(Spirit Lake)– “The Spirit Of The Lakes”. That’s the name of a new passenger train the Iowa Northwestern Railroad plans to operate on its tracks between Spirit Lake and Ocheyedan.
John Larkin of the Iowa Northwestern says they came up with the idea as a way to increase revenue for the branch line…which currently relies strictly on freight revenue.
The Iowa Northwestern has purchased nine used passenger cars from the Canadian Pacific Railway. The local railroad took delivery of the cars Wednesday when they arrived with a special train. They’re parked on a siding in Lake Park where they will be completely refurbished by volunteers beginning this weekend.
Larkin says they’ve already been hearing a lot of interest from railfans and others willing to volunteer their time to fix up the cars. Some have even purchased tickets for the very first excursion. It’s tentatively scheduled for June 8th. Larkin says passenger trains will run on a regular schedule shortly after that…hopefully by late June. Plans call for stops in Orleans, Spirit Lake, Lake Park and Ocheyedan.
Larkin says having a passenger train should result in another huge boost to tourism in the lakes area.
Anyone interested in helping fix up the cars should meet in Lake Park. The cars are parked on a siding across the street from the elevator.
Larkin says they want to start up a dinner train as well.
