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On my layout I am free lancing Imogene Iowa because at one time Norfolk & Western passed through.  I wanted to add a free lance model of a telephone office.  However, give the town population was 270 back in 1940-50, I assume it was a farmer co-op where farmers strung phones together and someone had a switchboard in the house, rather than a "fancy" stand alone building.

So anyone from the Southwestern area of Iowa know what kind of telephone service or company name etc existed back in 1940-50 era?

Researched Imogene Iowa on net and got population and history and people etc but no leads on telephones.  So don't know whether to kitbash an Ameritown postoffice as telephone brick office or just some MTH farm clapboard sided house with Imogene Farmer Telephone Co-op in yard.

Last edited by rrman
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Googled Imogene Iowa and made contact with someone who maintains a website of small town. in the township.  She replied basically:

It was unknown when Imogene got first telephones, but a gentleman bought it from a co-op in 1950s, modernized the outside wire plant "bringing it up to code" and bought a switchboard capable of handling 150 numbers.  He gutted and modernized a ca. 1906 two story frame building, installing the switchboard and necessary electrical plant on ground floor, had a room set off as a telephone booth, and moved his family into the second story (reminiscent of RR depot families) .  Many years later, whole deal was sold to another telephone company which in turn sold it later to the present owner cartel. 

Town has dwindled from 274 people at peak to 45 as of last census.  Looking via googlemap shows town now as wide place in road but you can see traces where the Wabash RR (nee St Louis and Pacific) went through.

The writer will see if there is a picture of structure to send for modeling.  But since my whole layout is free lanced with artistic license, I am not too concerned with accuracy.

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