Iowa Traction Railway
The Iowa Traction Railroad ( IATR ) is an American Short Line Railroad Company in Mason City (Iowa). The company operates a 21- km stretch with four electric locomotives. This is electrified with an overhead line with 600 V DC. The company was founded in 1987 to take over the Mason City Division of the Iowa Terminal Railroad. Goods in transit are mainly food, chemicals and waste. Compounds, the Company and the Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad.
History
In 1896, the Mason City & Clear Lake Railway was established to connect the city with the settlement at Clear Lake. From the beginning of the track was planned as an electric train and not as Interurban ( interurban tram ). The track came in 1913 to the United Light & Railroad Company. 1937, the passenger has been replaced by a bus service. On December 28, 1950, the acquisition of the railway and the bus from the bankrupt that company through a newly formed Mason City & Clear Lake Railroad ( MC & CL ) was carried out. In the 1950s the volume of traffic fell and it was not possible to retract more profit. In 1959, the bus was abandoned and a year later the railway line was for sale. On December 16, 1960, the Detroit businessman Harold C. Boyer, the Iowa Terminal Railroad and took over on July 1, 1961, the MC & CL.
By 1963, Boyer earned 2/3 of the shareholding of the Charles City Western Railway (CCW), an adjacent electrified interurban line from Colwell about Charles City to Marble rock. 1963/1964 took place then the complete takeover of that company. From this point, the two operations as a Mason City and Charles City Division Division were called. Between them there was an exchange of personnel, machinery and vehicles, if that became necessary. In May 1963, the facilities at Clear Lake was abandoned and in 1966 the operation was abandoned by Clear Lake, so that the track ended on the outskirts, to serve the local businesses. At the same time you started working on plans to connect the two networks by a distance between Mason City and Oakwood. With the death of Harold Boyer on May 24, 1965, these plans come to a halt.
By fire on 23 November 1967 at the Carriage House of the Mason City Division in Emery and a tornado on May 15, 1968 in Charles City it comes to far-reaching changes in the operation. Since a reconstruction of the destroyed catenary on the CCW was uneconomical, the remaining lines are broken down and converted the vehicles to Mason City, where they replace those destroyed by the fire hall car park. In Charles City, operation with smaller diesel locomotives remains. Towards the end of the 1960s, losses are retracted again. It was not until the establishment of new businesses in Emery early 1970s again make a profitable operation during the next 10 years is possible. When Charles City Division, the company was set to route between Charles City West and Marble rock due to the bad condition as well as the few customers in 1972. The distance between Monahans and Colwell had been abandoned in 1965. As one of the main customers in Charles City, a tractor factory, the production had to stop of bankruptcy and also other companies reduced their production, this had an impact on business operations. However, it always managed to make the operation economically also due to the deregulation in the railway sector. In early 1986, decided the previous owner, to sell the company.
The remaining sections of the Charles City Division were acquired by the Cedar River Railroad and operated for a time as an industrial port.
The Mason City Division was acquired by the local David Johnson with the help of local investors and continue to operate as Iowa Traction Railroad.
Rolling stock
The vehicles used today were originally built for other railroads built by Baldwin -Westinghouse, and after they had given up the electrical equipment, acquired from the Iowa Terminal.
The vehicles with the numbers 50 and 51 were built in 1920/1921. They were until the mid- 1950s at the Cedar Rapids & Iowa City Railway in use and then at the Kansas City, Kaw Valley & Western Railway. In 1963 she was purchased by the Iowa Terminal Railroad.
The locomotive number 54 was from 1923 to 1968 at the Southern Iowa Railway in use and then came to Iowa terminal.
Locomotive number 60 was built in 1917 for the Youngstown & Ohio River Railroad, came in 1932 with the Union Electric Railway and 1948 for Mason City & Clear Lake Railway.
For fleet also includes the railcar No. 727, which was originally built for the Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad. It is used today for occasional tourists rides.