Iron Mountain Railway

Jackson, MO | 10/04/25 — Iron Mountain Railway is proud to announce the donation of four vintage railroad freight cars from Patriot Rail. The rail cars, once a common sight on American freight trains, will be relocated to Missouri where they will be preserved as examples of 1950s era freight rail cars. Included in the donation is a 40ft flatcar, 3-bay open top hopper, pulpwood flatcar, and side dump gondola.

“We’re incredibly grateful to Patriot Rail for their commitment to preserving rail history,” said Grayden Mazur, a volunteer at Iron Mountain Railway. “These are all excellent examples of 1950s era freight cars. Their continued use in preservation will help further our mission to preserve and operate railroad history.”

While the donation itself is a tremendous gift, the cost of transporting the cars from their current location in Mississippi is substantial. This fundraiser has been launched to help cover the cost of relocating the cars. Every contribution, no matter the amount, will help offset the transportation expense. Donations can be made online at GoFundMe or by contacting Iron Mountain Railway directly.

Iron Mountain Railway volunteers arrived Saturday, May 31st, to discover that our beloved Western Village, "Iron Mountain Junction," was the target of a senseless act of vandalism.

Iron Mountain Junction has grown significantly over its 20-year history and has become a popular stop for passengers that ride our weekly rail excursions. Iron Mountain volunteers have a lot of blood, sweat, time, and money invested in the expansion and ongoing maintenance of this village. Last season saw the unveiling of our newly expanded jailhouse.

Hurt, upset, disappointed; these are all feelings that we've had over the past 24 hours as we work to clean up. The investigation has been turned over to the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office. We encourage anyone who may have additional information on who caused this damage to contact them.

Looking forward, we are eager to begin repairs as we have trains full of passengers to entertain this summer! We are launching this fundraising campaign for those who wish to help contribute towards the recovery cost (glass, lumber, hardware, etc.). Every building sustained some level of damage and we will end up having to replace 15+ windows, doors, chairs, etc. Any contribution is greatly appreciated and will go a long way to help us get our western ghost town back in shape!