Watching a 104-year-old locomotive (well, technically 3 months shy of 104) still working is, frankly, awe inspiring. As Iowa Traction Railway Company 50-Ton Steeplecab 50 was shoving a long string of covered hoppers into the AGP elevator, it was hard not to think that those who designed and built this electric locomotive likely had no idea how long this machine would last. And how many people have operated this locomotive over the past century as well? Or imagine the number of freight cars this diminutive locomotive has moved over all this time, or how those cars have changed from the 1920s through to the 2020s. And, is builder Baldwin-Westinghouse now longer in business because they built locomotives too well? If their locomotives all lasted this long, there would be no market for new power!
But it was also just fun to watch as the venerable old machine continued to do what it was designed and built for continue to do its job, toiling away in America’s heartland. (Mason City, Iowa – July 19, 2024)
