August 30, 2007 Being an avid railfan I have spent lots of time planning trips to seek out new railroads and photo locations. Mason City, Iowa had been a trip I planned way back in the fall of 2006. I ended up placing the maps, locations, and roster information I had gathered about several railroads in Iowa on the shelf of "to do" items. I never found the time to take the trip.
Fast forward to August, 2007. Having spent the summer taking runs around Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Nebraska, my stack on the shelf kept getting smaller and smaller. I had finally reached the folder marked "Iowa," and blew off the dust. Looking over the agenda from a year ago I figured it was now or never and set my sights on Mason City. My intent was to document the Iowa Traction Railroad (IATR), as well as any other things I might find.
With the car loaded for the latest adventure, I departed south towards Iowa. Traveling south along I-35, there is not much to see relating to rail, so the ride was pretty smooth - unlike past adventures where I'm trying to keep an eye one the road and the other looking through the trees for ditch lights. It is also a nice change to listen to the car radio, instead of the scanner. It's kinda soothing if you ask me.
Arriving early enough to see the sun peeking above the horizon, I turned off the freeway and headed east. Getting back into train mode, I switched off the car's radio and flipped on the scanner. After several minutes of dead air the scanner chirped with sounds of the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern's Sioux Falls dispatcher. He was calling out to a train at Emery. Unsure where this location was I reverted back to my well rehearsed performance of one eye on the road/one eye looking for trains.
About two miles west of Mason City I spotted a grade crossing just off the road. Making a hard right turn, a manuever I learned from Xrayguy, I was on top of the tracks in no time. Pulling up to the crossing, there she was, in all of her early morning glory - a mixed freight. It was lead by a three-by-three consist of Iowa, Chicago & Eastern and DM&E SD40-2s. Pulling over to get in position for the first train of the day, the engineer signaled he was ready to depart with a quick blast of the horn. With the ground shaking below and exhaust blowing above, the six units eased their way passed my lens and slowly faded into the sunrise.
With my feet wet from the early morning dew, I climbed back into the car and continued on in search of the Iowa Traction Railroad, whose roundhouse was just down the road. Pulling into an idustrial area surrounding the IATR's facility, I was happy to find one of their Baldwin-Westinghouse electric locomotives. IATR #60 was sitting quietly with the sun glinting off of its clean paint job. I was more than happy with my find. Thinking the other units were most likely inside of the roundhouse, I was a little disappointed with the thought that I would not get the chance to see them.
Before leaving the yard, I made a quick stop to grab a shot of their only diesel-powered piece of equipment, a rebuilt Milwaukee tender now used as the main power for the plow train. Feeling a "win" for catching these two units, I was still saddened that I would not see any more of their power. I headed out in search of the Union Pacific and IC&E yards on the other side of town.
Passing through town, the IATR's tracks followed the road. As I drove, I kept an eye out for any industrial units as I passed several elevators and industrial areas. Cresting a hill I spotted a hint of orange to my right. Slowing the car, the orange I saw was not some sort of unknown industrial power but was, in fact, another of the IATR's Baldwin units. This time it was the IATR 50 sitting alone on a spur track. As I turned to leave, my eye was drawn across the street. Yet another orange IATR unit sitting with a short string of hoppers next to a feed and seed. Playing Frogger with the traffic, I navigated my way across four lanes onto a small hill in order to get shots of the IATR 54.
After taking this last picture I started to notice a pattern with all of the units: they are clean, well maintained, and more than happy to have their pictures taken. Checking over my trip documents, I had three units down with only one to go. The next objective in my new and improved hunt was the IATR 51. Now I was on a mission to cover every last inch of the IATR's tracks.
Driving back roads and into parking lots, I searched high-and-low for the last remaining unit. After several dead-ends, my mind began seeing the IATR 51 around every corner only to find out it was a boxcar or a hopper. Finding myself at a junction where overhead power lines that serve as the lifeline for the IATR end and the diesel power of the IC&E take control, I finally had found what I was looking for: the IATR 51. To my surprise it was coupled up with an IATR caboose. The pair were holding the main as if on sentry duty - charged with keeping the diesels on their side of the switch.
I paid my respect to these soldiers of the rails and rewarded myself by fulfilling my oath. I had pledged to document their existence for all to see, in the event should the day come when the Iowa Traction Railroad ceases to run on this unique and seldom seen line of American railroad history.
Although this trip did not produce the type of excitement normally found on one of my adventures, that was not the goal of this trip. The goal was to stop time and save a piece of fading history.