Fort Dodge Des Moines & Southern

Company History: Established in 1906, FDDM&S connected Fort Dodge to Des Moines, Iowa with branches to Webster City, Lehigh, Rockwell City, Ames and Newton. After the early abandonment of the Newton line, the total mileage was 151. Although conceived as primarily a freight hauler, trolley wire was strung. Passenger service was provided with interurban cars and freight service with various electric locomotives. The Des Moines & Central Iowa purchased control of the company in 1954. Passenger service ended and the wire came down the following year. In the following decade, they shed 40 miles of branchlines. The post-1955 diesel fleet consisted of eleven GE 70-ton switchers, four 44-ton switchers and a single Plymouth 65-ton switcher. In 1971, Chicago & North Western leased the company and FDDM&S became a fallen flag.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.