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Electric Traction: Iowa's Unique Transport System
Electric traction has been part of Iowa transportation history. In the past, street railway systems were built in Sioux City, Waterloo, Des Moines, Marshalltown, and other towns and cities in the state. Also known as Hawkeye State, Iowa also had a non-continuous interurban system--- many parts of which were continued to be used until 1954 long after core systems located in Ohio and Indiana disappeared.
Today, traction continues to exist in various locales in Iowa. In fact, the state runs the last electric freight railroad in the country. Using old Baldwin-Westinghouse motors, Iowa Traction had its base in Mason City. The line began operating in 1897, carrying passengers and freights across Mason City and Lake Railway. However, in 1936, it stopped its passenger operations.
Iowa Traction uses four locomotives. Built between 1917 and 1923, the Baldwin-Westinghouse locomotives does freight transport for a soy-bean processing company and a metal-scrap company among others.
Other than its freight motors or steeple cabs, Iowa Traction also has an interurban coach and box motor used for charters.
Another traction line is the Boon & Scenic Valley, which runs a 12-mile interurban railroad. Covering Des Moines, Fort Dodge, and Southern, the interurban railway began as a steam road in 1893. It was only in 1907 that the railroad used electricity to run its cabs. Though it originally transported passenger and freight, passenger operations stopped in 1954. In 1954, the railroad was acquired by Chicago & Northwestern, and the line converted to diesel use. In 1989, Boone & Scenic Valley purchased the line. A Chinese train locomotive (for recreational purposes), coaches, trolleys, and freight cars continue to operate on scheduled basis. About 1 mile of the railroad was re-structured as an electric route. Meanwhile, steam- and diesel-powered trains run on weekends during summer through October.
In Ida Grove, Iowa, Gomaco Trolley Company works primarily in the building and production of heavy road-building equipment. In 1989, Gomaco began producing trolleys. The first two trolleys built by the company were replicas of open trolleys used in New England during the 1900s; the replicas were built for the Lowell National Historic Site in Lowell, Massachusetts. In 2000, Gomaco began producing steel car replicas for Memphis, Little Rock, Tampa, Charlotte, and other cities. Parts used for building of cars were from sources as far as Italy and Melbourne, Australia.
The Fenelon Place Elevator in Dubuque, Iowa is a 296 degree funicular railway. The railway runs from 4th Street to Fenelon Place, and is used for transporting passengers. Traveling down the railway, one is afforded a sweeping view of the Mississippi River and the historic downtown Dubuque. Fenelon Place Elevator started its operation in 1882, but originally ran a steam-powered car. However, two disastrous fires burned some parts of the railway. It was rebuilt in 1894 as a funicular line, but the cars were rebuilt only in 1977. Today, Fenelon Place Elevator opens for passenger use from the 1st of April through the 30th of November only. Roundtrip fare costs $2, while one-way ticket is a dollar only.
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