Now I offer photos, slides, magazines, railroadiana, etc.  You can find it at Ebay as  trinitydon .

When thinking of the Union Pacific we don't think of interurbans, but one of the components (now quite small) is the Ft Dodge Des Moines & Southern. The C&NW purchased the road on July 29, 1968, and gradually absorbed it over the following years. And now the C&NW is being rapidly absorbed by the UP.

The first car we show has the shortest history on the line. Business car 7 was purchased from Pullman in 1954 where it had been named "Mt. Foraker". It replaced a previous business car 7 which had come from the Wichita Falls & Southern, and which was scrapped in 1954.

The FDDM&S was called one of the "Steam Road Trolleys" since it was built to a high standard, partly to it's having a steam road background. Deluxe service was provided by a few parlor cars. Here is the 34. It was acquired in 1912 and looks to have been built to the same profile as the other Niles built cars. It was later converted to a work car.

Car 50 was built by McGuire-Cummings in 1908 as locomotive 100. In 1911 it was rebuilt as a center entrance branch line car as shown. In 1927 it was sold to the St. Francois County RR, where it retained its number 50. The line was abandoned in 1957 after it had been dieselized for several years.

Another branch line car was the 54 which was built by McGuire-Cummings in 1916. It followed the 50 to the St. Francois County RR in 1932 and retained its number 54. I only have a photo in Missouri.

Second car 62 was unique. It replaced an old steam road coach when it was built by American Car Co of St. Louis in 1916 on order 1056. It was steel up to the window sills and apparently was built with an arch roof. In 1956 it was retired and scrapped when the passenger service was terminated.

Cars 64 thru 82 (even numbers only) were built by Niles in 1907 on order 278.

The disposition of car 64 is unknown.

Car 66 was rebuilt with an arch roof in the later 1930's and was retired and scrapped in 1956 when the service was terminated.

Car 68 was destroyed in 1918.

Car 70 did not make it past 1920.

Car 72 was rebuilt with the arch roof in the 1930's and was retired in 1956. It was preserved at the Fraser Power House, but unfortunately it burned in 1968.

Car 74 also was rebuilt in the 1930s and retired and scrapped in 1956.

Car 76 was disposed unknown.

Car 78 was disposed unknown.

Car 82 followed the same history as the others. It was retired and scrapped in 1956.

I am really glad I had the chance to ride this line twice. The first time was in September, 1950, when I used my Milwaukee Road pass to ride to Des Moines where I had a chance to ride to Fort Dodge and return. In September, 1954, several of us loaded into my recently acquired 1949 Packard for a high speed run to Boone to ride an Iowa NRHS special. If you never got to ride wooden interurban cars in regular service, you cannot appreciate what this sort of this was like. I see the frequent discussions on trolley talk lists, and the main interest is LRVs and the like. They never were able to experience this amazing style of transportation.

AMDG

11/24/2009

Memorial of Sts. Crescentian, Cyriacus, Largus, and Smaragdus, of Rome

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