Ames, IA — Return of Streetcars?

Rail Transit Online, February 2006

A steam-powered tram that connected downtown Ames with the Iowa State University (ISU) campus may be resurrected in modern dress.  The old trains, known locally as the Dinkey, were pulled by stubby, two-axle steam engines dressed up with trolley bodies that ran from 1891 to 1907, when they were replaced with electric streetcars.  Rail service was discontinued in 1929.  The local bus transit system, Cy-Ride, is now preparing to embark on a detailed $300,000 study for a proposed 13-station, T-shaped streetcar system closely approximating the original route but also linking Reiman Gardens to the Iowa State Center.  Vehicles could be either modern streetcars or replica heritage trolleys.  Cy-Ride will contribute $200,000 and the city, ISU and student fees would fund the remainder, although final approval from the city council has yet to be received.  An initial feasibility study estimated the 3.1-mi. (5 km) project would cost $40 million, with 80 percent coming from the federal government.  “The key is to get the federal money,” ex-officio city council member Tony Borich told The Tribune.  The council is expected decide in February whether to contribute to the study, which could be completed about a year from the time work starts.  “Then we would know the cost of this thing,” Cy Ride Transportation Director Bob Bourne told The Tribune.  “Then there would be a decision whether to pursue funding for the whole project.”  Bourne estimates the streetcars won’t be running until 2015.

Web site: www.cyride.com/dinkey_questions_and_answers.htm