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<p>In 1874, the Iowa and Minnesota Railway (I&M) began construction on a 37-mile narrow gauge railroad line, extending from Des Moines, Iowa to Ames, Iowa. The I&M was sold to the Des Moines and Minneapolis Rail Road (DM&M) in 1873, and the DM&M completed the line in 1874. In 1878, an additional 20 miles were completed between Ames and Callanan, Iowa, located south of present-day Jewell, Iowa. In 1879, the DM&M was leased to the Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW). In 1882, the Toledo and Northwestern Railway (T&NW) constructed an additional 2 mile line between Callanan and Jewell, and also standard gauged the line. The T&NW also had been leased by the C&NW in 1879. In 1884, the DM&M was purchased by the C&NW; and in 1890, the T&NW was purchased by the C&NW. By the early 20th Century, the C&NW had developed into a significant railroad network in the midwest, with lines radiating north and west from Chicago. In particular, the C&NW developed dozens of secondary and branch lines in Iowa to serve agricultural industries and small towns. While the C&NW developed several predominantly east-west routes in Iowa, there were relatively few north-south routes. This line served as a secondary mainline, connecting several C&NW lines throughout central Iowa. North of Jewell, the line would extend to the Minnesota border town of Elmore, and connect to the C&NW-controlled Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway (Omaha Road). </p><p>In 1981, the C&NW purchased the better constructed Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad "Spine Line", which ran approximately 10 miles east of this line. In 1985, the line between Slater, Iowa and Ames was abandoned. In 1995, the C&NW was purchased by Union Pacific Railroad (UP). The segment between Ankeny, Iowa and Slater was abandoned in 2003, followed by a segment between the north side of Des Moines and Ankeny in 2012. Today, UP operates the segment between Ames and Jewell as part of the Jewell Subdivision, and the segment to the north side of Des Moines as the Ankeny Industrial Lead. A large section between the north side of Des Moines and Slater has been reused as part of the High Trestle Trail, a popular trail in central Iowa. Between Slater and Ames, the line has largely reverted to adjacent landowners, and has been converted to farm field use.</p>
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