13 August 2025: Riding the Rails from Denver to Chicago – Part 2

Story and photos by Will Mahoney 

I awoke around 6:20AM as it was getting light.  The lush agricultural land and scattered woodlands passing my window reminded me that I was now far from Colorado.  I checked Google Maps on my phone and saw that the little blue dot marking our progress was now nearing Gretna in eastern Nebraska. 

Downtown Omaha in the early morning light viewed from the Amtrak station.

 

At 7:00, we made a brief stop in Omaha.  Instead of immediately heading east across the Missouri River and into Iowa, the train headed south 20 miles to Plattsmouth, Nebraska where it finally crossed the Missouri.

 

South of Omaha, the Zephyr crossed the Platte River just above its confluence with the Missouri. 

 The logical route for Amtrak across Iowa from Omaha would cross the center of the state, serving Des Moines (the state capital, population 215,000), Iowa City (76,000, home of the University of Iowa), and the Quad Cities (Including Davenport, IA), a metropolitan area of 475,000 along the Mississippi River.  Instead, our California Zephyr crossed sparsely populated southern Iowa stopping in five towns ranging in size from 5,600 to 26,000.   Why?

Don’t blame Amtrak for poor routing decisions.  This ridiculous situation has its origins in the years following World War II when the U.S. government poured billions into the Interstate Highway system and subsidized expansion of airports to handle passenger jet traffic.  Not that these were bad decisions, but at the same time, the Federal government provided no aid to railroads which were struggling to maintain their systems in the face of increased competition from trucks and passenger jet service.  As a result the Rock Island Railroad, which connected Omaha with Chicago via Des Moines and the Quad Cities was unable to modernize the line, wound up in bankruptcy, and was abandoned in 1980.  Four years later, its tracks were taken over by a Pennsylvania corporation which formed the Iowa Interstate Railroad.  The company is finally turning a profit from hauling agricultural commodities and ethanol. Their line would need extensive and expensive upgrades, including double-tracking single-track segments and straightening sharp curves, in order to handle 80 mph passenger trains.  Apparently, reactionary Iowa politicians and a majority of their constituents have little interest in such a project.  However, the more progressive Illinois government is pushing for a new high-speed Amtrak line between the Quad Cities and Chicago.

After watching the scenery along the Missouri River valley, it was time for breakfast.  This time I was seated across from two friendly, engaging women from Iowa City, Michelle (a hospital clinic administrator) and her friend, Dee, a retired nurse.  In a couple hours, they would be getting off at the station in Mount Pleasant, Iowa (50 minutes south of Iowa City) after a short vacation trip to Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

Dining car on the California Zephyr.  Note the men wearing suspenders and the women with white bonnets seated on the right.  I later found out that they are Amish.

 

Their train had been delayed for several hours on the way to Colorado because of a downed power line across the tracks.  The line went down during a big storm.  As a result, they were on the train for an extra day which cut into their time in Glenwood Springs.  Michelle said she would not take Amtrak again (well, maybe for a short trip).  It wasn’t only the delay.  She and Dee were sharing a roomette – the same size as mine.  I wasn’t surprised to learn that they felt very cramped. Furthermore, the dining car staff on train to Colorado were rude, bordering on hostile.  By comparison, we agreed that the staff on this train was pleasant.   

The observation car (located between the first class and coach sections of the 13-car train) provided nice views of the countryside and was a popular hangout for passengers.

 

Back in my roomette, I watched farm fields zoom by.  Corn, corn, and more corn with a few other crops mixed in like soybeans.  In Iowa, 50% of corn is grown for livestock feed, 40% for ethanol production, and only about 5% for human consumption.  Don’t get me started on the wastefulness of animal agriculture and the inefficiency of ethanol.  I was surprised that we also passed through the Stevens State Forest.  Who would have thunk forests in Iowa?  But, at only 14,000 acres, it’s the largest one in the state.  

View from the back of the train of Iowa’s Stevens State Forest

My dining companions for lunch were a middle-aged couple and a single guy in his 70s.  This older guy did a majority of the talking and I found him relatively boring and self-centered.  I was glad to get back to my roomette.   

The double-track line through Iowa and Illinois enabled the Zephyr to avoid stops to wait for freight trains and make good progress across the state.  However, we didn’t make up any time and were nearly three hours behind schedule.  By the time we crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois, I realized that I better call the Sixt car rental agency in Chicago to tell them I would be late.  Their office was within walking distance of Union Station. I was supposed to pick up a car there at about 3:00-3:30 PM (the train was originally scheduled to arrive in Chicago at 2:39 PM). 

I managed to get through to the Sixt office and now I got the bad news:  they would be closing at 5:00 PM.  Yes, I had stupidly neglected to check their closing time when I made the reservation.  Other agencies in the downtown area stayed open until 6:00 but had no cars available at the last minute.  Thankfully, my nephew, Liam, picked me up at the station after the train got in around 5:30.  I finally got a rental car the next morning but it was a giant hassle.  I needed a car because the convention center where the 4-day stamp show was being held was way out in the western suburbs with no public transport available.  I was staying with Liam in the northwestern part of the city 45+ minutes from the convention center depending on traffic.    

By Monday, the show was over, and I was eager to return home.  In my next post, I’ll report on a different train experience returning to Denver in coach class. 

 Story and photos copyright 2025 by Will Mahoney.  All rights reserved.