• Busy Iowa Interstate

  • For discussion of the Iowa Interstate. The Iowa Interstate Railroad (reporting mark IAIS) is a Class II railroad operating in the central United States. The railroad is owned by Railroad Development Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Website: iaisrr.com
For discussion of the Iowa Interstate. The Iowa Interstate Railroad (reporting mark IAIS) is a Class II railroad operating in the central United States. The railroad is owned by Railroad Development Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Website: iaisrr.com
  by travelrobb
 
We spent last Friday night at a hotel in Homestead, Iowa, not 100 feet from the ex-Rock Island main line, now the Iowa Interstate. In the eight hours from about 2 am to 10 am, we saw (or heard) four trains go by. How many trains does that stretch of the line see in the course of a full day, and is that typical for the whole line? I'm not sure ever saw an IAIS train when I lived in Des Moines (until about 18 years ago) or in all my visits (two or three times a year) since.

Also, the roadbed and track looked like it was in pretty good shape, even though I don't think the trains went more than 30 or 40 mph. Have they gotten any subsidies over the years to rebuild their right of way?