CERA Bulletin No. 149
Iowa was known as the "Land of the Steam Road Trolleys." Many of the state's interurban railroads had once been steam locomotive short lines and were built to standards that permitted operation of impressively large cars and significant carload freight interchange with the steam railroads.
Largest of the Iowa interurbans was the Fort Dodge, Des Moines and Southern Railroad, a feisty line that managed to survive in spite of heavy steam railroad and highway competition. Its passenger service lasted until 1955 and the diesel locomotive powered remnant was acquired by the Chicago & North Western Railroad in 1968.
Noted railroad author Don Hofsommer chronicles the history of this long-lived interurban and masterfully captures the spirit of the times in which it operated.
Central Electric Railfan's Association, hardcover, 224 pages with 265 photographs and 50 other images with roster, maps, and car drawings.