Woolworth Symbol Still Visible Despite a Tornado Strike

Last July 2018, an EF3 tornado ripped through Marshalltown, Iowa's Main Street. Despite causing unprecedented damage along the path, there were no casualties. At the former Woolworth building on Main Street there was considerable damage to the structure but the storm didn't knock it out. In the entry way, just off the sidewalk, the Woolworth symbol composed in a tile mosaic is still quit visible.

Iowa Flag Still Flies Despite F3 Tornado in Marshalltown

Marshall County's Iowa flag flies above the courthouse square two days after the July 19th tornado. I don't know whether it survived the F3 winds or replaced the one that flew during the storm. One Marshalltown resident told me that the flag was still flying right after the tornado went through downtown.

Factory Damage to Lennox International in Marshalltown, Iowa 7-19-2018

On Thursday, July 19, 2018, a F3 tornado damaged much of downtown Marshalltown, Iowa including the Lennox International factory. This clip shows the north side of the factory along East Main Street traveling west.

Lennox International Factory Damage from a F3 Tornado 7-19-2018

On Thursday afternoon July 19th, a F3 tornado struck Lennox International, severely damaging the Marshalltown, Iowa factory. This clip shows the office portion of the factory on the west side of the property. I'm told these offices were constructed in the 1920s and in later decades. You can see the damage to the offices as well as some of the factory collapse.

As of July 30th Lennox has pledged to rebuild the factory and donate $500,000 to the city of Marshalltown for cleanup and restoration efforts.

F3 Tornado Damage to Lennox International in Marshalltown, Iowa 7-19-2018

Aftermath of the F3 tornado damage to the Lennox International factory in Marshalltown, Iowa. The tornado struck on Thursday afternoon, July 19. This footage was shot two days later on Saturday, July 21, 2018. 

The clip shows the far eastern portion of the factory and the small brick house across the street. As of July 30th, Lennox has pledged to re-build the factory and has offered $500,000 to the general Marshalltown cleanup effort.

Marshalltown Iowa Post Tornado Recovery

On Thursday, July 19th a F3 tornado ripped downtown Marshalltown, Iowa. Fortunately there were no deaths or serious injuries associated with the tornado but property damage was extensive including this 1880-era courthouse. It will take months and years before normalcy returns to the town of 26,000.

I took several photos of the devastation and posted them on Facebook. I will post several here.

Dad and Son Hit the Links at Iowa Veteran's Home

On top of the hill at Marshalltown's Iowa Veterans Home is a huge lawn decorated with war monuments, mature shade trees and war relics.  A new IVH resident of just 20 days was out swinging the clubs at a few golf balls aimed at a nearby "hole."  The new resident's son and staff caretaker accompanied him for the short outing.

This gentleman, a U.S. Navy veteran is also an accomplished golfer.  He hails from Eldon, Iowa, home of the house that served as the backdrop in the "American Gothic" painting  by Grant Wood.  Both the son and the golfer worked for the railroad (several companies) throughout the years. 

The golf "hole" at the top of the hill was the 70mm French artillery piece.  Our senior golfer came close a few times to the target - most likely on purpose.

Even the IVH caretaker gave golf a try. After listening to some quick advice she launched a few Titleists towards the French cannon.  Remember to keep your head down and slow down your backswing.  She did just fine for her first time out.

Eastbound Union Pacific Lines in Central Iowa

The main East - West lines for the Union Pacific railroad runs right through Iowa. Along these tracks have been many, many tons of coal, new automobiles and even the two 200 inch blanks for the Mount Palomar Hale telescope direct from the Corning Glass Works in Corning, New York. Yes, two blanks. The first one delivered developed a crack in the lens and needed to be replaced. It is or was on display at Corning's museum.

Iowa Forgets Not the Defenders of the Union

 

Two granite monuments at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown, Iowa. The facility was formerly the Iowa Soldier's Home.

 

Dedicated to the Lives Affected by Vietnam

 

Just past the main gates to the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown, Iowa and about halfway up the hill to the right is a granite display showing the names of the those service members who died during the Vietnam War. Of the two murals etched in polished black granite is this Vietnam combat evacuation scene. Grundy, Marshall, Tama and Harden counties (all central Iowa counties) from the Marshalltown area list their war dead on light colored granite aside this large laser drawing.

 

Marshalltown's Darwin Lee Judge (USMC) is listed at this memorial. He was one of the last US soldiers to die during that conflict. He died in a rocket attack on April 29, 1975. He was a 1974 graduate of Marshalltown High School. Lance Corporal Judge is buried at Rose Hill Cemetery in Marshalltown. All three television networks at the time came to Marshalltown to air the story and his memorial service conducted at the Marshalltown High School gym forty years ago last month.

Just Ahead of Memorial Day 2015 at the Iowa Veterans Home

A recent visit to the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown, Iowa provides a chance to see the gravesites of the men and women who have served this country through times of peace and at war. Whether they be from Iowa or elsewhere, their remains are buried at this cemetery in roughly chronological order. Some veteran's spouses are buried next to the service person rather than in time line fashion.

Just in this one image can you see the gravesites of veterans from the Indian Wars, Spanish American War, and World War I. I wonder what their life stories are all about? Other parts of the cemetery just yards away contain Civil War era veterans. Modern day veterans connected to Iowa are buried just over the hill from this location. As with many final resting places throughout the country the markers are decorated with small US flags for Memorial Day - in this case a week after I was there.

Long Line of Union Pacific Locomotives

A peek through Marshalltown, Iowa's Center Street viaduct fence reveals a very long line of Union Pacific locomotives. For years locomotives have been maintained in this yard - even before the Lincoln Highway passed through. And for years residents have been waiting for trains to pass at railroad crossings throughout the city. In the mid-1990s the city rerouted some streets to utilize a new bridge across these tracks. Last year an abandoned line which entered the city from the northwest was removed and a bike trail may take its place. This stretch of linked locomotives may be a way to transport the engines to their next destination but I don't know for sure. Hopefully a knowledgeable reader can explain what this train chain is all about.

Memorial's Decoration Day - Iowa Veterans Home

Observance of Memorial Day began as Decoration Day in the South following the Civil War. Today this granite statue of that conflict stands in series of tributes to the Spanish American War and World War I at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown, Iowa. To all who served, thank you.

A Look at Memorial Day 2011 in Iowa

Every veteran's grave site is marked with a flag at the Iowa Veteran's Home Cemetery in Marshalltown, Iowa on Memorial Day 2011.

American flags fly on display in the stiff wind at the National Cemetery near Vining, Iowa. Know that.

Sand Tower at Marshalltown Yard

From my last post you know that I recently photographed the century old rail yard in Marshalltown, Iowa. What I didn't know was the name of the tower or its purpose as seen on the left side of this photo. All you railroad (RR) old-timers can stop reading now because you already know the answer.

Turns out the structure is called a Sand Tower. Ok, so is that RR slang for a modern diesel fuel depot? Is it a hold out from the old days of coal and steam power? What is the connection between sand and anything to do with railroading? After an unfruitful search on the Internet I found a knowledgeable source and asked the questions.

Evan Werkema, a railroad expert and the web master for the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Subjects web site responded with this information about what a sand tower is and why it is named such:

"The name is quite literal - they are towers with a bin at the top containing fine, dry sand, along with hoses for dispensing the sand into sand bunkers on locomotives, and some means of getting sand deliveries up to the bin in the first place. Steel wheels on steel rails are a more fuel efficient way of moving goods compared to rubber tires on asphalt in part because there is less friction between the surfaces. The downside, of course, is that ordinary trains can only climb modest grades, and water or oil on the rail can cause locomotive wheels to slip and potentially make the train stall. To temporarily increase the friction and diminish wheelslip, locomotives are equipped with sanders that blow sand in front of or behind the wheels when the engineer or the locomotive computer system deems it necessary. Most diesel locomotives have sand bunkers at the front and rear that contain a quantity of fine, dry sand, and the bunkers are refilled as needed at sand towers located in locomotive servicing facilities. Some are just a single cylindrical bin atop a metal girder which can serve two locomotives at a time, while others are more complicated "sanding racks" with multiple bins and sets of hoses that can serve multiple locomotives, often in conjunction with ground-level fueling racks."

Evan says that Marshalltown's sand tower is the simple kind, with a cylindrical bin atop a pole, and a diagonal pipe leading over to an adjacent track. Consider yourself informed now. Know that.

Union Pacific Y705 at the Marshalltown Yard

A central fixture of Marshalltown, Iowa (a 42N city) is the huge marshalling yard with train maintenance shops located extremely close to the city's center. Who from the Marshall County seat has not gotten "trained" at one of the many RR crossings that divide the town north and south? The yard has been around for a long time and is still quite active in engine repair and maintenance. As a favorite spot for photographers there are two bridges that span the yard making for some potentially dramatic images of the trains below. One this day the Union Pacific Y705 locomotive's proximity to the Marshalltown water tower made the association between city and rail yard even more closer. Know that.