MIDWEST OLD
THRESHERS
Rare steam and electrics are the highlights at this unique Iowa museum
Attendees of the 2012 NRHS National Convention will enjoy a rare opportunity to photograph both narrow gauge steam lo- comotives and standard gauge streetcars during a private run at the Midwest Old Threshers of Mount Pleasant, Iowa. The Midwest Central Railroad and its counter- part, the Midwest Electric Railway, are nor- mally in full operation only during the an- nual Old Thresher’s Reunion, held Labor Day weekend. Trains of the Midwest Central steam through Mount Pleasant’s McMillan Park over a 1.25-mile loop of 3-foot-gauge track. Started in 1960, the railroad fea- tures preserved structures from across the Midwest, including a restored Burlington depot, a Milwaukee Road signal tower, and a steam-era water tower. Passengers are accommodated in six home-built wooden coaches constructed on the frames of former Southern Pacific, East Broad Top, and West Side freight cars. The fleet includes cabooses from White Pass and the Milwaukee Road narrow gauge. Freight equipment includes ex-WP&YR and Rio Grande flatcars and a D&RGW boxcar. When not in use, this equipment is displayed at South Station, which also serves as MCRR’s museum building. The pride of the line is 2-6-0 No. 6, built
by Baldwin in 1891 for the Surry, Sussex, & Southampton, a Virginia logging railroad. This classic locomotive, which later worked for Argent Lumber, was completely over- hauled three years ago and features a unique Rushton “cabbage” smokestack and Southern valve gear. Also in the oper- ating fleet is a 1951 German-built 0-4-0T, a pair of Plymouth diesel-hydraulic switch- ers, and a Vulcan gasoline switcher. Scheduled to arrive this summer is ex- Kahului Railroad No. 12, a 1929 Baldwin
TOP: Midwest Central No. 16 is an 18-ton 0-4-0T built for service in Germany by Henshel in 1951. It came to Mount Pleasant in 1982, and serves mainly as the stand-by engine during the Old Threshers Reunion. Here it is steam upgrade into Snipe Run with a short passenger train on September 3, 2010. LEFT: Midwest Electric “breezer” No. 1779 loads passengers at the main gate, alongside the CB&Q station from Yarmouth, Iowa, on September 5, 2010.
2-6-2, which is coming to Iowa from Col- orado’s Georgetown Loop. The neighboring Midwest Electric Rail-
way operates streetcars and interurbans over a large loop of standard gauge track that encircles the Old Thresher’s 60-acre campground. The electric line began tak- ing shape in 1968, and was completed and opened for service in 1974. The route features sharp curves and several steep grades; equipment is maintained in a large four-track car barn. Eight cars are in operation, the most
popular being a pair of wooden open-air “breezers” from Rio de Janeiro built in the 1920s; both came to Midwest Electric from Pennsylvania’s Magee Transportation Mu- seum in the late 1970s. Authentic Iowa cars include Waterloo,
Cedar Falls & Northern No. 381, which in 1958 became the last Iowa trolley to oper-
ate in revenue service, and Southern Iowa No. 9, a rare 1909 Barber interurban com- bine. “Peter Witt” streetcar No. 1945 is identical to those used in the U.S., although it spent its working life in Milan, Italy. Fans of big interurbans will want to ride
aboard Chicago, Aurora & Elgin No. 320, built in 1914 by Jewett and the subject of an extensive, multi-year restoration by MERY volunteers (funded in part by a $5000 heritage grant from the NRHS). The car has been returned to its 1922 ap- pearance —red with gold lettering —and has been fitted with the third rail pickup shoes and beams as it would have ap- peared on CA&E. For more information on the MCRR and
MERY visit
www.oldthreshers.org and
www.mcrr.org. Both were covered exten- sively in the September 2008 issue of RAILFAN & RAILROAD.– JEFF TERRY
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