Midwest Electric Railway

Midwest Electric Railway
Overview
Headquarters	Mt. Pleasant, Iowa
Reporting mark	MERA^[1]^{[nb 1]}
Locale	Mt. Pleasant, Henry County, Eastern Iowa
Dates of operation	1971 (1971)–Present
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length	2.5 mi (4.0 km)

Overview

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Perspective

The volunteer association runs a tourist railroad which operates electric trolleys around a 2.5 mile loop around the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion campground. Guest prices and hours of operation vary throughout the year based on the activities of the Midwest Old Threshers Association. The trolley operation is most active on the five days preceding Labor Day during the reunion. The trolleys operate on special holidays and when special organized groups reserve time. Visit the Old Threshers Reunion website for the latest information.

The campground's trolley tracks were originally constructed by the Midwest Electric Railway's volunteers and are still maintained today through volunteer efforts. Every year maintenance and reconstruction is organized and accomplished entirely through volunteer labor.

Location

The Midwest Electric Railway is located in the heart of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa on the campgrounds of the Midwest Old Thresher's Reunion sandwiched between Locust and S. Walnut Streets. The railroad crosses E. Thresher Road in two places. The main headquarters for MERA and trolley storage is in a silver-painted trolley barn which is located on S. Locust Road less than a half mile from south of Thresher Road.

History

The Midwest Electric Railway, a not-for-profit educational organization, was founded in 1971 . Its goal at that time was to preserve historic electric-powered passenger trolleys that had operated in Iowa and transport passengers around the campground during the Midwest Old Thresher's Reunion. The original trolley stops were the trolley depot, the trolley barn, and campers' gate.

Today, the purpose of the organization remains largely the same including the preservation of non-Iowa operated electric rolling stock. Trolley Stops currently include The Trolley Depot, the Trolley Barn, the Log Village, Midway, South 40, and Campers' Gate.

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Equipment

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Perspective

Trolleys

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No.	Type	Builder	Built	Former Operator	Acquired	Notes
9	Suburban Passenger Service/Express Car	Barber Car Co.	1912	Albia Interurban Railway, Southern Iowa Railway	1968	1912 as a 4-wheel car (original); Southern Iowa Railway to an 8-wheel car (rebuilt)
320	High-speed Heavy Interurban Car/Intercity and commuter travel	Jewett Car Company	1914	Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad	1968	Heavyweight for high-speed long-distance travel (up to 80 MPH)
381	City Streetcar/One-man Safety Car	Perley Thomas	1930	Knoxville Power & Light, Waterloo, Cedar Falls and Northern Railway	1971	Last streetcar to run in an Iowa municipality; The “Safety Car”, a landmark design which eliminated all boarding and alighting mishaps as doors were open only when the car was stopped. Improved safety in one-man operation. A landmark design in which boarding and alighting mishaps were eliminated, since doors opened only when car was stopped and car could not start until doors closed
3	Snow sweeper	McGuire-Cummings Manufacturing Company	1911	Iowa Traction Railway	1973	Acquired by Iowa Trolley Park in 1989, now preserved in Rockhill Trolley Museum.
1718	City & Interurban, Open Cars/Open Bench Summer Cars	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1911 using the American design of J.G. Brill Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Running gear by Westinghouse Electric Co.		Rio de Janeiro Tramway	1973	Thousands of streetcars in America were of this patented “Naragansett” design, featuring a full-length upper side step for easy boarding; Favorites for summer travel
1779	City & Interurban, Open Cars/Open Bench Summer Cars			Rio de Janeiro Tramway	1970
4476	PCC streetcar	St. Louis Car Company	1949	Toronto Transportation Commission	1982	Acquired by Gomaco Trolley Company in 2002
3093		Pullman-Standard	1944	Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority	1992
3226		Pullman-Standard	1945	Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority	1992
3279	Line car	Boston Elevated Railway	1912	Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority	1995
1100	Freight Car/Flat Car	American Car Company	1917	Keokuk, Iowa	2002
1705	PCC streetcar	St. Louis Car Company	1949	Pittsburgh Railways		sold Feb 2018 to Donald Kirk (for restoration and operation at a new McCloud (CA) Transportation Park project)
1811	Peter Witt streetcar	Carminati & Toselli, Milan, 1927; Running gear by Italian General Electric	1930s	Azienda Trasporti Milanesi	2025	Lightweight for fast city service in narrow streets; Lightweight safety car: doors only open when stopped. #1811 was displayed in St. Louis for publicize the proposed of the Loop Trolley project from 2005 to 2014.
1945	Peter Witt streetcar		1930s	Azienda Trasporti Milanesi	2002

Structures

The Chicago Burlington and Quincy depot from Yarmouth, Iowa, was donated and moved to Old Thresher's fairgrounds; it was originally used as the trolley ticket office and gift shop. The building was used for storage and the aesthetic appearance of having an old building near a trolley stop, but again serves as a ticket office.

The Trolley Barn was built in the early 1970s to store the growing stock of equipment. While the building has no real antique value, it provides a well-used maintenance pit for trolley maintenance, room for trolley storage, and a health & welfare room for volunteer operators and conductors.

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Special events

Midwest Old Thresher's Reunion

Every year during the week leading up to Labor Day weekend, volunteer operators and conductors regularly operate the trolleys to ferry campground dwellers and rail enthusiasts around the 2.5 mile campground loop. The Log Village at the south end of the loop provides the tourist a view of 19th century life on the Iowa prairie. Camper's use the trolley's to commute to the main fairgrounds to visit daily attractions.

Haunted Trolley Ride

Every year near Halloween, the Midwest Electric Railway operates a haunted trolley ride.

Trolley School

Once a year at in June, Midwest Electric Railway holds a Trolley School to teach anyone to operate a Trolley, then allowing them time to operate some of the fleet.