AFTER THE WAR

After the war many of the troops came home on the train. The railroad had been a major player in the war effort. A great amount of war material, equipment and manpower was moved by rail through the war years. 

The M & St. L held the record for having been in the hands of it’s receivers for the longest time of any railroad in history, but by the mid 1950’s the railroad moved to the front of the line with all new rails, diesel locomotives, and rolling stock. 

The automobile was becoming the mode of transportation. The passenger train service soon began to dwindle. Fewer and fewer passengers used the train especially for the short trips. They had an automobile, so why bother with the train schedule. They could now go to Eldora whenever they wanted and come home on their own schedule. 

The modern semi was also on the horizon and the railroad’s future was in the balance.