That’s right, the old abandoned “road” you see just below the cache wasn’t really a road at all. It’s actually the abandoned Wabash Railroad grade.

This leg of the Wabash Line ran twice daily from where it met the main Wabash Line in Moulton to the Wabash Station, located on the north side of the Des Moines River near the Viaduct, in Ottumwa. This line served these two towns and the towns in between such as West Grove, Bloomfield, Belknap and a small coal mining community near the Wapello/Davis County line known as Carbon.

The line was discontinued in 1982 but much of the railroad grade is still visible. Some of the grade and the bridge that carried the line across the Des Moines River have been converted for pedestrian use as part of the Ottumwa Trail System.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Gerr

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)