Executive Order, November 15, 1921

Mobilization of the 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry, Iowa National Guard, and orders to proceed to Ottumwa, Iowa.

2009 Iowa’s Rail System Background Prepared by the Office of Systems Planning December 2010

Iowa’s Rail Environment Iowa’s rail transportation system provides both freight and passenger service. Rail serves a variety of trips, including those within Iowa and those to other states as well as to foreign markets. While rail competes with other modes, it also cooperates with those modes to provide intermodal services to Iowans. In 2009 Iowa’s rail transportation system could be described as follows: Freight Iowa’s 130,000-mile freight transportation system includes an extensive railroad network, a well-developed highway system, two bordering navigable waterways, and a pipeline network as well as air cargo facilities. While rail accounts for only 3 percent of the freight network, it carries 43 percent of Iowa’s freight tonnage. A great variety of commodities ranging from fresh fish to textiles to optical products are moved by rail. However, most of the Iowa rail shipments consist of bulk commodities, including grain, grain products, coal, ethanol, and fertilizers. The railroad network performs an important role in moving bulk commodities produced and consumed in the state to local processors, livestock feeders, river terminals and ports for foreign export. The railroad’s ability to haul large volumes, long distances at low costs will continue to be a major factor in moving freight and improving the economy of Iowa. Key 2008 Facts • 3,945 miles of track • 18 railroads • 49.5 million tons shipped • 39.7 million tons received • 2 Amtrak routes • 6 Amtrak stations • 66,286 rail passenger rides Key Rail Trends • slightly fewer miles being operated; • railroads serving Iowa has remained the same; • more rail freight traffic; • more tons hauled per car; • higher average rail rates per ton-mile since 2002; • more car and tons hauled per locomotive; and • more ton miles per gallon of fuel consumed. Iowa’s rail system and service has been evolving over time relative to its size, financial conditions, and competition from other modes.

Video Inspection of Highway Edgedrain Systems, HR-317, 1998

Minimizing infiltration of water in pavement structures has long been a priority of pavement designers. Incorporation of subsurface edgedrains is frequently an integral part of an pavement drainage system. In order for such a system to be effective however, it must be properly installed and maintained. With advances in video technology, inspection of edgedrain systems can now be conducted quite efficiently. This report documents the results of 287 video inspections of highway edgedrain systems in 29 states. These inspections were conducted to both demonstrate the capabilities of the technology as well as demonstrating some of the common problems associated with the performance of edgedrain systems. Findings indicated not only that the equipment was quite effective in identifying edgedrain performance concerns, but also how widespread the concerns of edgedrain performance are. Almost one third of the systems inspected had nonfunctional outlets, another third were either found to have non-functional mainlines or the mainlines could not be inspected due to physical obstructions. Only one third of the systems inspected were found to be performing as intended. Recommendations are provided for edgedrain design improvements to facilitate performance of the system and their inspections as well as recommendations to improve quality control during construction. Suggestions are also provided for maintenance procedures to address concerns identified in the inspection process. A Draft Guide Specification For Video Edgedrain Inspection and Acceptance is also provided as an Appendix.

Demonstration Project 85, Video Imagery Systems for Highway Applications, HR-1047, 1990

The report describes the state of the art video equipment used and experiences gained from the 6,800 mile field test. The first objective of this project was to determine if laser disc equipment could capture and store usable roadway images while operating in a mobile environment. The second objective was to evaluate methods of using optical disc storage and retrieval features to enhance highway planning and design function. Several highway departments have attempted to use video technology to replace the traditional 16 and 35 mm film format used in photologging. These attempts have met with limited success because of the distortion caused by video technology not being capable of dealing with highway speeds. The distortion has caused many highway signs to be unreadable and, therefore, clients have labeled the technology unusable. Two methods of using optical laser disc storage and retrieval have been successfully demonstrated by Wisconsin and Connecticut Departments of Transportation. Each method provides instantaneous retrieval and linking of images with other information. However, both methods gather the images using 35 mm film techniques. The 35 mm film image is then transferred to laser disc. Eliminating the film conversion to laser disc has potential for saving $4 to $5 per logging mile. In addition to a cost savings, the image would be available immediately as opposed to delays caused by film developing and transferring to laser disc. In June and November of 1986 Iowa DOT staff and cooperating equipment suppliers demonstrated the concept of direct image capture. The results from these tests were promising and an FHWA Demonstration program established. Since 1986 technology advancements have been incorporated into the design that further improve the image quality originally demonstrated.