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<p>In 1871, the Des Moines, Indianola & Missouri Railroad (DMI&M) constructed a 21 miles of new railroad, extending from Des Moines, Iowa, through Carlisle, Iowa, to Indianola, Iowa. The following year, the Des Moines, Winterset & South Western Railroad (DMW&SW) constructed an additional 26 miles of railroad, extending from Summerset, Iowa to Winterset, Iowa. In 1876, the DMI&M was foreclosed and sold to the Iowa Southern & Missouri Northern Railroad (IS&MN); and the DMW&SW had the same fate in 1879. The IS&MN became part of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway (Rock Island) in 1880. In 1890, the Rock Island constructed an additional 12 miles of new railroad, extending from Winterset to the existing Rock Island mainline east of Earlham, Iowa. The Rock Island was a large railroad, which had constructed and acquired a large railroad network throughout the central United States. This line served as a branch line for the Rock Island, connecting to the existing mainline both at Des Moines and near Earlham. In 1913, the Des Moines to Carlisle section became more important, as it formed a portion of the new St. Paul & Kansas City Short Line Railroad, a Rock Island subsidiary.</p><p>The Rock Island struggled financially throughout much of its history, experiencing repeated bankruptcies and chronic instability. After World War II, the Rock Island struggled to survive, proposing mergers and deferring maintenance on their routes. The railroad reorganized as the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad in 1948. The section between Summerset and Winterset was abandoned in 1958, severing the line into two separate branch lines. By the mid-1970s, the railroad was in serious decline. The railroad secured loans to eliminate slow orders, acquired new equipment, and attempted to restore profitability. Several sections of this line had fallen into serious disrepair, hampering the Rock Islands ability to maintain efficient operations. In 1978, the railroad came close to profit, but creditors were lobbying for a complete shutdown of the Rock Island. During the fall of 1979, a strike crippled the railroad, and by January of 1980, the entire system was ordered to be shut down and liquidated. Many of the lines and equipment were scrapped. Profitable sections of railroad were prepared for sale. The segment between Earlham and Winterset was abandoned as part of the shut down.</p><p>In 1981, the Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW) purchased the St. Paul-Kansas City "Spine Line", as well as the remaining branch to Indianola. Minor repairs were made to the deteriorated Indianola Branch, but the line never returned to profitability. In 1995, the C&NW was purchased by Union Pacific Railroad (UP). In 1998, the Carlisle to Indianola segment of the line was abandoned, and sold for trail use. Today, UP operates the Des Moines to Carlisle segment of this line as part of the Trenton Subdivision. The Carlisle to Indianola segment has been reused as part of the Summerset Trail, while the remainder of the line has been reverted to adjacent property owners.</p>
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