Finally a horse-draw bus line was established, and it did a thriving business for years, being the only conveyance running regularly between the town and the college, conveying passengers, express and mail -- the bus driver peddling the mail around from house to house, and the bus making regular trips -- when the wagon roads would permit of it, and when they wouldn't they made irregular trips.

Billy Childs was perhaps the best known driver of the bus, to the present generation.  He was engineer, conductor, brakeman, mail messenger, expressman, and the whole works, as well as being errand boy for the people at both ends of the line and in the middle.

This state of affairs continued until a few enterprising citizens of downtown and the college saw the inadequacy of the service and the growing demand for something faster and better, and in 1890 a company was organized for the building of a steam road between the city and the college, the organization including Professors Stanton, Budd and Stalker, Judge Stevens, Parley Sheldon, and others of Ames and a few from outside towns, among them Messrs Joe Whitaker of Boone and Hopkins of Madrid.

Judge Stevens was made president, Prof. Budd secretary and B.J. Shelden treasurer.

Work on the line was pushed to completion and the first cars were run over the line on the 4th of July, 1891, when the road was finally opened for traffic.

This was a great step forward towards the bringing of the college and town together and the opening of the line was kept a gala day by the people of the town and college.

Bill Cummins of Boone was the first engineer to pull a throttle on the Ames and College Railway, and Harley Stuckslager was the first ticket puncher on the line which was equipped with the present style of steam motor and cars, they having been bought from a Des Moines Street company and put into service on the A. & C., during which service they pulled many distinguished and plebian guests to the college, and all the mail, freight, and express, most of the time since between the town and the college.

The road and equipment cost twenty-seven thousand dollars and has been a paying investment.  On more than one occasion the receipts have been as high as seven hundred dollars on a single day, and would have been more had the equipment been sufficient to accommodate those who wanted to ride.

Parley Sheldon was the first superintendent, in which capacity he acted for three years, when a new set of officers were elected, with W.M. Greeley and M.K. Smith as superintendent and manager.

Last fall negotiations were opened with two different companies for the sale of the road and the deal was consummated early this spring when the Newton and Northwestern Railway Company purchased the road, paying for it practically two dollars for every one the A. & C. had invested.

The company took charge of the line and is now operating it under the same system and will continue to do so until the new interurban is built into the college grounds, when it will be electrified and made a part of the Frt. Dodge, Des Moines and Southern Interurban line, but will still retain its present name, Ames and College Railway.

The new electric cars, it is expected, will be running into Ames by the first of next January.  The contract calls for a regular twenty minute service between college and town.