News:

• Eastern Iowa rail activity link

• The 2012 Annual CNWHS convention at Norfolk, NE. May 17-20

• The end of the line for the old CGW shops in Oelwien 1/30/12

• Train Shows for 2012 by John Fisher 1/25/12 and convention information

• The former C&NW/IC diamond, near 2nd Avenue and 13th Street in Council Bluffs, removed 1/12/2012.

• Iowa Division Meet March 17th 2012 at Marshalltown

• Two trips on the old C&NW with the NRHS, June 18-24, 2012.

In the First 2012 Issue of North Western Lines...

Editor's Notes:
Features
10 Mileposts Along the Cowboy Line — by Rick Mills
20 High Hopes on the Elkhorn: The Railroad Era in West Point, Nebraska
— by Joseph P. Schwieterman
26 A Day on the Winner Line — by George LaPray
38 A Cattle Rancher and Railroader — by Sheryl Schmeckpeper
42 Nebraska Photo Special — Cowboy Line Country
46 The Strange Disappearance of Milepost 78 — Manitowoc, Wisconsin
— by Truman Koehn
56 C&NW 50-Foot Woodchip Boxcars of the 1990s — by Dave Phillips