GOMACO Trolley

So, now you should be familiar with Ida Grove as being the “Castle Town”, but allow me to show you what else their famous for: GOMACO. As a world leader in concrete paving equipment, this company has sent large machinery all over the world.

A world leader right here in Ida Grove

Not surprisingly, this company was founded by the Godberson family, which we are now familiar with after touring Byron Godberson’s chalet and hangar. In fact, GOMACO is acronym for Godberson Manufacturing Company, and creates various gadgets and technologies such as, but not limited to: sidewalk and slip-form pavers, rock hopper, shoulder trimmer, cylinder finishers, and even concrete pavers used to pave tunnels in Turkey. All these massive contraptions are responsible for creating underwater canals, sloped waterways, bridge decks, concrete safety barriers, traffic roundabouts, and even the Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee. Additionally, GOMACO’s products have been the contractors choice for airport projects, which means, the next time you’re flying anywhere, look down at where you’re landing, and thank GOMACO for their above par expertise.

This knowledge and skill at creating state-of-the-art machinery is why the United States Department of Interior reached out to GOMACO in 1982 and requested that they take on a whole new project: Trolleys! Choosing a company with such high success ratings, the Department of Interior drew up a contract with GOMACO to produce two trolleys, which needed to be an exact replica of the 1902 J.G. Grill trolley, and were to be delivered to Lowell, Massachusetts.

The start of something new

Being equipped with the warehouse space and a crew of brilliant wood-working craftsman, GOMACO took on the challenge, and in 1984 two trolleys were delivered to Lowell, Massachusetts, making this a historic event. It had been over 60 years since a trolley was built in the United States, but there they were rolling off the flatbed and onto the tracks. In fact, GOMACO took so much pride in their product, they even built a custom-made tractor-trailer allowing the trolley to be driven right off the trailer bed and onto the track. This ensures that no outside equipment is needed, and that no damage is done to the aesthetics of these hand-crafted replicas.

So now that Lowell, Massachusetts has two trolleys, with another on the way, more cities placed their order with GOMACO: Denver Colorado; Little Rock, Arkansas; St. Louis, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Charlotte, North Carolina; Tampa, Florida, multiple cities in California, and even all the way to Taiwan. I mean, who wouldn’t want to ride in an energy-efficient replica from the turn of the century? And all these cities mentioned above knew just that: tourists vacationing from out of town look forward to unique experiences, and what better way than commuting in a piece of history.

All aboard!

Made out of a combination of cherry and oak hardwoods, these two materials overlay each other in alternating patterns, creating one of the trolley’s most recognizable features, their authentic wood benches. However, not all trolleys are the same. As soon as GOMACO receives an order they get to work on designing the layout, and just as they have highly skilled wood-workers they also employ talented and gifted craftsman in their on-site foundry. Here, iron workers create castings of solid brass conductor bells, ornate hand grips, seat fixtures and even the horizontal grab rails that run the entire length of the trolley.

And to make your commute even more enjoyable, each trolley is equipped with air-conditioning, along with full handicap accessibility, ensuring all patrons are able to benefit from this “green” mode of transportation. So, the next time you’re in one of these cities make your way downtown and see if you can spot a GOMACO trolley.

Plan your visit

I do know they give trolley tours of Ida Grove around Christmas time, so if you are wanting a little “Winter Wonderland” in your life, and are looking for something fun to do, then head over to Ida Grove. Be sure to check their cities website (https://idagroveia.com/tis-the-season/) for more information so you know when and where to meet.

To learn more about GOMACO visit their website (https://www.gomaco.com/) and to gain a perspective of all the incredible machinery they build check out their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/GOMACO-Corporation-101818709252390) where they post weekly about what project they have going on currently. It’s actually really neat seeing equipment built in Ida Grove used to pave concrete in Brazil.

For more information on GOMACO Trolley, check out their website (https://www.gomacotrolley.com/index.html) and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gomaco-Trolley-Company/109688002382932). Both links will take you through a visual diary of the various models of trolleys GOMACO manufactures, and where they are currently in operation.

GOMACO Corp.
712-364-3347
121 IA-175
Ida Grove, Iowa 51445

GOMACO Trolley
712-364-3347
121 E. State Highway 175
PO Box 151
Ida Grove, Iowa 51445