One-track mind

On the way home from Iowa, a train crossed overhead when we were on U.S. 36. BNSF engines, Burlington Northern Santa Fe. We spent a few miles remembering train lines that we have seen over the years.

A Netflix DVD was waiting for us when we got home. "The General's Daughter," a John Travolta-Madeleine Stowe movie based on the Nelson DeMille novel. It's about a murder on an Army base. No trains involved. Except the song at the closing credits, "Mighty Good Road." Threaded through it is "The Rock Island Line." You can hear a snatch of it here.

A mighty fine line. It went through the largest liquidation in history in 1980. The line was de-railed on March 23 of that year. IOUs for the merchandise, IOUs for the button hooks. It's different than it was.