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Iowa Traction Railway, Hiawatha Light Rail System and the Flight Home 6/5/2017

Bill Compton and I checked out of the Mason City Days Inn and went to McDonald's for breakfast then drove toward the Iowa Traction Railway shops, but saw something photograph-worthy first.

The Iowa Traction Railway Company is the former Iowa Traction Railroad Company, is an electrically operated common carrier railroad running between Mason City and Clear Lake, Iowa, and also serving Rorick Park near Mason City. It can trace its roots back to the Mason City and Clear Lake Railway, which was founded in 1896. The shops were situated in Emery, the midpoint between the two namesake towns. Passenger service began on July 4, 1897. Freight has been the major source of income since the beginning and has been the only source since the charter for trolley service in Mason City expired August 30, 1936. The Mason City and Clear Lake Railway's name was revised slightly to Mason City and Clear Lake Railroad in 1950, when new owners took over.

The name was changed to Iowa Terminal Railroad in 1961 when new owners from Michigan took over. They acquired the Charles City Western on December 31, 1963. The Charles City Division was dieselized after a tornado destroyed much of the overhead wire on May 15, 1968. Several years later the remaining trackage at Charles City was abandoned. Meanwhile, the Mason City Division continued to operate as usual. The Charles City equipment was transferred to Mason City to replace equipment burned in the November 24, 1967 shop fire. On April 13, 1987, the Iowa Terminal Railroad was sold to Dave Johnson and renamed to Iowa Traction Railroad.

Today, the Iowa Traction continues to actively operate the track between its Emery headquarters (southwest of Mason City) and the Clear Lake Junction with Union Pacific Railroad. Though track exists beyond Emery to Interstate 35 in the west and from Clear Lake Junction to 15th Street Southeast in Mason City to the east, the active portion is Emery to Clear Lake Junction.

The Iowa Traction Railroad was purchased in fall 2012 by Progressive Rail, a shortline holding company based in Lakeville, Minnesota. Upon purchase, the line was renamed Iowa Traction Railway. According to Progressive's President Dave Fellon, "It's [Iowa Traction] right in our wheel house [and] fits our model. It's a great little railroad." Comments by Progressive Rail officials in Trains Magazine indicate that the company plans to continue use of electric locomotives, possibly supplementing them with diesel, and that it is exploring the reopening of the line from Emery to Clear Lake.

Bill and I pulled onto a grade crossing for Iowa Traction type B steeplecab 50, ex. Iowa Terminal 50 1963-1987, exx. Kansas City Kaw Valley and Western 507 1956-63, exxx. Cedar Rapids and Iowa City 58 1948-1956, nee Washington and Old Dominion 50, built by Baldwin-Westinghouse in October 1920.

We then drove over to the shops where we signed releases to be on the Iowa Traction Railway's property.

The equipment inside.

Iowa Traction interurban coach 727, ex. Iowa Trolley Park 727 1987-2002, exx. Iowa Terminal 102 1967-1987, exxx. Iowa Chapter, National Railway Historical Society 727 1963-1967, nee Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee 727, built by Cincinnati Car Company in 1927. Although the IATR does not operate scheduled passenger service, this caris occasionally used for chartered excursions.

Iowa Traction type B steeplecab 60, ex. Iowa Terminal 60 1961-1987, exx. Mason City and Clear Lake 52 1948-1961, exxx. Union Electric 80 1932-1948, nee Youngstown and Ohio River 5, built by Baldwin-Westinghouse in 1917. Bill and I then walked outside into their yard.

The Iowa Traction Railway engine house in Emery, Iowa built in 1968.

IATR 51 was switching a tank car this morning.

Iowa Traction type B steeplecab 51, ex. Iowa Terminal 51 1963-1987, exx. Kansas City Kaw Valley and Western 505 1954-1963, exx. Cedar Rapids and Iowa City 57 1940-1954, nee Northeastern Oklahoma 2, built by Baldwin-Westinghouse in 1921.

We watched IATR 51 move around the yard.

Iowa Traction type B steeplecab 54, ex. Iowa Terminal 54 1969-1987, exx. Iowa Terminal 52 1968-1969, exxx. Southern Iowa 400 1941-1968, nee Iowa Southern Utilities 400, built by Baldwin-Westinghouse in 1923. The crew than started using this locomotive.

IATR 51 and 54.

IATR 54 then started its day.

A last view of IATR 51. We walked back to the car and drove back to the grade crossing we were at earlier.

IATR 54 had a single tank car in tow as it started its journey to Mason City and we followed it to where it stopped to switch a local industry.

IATR 54 pulled out five more tank cars to add to its train.

IATR 54 switching. A special thank you to the Iowa Traction Railway for letting us visit this unique freight railroad in America. We then proceeded to Interstate 35 and the Mall of America to ride our last train of this trip.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul area once had an extensive network of streetcars (operated for many years by Twin City Rapid Transit, a precursor of Metro Transit), but the tracks were removed and services were eliminated in the 1950s.

Over the years since the last trolley ran in 1954, many people have pushed for the reintroduction of rail transport in the Twin Cities. The primary reason is that traffic congestion has grown considerably since the streetcar system ceased operation: a 2003 report by the Texas Transportation Institute indicated that the area was the 17th most congested area in the country, with the second fastest congestion growth.

No new rail projects were able to get off the ground for many years until the 1990s when several factors combined to make the idea more palatable to area politicians. Governor Jesse Ventura and Minnesota Transportation Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg heavily promoted the idea of rail transport, and significant amounts of money became available from the federal government. Previous governors had advocated light rail but had not been able to get legislation passed. Governor Tim Pawlenty had campaigned on a promise to fight the expansion of light rail, but altered his opinions after taking office. He also initially opposed the Northstar Line commuter rail project, which is a rail corridor north of Minneapolis, but changed his mind about that project in January 2004 when a scaled-back version was shown to have good potential.

For many, the Hiawatha Avenue corridor was not the top choice for a new project. Popular other options included connecting Minneapolis with the western suburbs, though probably the most-desired option has been the Central Corridor connecting the Twin Cities themselves (Minneapolis and St. Paul) with a route down the middle of Interstate 94 or University Avenue. However, much of the land had already been acquired by the state in the 1960s to build a sunken radial expressway into downtown that was never built. In addition to the available land, the desire to connect to the airport and at least reach the vicinity of the Mall of America proved to be the bigger draw for decision-makers.

The idea of running a rail line down Hiawatha Avenue had already been around for at least a decade by the time the decision was made to go forward. In 1985, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) had produced an Environmental Impact Statement that concluded that light rail was the best alternative for the corridor. In 1996, the document was examined again as MN/DOT looked at the possibility of adding bus rapid transit along the road, but money for light rail became available soon after, leading to the current layout.

The first construction began in late 2010, including work in downtown St. Paul and near the University of Minnesota campus. By November 2011, construction was about 32% complete, including most heavy construction such as the installation of track segments, a new bridge, partial completion of stations, a rebuilt skyway in St. Paul and the construction of Green Line facilities at St. Paul Union Station.

Due to scope of project, a venture was created by C.S. McCrossan and Ames to complete an area known as The Civil West Project. This area extended from the west side of the 35W abutment, over the Mississippi River, through the UofM campus and ending at Bedford St. From Bedford to Saint Paul, Walsh Construction served as the general contractor.

In July 2011, the Metropolitan Council officially named the Central Corridor as the Green Line. As of August 2013, construction was completed and test trains began running over the line which opened to the public on June 14, 2014.

Some in favor of the line have expressed concern with the number of stations. The neighborhoods along University have demanded that the line have stations every half-mile, from Snelling to Rice Street, which would mean stations at Hamline Avenue, Victoria Street and Western Avenue. In February 2008, the Central Corridor Management Committee passed a resolution to include below-ground infrastructure for the Hamline, Victoria and Western stations "with the understanding that, if the CEI increases or other dollars are made available by mid-summer 2008, the first claim on those dollars would be one of the infill stations." The Metropolitan Council has included this infrastructure work in their Draft Environmental Impact Statement and has also committed to building one station if any funds become available.

As of 2009, the Federal Transit Administration has increased the Cost Effectiveness Index such that buildout of one station is now feasible. On January 25, 2010, the FTA announced that the three "infill" stations will be built. By 2016, five stations between Snelling and Rice Street were built - Hamline Ave, Lexington Pkwy, Victoria St, Dale St, and Western Ave.

Groundbreaking for the line took place on January 17, 2001. Regular service began on the first phase of the line on June 26, 2004, with the second phase opening later that year on December 4. Each opening was accompanied with two days of free rides on the train and area buses. The line was tested for months before opening, with regular service simulated for about a month before each phase went online. The Hiawatha Line opened exactly 50 years and one week after the last regular-service streetcars ran in the city.

Busways are still being examined for many future projects and it appears likely that at least one will be built. Construction of the area's second light rail line, the Green Line connecting downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul began in late 2010 and opened on June 14, 2014. On April 26, 2011, the U.S. government announced $478 million in funding for its construction.

Once we found the station, we bought a Day Pass ticket for $4 and walked over to a waiting train.

Our train that will take us on the Blue Line, which I had ridden previously in its entirety, but not the newer Green Line. We boarded that train and waited to leave the Mall of America station.

Leaving the covered Mall of America station and out into the fresh air of Minnesota.

Passing a incoming train.

Mall of America East parking structure. We stopped at the 28th Avenue station.

Rounding the next curve into Bloomington Central station.

We met another train as we left there and proceeded to the American Boulevard station then went under Interstate 494.

The National Cemetery in the State of Minnesota.

Next we came to the Airport Terminal 2-Humphrey station.

We entered the tunnel under the Airport runways to reach the Airport Terminal 1-Lindbergh station.

We exited that tunnel and made our way to Fort Snelling station.

Crossing Minnesota Highway 62.

High above Minneosta Highway 55.

We stopped at the VA Medical Center station and met another Blue Line train, then stopped at 50th Street/Minnehaha Park, Minnehaha Parkway, 46th Street, 38th Street, Lake Street/Midtown and the MN 55 (Hiawatha Avenue) stations.

Crossing Minnesota Highway 55 again, then stops were made at Cedar Avenue, Franklin Avenue and Cedar-Riverside stations.

US Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings, and on the site of the Metrodome where I once saw the Minnesota Twins play in 2004.

Green Line Junction, where I would start my new rail mileage later this early afternoon. We stopped at the US Bank Stadium station.

Open air park space in Minneapolis. We stopped at Government Plaza, Nicollet Mall, Warehouse District/Hennepin Avenue then arrived at Target Field station, where there was a connection to the Northstar commuter train line. This service ceased operations in March 2026.

Two Blue Line trains at the Target Field station.

A Green Line train waiting to enter the station.

Entrance to the Northstar Commuter train station platforms.

A Green Line train entered the Target Field station.

A Blue Line train departed for the Mall of America.

The Green Line train arrived at Target Field station with Bill and I boarding it and we stopped at Warehouse District/Hennepin Avenue, Nicollet Mall and Government Plaza stations.

U.S. Bank Stadium before we stopped at that station.

Leaving the Blue Line and were both on new rail mileage all the way to Central Avenue in St. Paul. We first stopped at West Bank station.

Crossing the Mississippi River then a stop at East Bank station.

The University of Minnesota campus, through which our route passes. The train took us to Stadium Village, Prospect Park, Westgate, Raymond Avenue, Fairview Avenue, Snelling Avenue, Hamline Avenue, Lexington Parkway, Victoria Street, Dale Street and Western Avenue stations.

The first view of the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul and a stop at Capitol/Rice Street station.

The Minnesota State Capitol. We passed it, turned right and stopped at Robert Street station before turning right to exit Capitol Hill then at the bottom, turned left to cross Interstate 94.

We stopped at 10th Street station then turned left to our final stop at Central, which is Saint Paul Union Depot and the connection to Amtrak's Empire Builder and the east end of the line, which brought to an end our ride on the entire Hiawatha Light Rail system.

Our Green Line Train and Saint Paul Union Depot.

A Green Line train departed Central station.

Our Green Line train waited to take us back west to the Target Field Station.

Saint Paul Union Depot. The current structure was started in 1917 but was not completed until 1923 because World War I forced construction to halt for several years. During its heyday, the depot hosted the passenger trains of nine railroads and more than 20 million pieces of mail passed through the station to the neighboring St. Paul Central Downtown Post Office annually. At its peak in the 1920s, there were 282 train movements daily. The waiting room stood atop nine platforms serving 18 tracks; the eight northern ones closest to the headhouse were stub-end tracks, while the other ten ran through. However, track ownership and trackage rights west of the station meant that most trains operated as though the station was a stub terminal. These trains, when they were intended to continue beyond the station, instead backed up to a wye just to the east to get to other main lines.

The Saint Paul Union Depot Company controlled 9.24 miles of St. Paul trackage and terminal facilities, including the depot building. The company was operated in tandem with the Minnesota Transfer Railway Company, with effective control of both properties exercised by the same board, composed of representatives of the nine tenants. Train ridership began to erode in the 1920s as the automobile took hold and airlines began to operate. The railroads sought ways to stem the flow of passengers and compete with these new forms of transportation. As the Great Depression unfolded, more aggressive moves were required. The streamliner era in the United States began in 1934 with the introduction of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy's Zephyr. After making a "Dawn-to-Dusk Dash" from Chicago to Denver, Colorado, the CB&Q's interest soon turned to the Twin Cities run. A demonstration run was completed in six hours and four minutes, including six one-minute stops. Other railroads were soon busy investigating how to run faster trains to Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

It was announced that when Amtrak formally took over most passenger service on May 1, 1971, it would consolidate its Twin Cities service in Minneapolis at the Minneapolis Great Northern Depot. Accordingly, the Burlington (later Burlington Northern) Zephyrs ended service on April 30, 1971, the same day the depot closed. The Afternoon Zephyr was the last train to serve the depot when it departed that evening bound for Minneapolis. At this time, this train was normally combined with the Empire Builder and North Coast Limited from Chicago to St. Paul, except on Fridays when it ran as a separate train. Since April 30 was a Friday, the Zephyr had the "honor" of being the last train to depart the station.

Area boosters had long hoped that trains would return to the Union Depot, and plans gathered steam as the Blue Line light rail project in Minneapolis drew toward completion. Planners envisioned the depot being used for a restored Amtrak service along with Metro and Jefferson Lines buses. A few businesses had occupied the headhouse since the halt of train service in 1971, while the United States Postal Service (USPS) took over the rear of the building. The concourse and waiting room were used for some postal service activities and storage. After lying dormant for several years in the 1970s, the train tracks were removed from the train deck and it was paved with a flat surface. It began to be used for staging semi-trailer trucks carrying mail to and from the neighboring Downtown St. Paul Central Post Office as well as USPS employee parking. A driveway ramp was sliced into the train deck at the intersection of Kellogg Boulevard and Broadway Street for USPS vehicles. In the early 2000s, the upper levels of the headhouse were converted into 33 2-story loft condominiums.

In 2005, the Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority secured funding to renovate the station as an intermodal transit hub served by Amtrak trains, Metro Transit light rail and intercity bus lines. In June 2009, the Ramsey County Board approved purchasing the depot headhouse for $8.2 million, to serve as a METRO Green Line light rail station and for future passenger rail use. In 2010, USPS moved most of the truck operations to a bulk mail processing center in Eagan, Minnesota, making way for rehabilitation of the depot as a rail hub. Demolition of the Postal Service building that blocked track access to the station began in mid-March 2011. The USPS ramp cut all the way across the train deck and blocked the ability for tracks to be installed, so the ramp was modified during restoration to make a roughly right-angle turn to access new bus platforms on the north end of the train deck while freeing up room for a few tracks to be restored on the south end.

The renovation was completed in late November 2012 at a cost of $243 million, of which $35 million was provided by the US government through the TIGER program. The renovated station re-opened to the public on December 8, 2012. The first Amtrak train to service Saint Paul Union Depot was the westbound Empire Builder on May 7, 2014, with its eastbound counterpart stopping the next day. Borealis service began on May 21, 2024, with St. Paul as its western terminus.

We boarded and I enjoyed the ride to the Target Field station.

US Bank Stadium on the way there. Once we arrived, we went down to the tracks to see the Northstar Commuter trains.

Northstar MP36PH-3C 505, built by Motive-Power in 2008.

Northstar MP36PH-3C 512, nee Utah Transit Authority 12, built by Motive-Power in 2008. It never ran in revenue service on the FrontRunner, then was leased to Metro Transit and subsequently purchased and re-numbered 512.

Northstar commuter trains.

Both Northstar commuter trains in the Target Field Station. We returned to the Light Rail station.

The next trolley in was a Green Line train.

A Blue Line train arrived.

The Green Line train departed for St. Paul.

Our Blue Line Train arrived and we boarded it for the Mall of America.

This track is the method by which light rail vehicles are transported from trucks to the rails.

The Blue Line train at the Mall of America at the end of our journey. Bill and I walked back to the car and he ran a couple of errands before we returned the rental car. It was a long walk back to the train station then we rode the tram to the Terminal where I breezed through security and waited for Bill to come through. We walked to Gate G12 where we found a Volante Restaurant and I had a rib eye steak.

The flight was quick and I watched "Lego Batman", which occupied most of the time. I found out that the Pittsburgh Penguins lost Game Four of the Stanley Cup Finals while I was in the air. We landed and found the shuttle that took us to Bill's car and he drove me home, ending an excellent adventure to ride Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 261 in North Dakota.

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