What child lucky enough to have lived in the era was not struck by the awesome size, power and mystery of a steam locomotive going to distant locations? Although the locations for the Midland were not so distant, given the time and the exuberance of the country, the Iowa Midland was a significant force in the "growing up" of a small section of eastern Iowa. To the uninitiated who wonder how trains happened to go through so many towns to the railroad aficionados who realize that the towns actually grew around the railroads, the story of railroads and their impact on America at this dynamic...