Scott,

 I thought about your project a few weeks ago. On July 6, someone on the
Facebook  group — Ancestry.com Users Group — posted a message that she had
just “saved” 4 pallets of railroad records from the Midwest early 1800s to
mid 1900s — tax records, employment records, and a ton more info. A screen
capture of her post and the pallets of railroad records is attached in the
event you are on Facebook and want to reach out to her to pursue further
research on the rail lines. If the attachment does not come through, email
me directly for a copy.

Barb