The Iron Mountain Trailway is a series of 47 geocaches places along the railbed of the historic St Louis Iron Mountain Railroad Jackson - Gordonville - Delta line. This railroad served freight traffic between Jackson Missouri and Delta Missouri, originally built by the Jackson Branch Railroad Company.
The original line was meant to connect with the Belmont Branch at Allenville and travel through Jackson into Perry County and a ferry connection along the Mississippi River. When the line reached as far as Jackson from Allenville in 1885, construction stopped, and railroad freight service commenced. The JBRR was soon absorbed into the Saint Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railroad, which itself was merged into the Missouri Pacific years later.
The MP first submitted the line up for abandonment in 1932 and now, in 2015 all but the northernmost 7 miles of the railway have been abandoned and the land reverted to the descendants of the original owners.
Beginning in Gordonville at a park that is actually railroad property that once served as a station for the line, the first six miles of the remaining track wind through pastures and fields, flirting occasionally with Hubble Creek.
the last, most northern mile, cuts into the heart of the comparatively urban Jackson, Missouri, crossing the intersection of Highway 25 and highway 71 diagonally and entering the St. Louis Iron Mountain Railroad Company yard.
::CAUTION::
This Railroad is semi-active. A real live actual train runs on these tracks on Saturdays from April through December. The train may also run on other days during these months at irregular times when it is charted for a private event.
The train moves very slowly, reaching a maximum speed of six miles per hour and it is very loud. If you are paying attention you will have no problem hearing and seeing the train coming and getting off the track and out of the way.
If that still seems too dangerous to you, keep in mind that the train does not run at all from January through March and you would be able to get these caches during those months without worry about the train coming down the track.
As with anything else, your activities are at your own best judgement. If this kind of caching causes you concern, I want to urge you to seek other caches. There are lots of them out there.
About The Reuben Wells
The Reuben Wells was made specifically for Madison Hill, Indiana, a 2-mile (3.2 km) long stretch of track that is known for having the steepest regular incline in the United States. The Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad tried many different methods to get train cars up the hill. The couplers used to connect the train cars were not strong enough to withstand being pulled up the hill, making it necessary for the cars to be pushed.Initially a team of horses was used to pull the train cars up the hill. Following this, a cogwheel system was in use for about twenty years. The Reuben Wells was the first steam engine to work the grade by adhesion alone, pushing the cars up the hill as well as supporting them on the descent.
After the Reuben Wells was completed in the railroad shops in 1868, it pushed train cars up Madison Hill for thirty years before it was retired in 1898. It stayed in reserve for another seven years before it was retired permanently and sent to Purdue University in 1905.