The Omaha and Republican Valley Railway was a branch line of the

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pac ...

that crossed

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

. Traversing several counties, including Buffalo County, the Railway was the impetus for several settlements, and upon its demise, several

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...

s. The Railway ran from Boelus to South Ravenna, to Poole and on to

Pleasanton, Nebraska Pleasanton is a village in Buffalo County in the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. At the 2010 census, its population was 341. Pleasanton was platted in 1890 when the Union Pacific railroad was extended to that point. It got it ...

.Howell, A.S. (1981
"Sartoria, a little ghost town"
, ''Buffalo Tales''. Buffalo County Historical Society. Retrieved 8/22/07.

About

In 1880, the Omaha and Republican Valley Railway Company was consolidated with the Omaha, Niobrara and Black Hills Railroad Company, and in 1886 was consolidated again with the Blue Valley Railroad. Trains started traveling along the Omaha and Republican Valley Railroad in 1890, with Pleasanton as the

terminus Terminus may refer to: * Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end destination * Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination Geography *Terminus, the unofficial original name of Atlanta, Georgia, United ...

. The Pleasanton townsite was surveyed and platted in 1890, and grew quickly. Situated on the South Loup River, Pleasanton was plagued by floods. The flood of 1947 washed away the railroad tracks, and the line was officially abandoned in 1948. One ghost town was called Sartoria, which was built with the expectation of being the terminus of the railroad. The tracks never got that far. It was seven miles beyond Pleasanton. Another ghost town along the tracks was Watertown, where the steam locomotives would load up with water. Watertown had a post office, established in 1890, and a schoolhouse, formed in 1886. By the 1930s Watertown began to decline."Miller resident fighting to clean up cemetery"
''Nebraska State Genealogical Society Journals''. Retrieved 8/22/07.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Omaha Republican Valley Railway Defunct Nebraska railroads Predecessors of the Union Pacific Railroad Railway companies established in 1887 Railway companies disestablished in 1898 Defunct Kansas railroads