Ames Dinkey Train: Iowa Time Machine September 9, 1890

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On September 9, 1890, Ames residents began soliciting subscriptions for a railroad that promised to shrink a muddy, difficult journey into a quick ride on what would become known as the Dinkey Train. The proposed Ames Street Railway Company line would link downtown Ames with Iowa Agricultural College, later Iowa State University, about two miles away.

Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm was established in 1858, and classes began in 1869. Ames was platted in 1864, yet the town and campus remained separate in daily life. By 1890, Ames had a population of 1,276, and the college enrolled 297 students. Students, faculty members, mail carriers, visitors, and freight haulers traveled between the two points on dirt roads that could become deeply muddy. For years, the Nichols and Maxwell Livery’s horse-drawn “college bus” carried people, baggage, and mail when road conditions permitted.

The corporation formally incorporated on September 20 as the Ames Street Railway Company, operating as the Ames and College Railway. Its first proposal envisioned a horse-car line, but the Ames Town Council and a special committee pushed for faster motive power. The final agreement required a standard-gauge railway run by a steam motor or other improved power, explicitly prohibiting animal power. The college trustees granted a campus right-of-way in January 1891, and the railroad’s first run came on July 4, 1891, well ahead of its November 1892 completion deadline.

The Dinkey became a modest machine with an outsized effect on Ames. It ran an almost two-mile route between downtown and campus every hour from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., carrying students, faculty, town residents, mail, freight, and construction materials. Its steam engine and passenger cars connected the Chicago and Northwestern depot with the college, helped faculty live downtown while commuting to campus, and delivered building supplies during a major period of campus growth. The fare remained five cents from 1891 until 1926, making the service accessible to students and working residents. In 1907, the Ames and College Railway was sold to the Fort Dodge, Des Moines and Southern Railroad, and electric trolleys replaced steam service. #Iowa #OTD #History #Railroad #Transportation