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InTrans / Dec 19, 2012

The Dinkey: A blast from the past

Go! Magazine

Ames, Iowa.

As a graduate student at Iowa State University, I commute 3-4 days a week from my home in Boone, IA to campus—a distance of 20 miles roundtrip. This adds up to four or five hours a week on average that I’m in my car, and unable to do any of the reading, writing, or researching that my graduate studies require. Additionally, I spend about $50 every two weeks on gas. I’ve used the time to keep up on podcasts, listen to new music, and talk to my mother in Texas, but still I feel my time and money might be better spent on other things.

Enter the “Dinkey”

What if there was a form of transportation that would take me to and from Ames for classes without taking up an extra five hours a week of productive time and save me money for something more important? Well, if I could transport myself back to the Iowa State of 1907, I would have two great commuter options:

  1. The Fort Dodge, Des Moines, and Southern Railroad (FDDM&S)
  2. The Dinkey
Early train car.
Early train car
Train ticket.
Train ticket

By Alex Werner, Go! Staff Writer

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