In April of 1912, several of the colonists gathered to begin work on the development of a railroad.

One of the major factors in getting the railroad through Ioamosa was the fact that the young people of high school age had to ride a horse and buggy to Euclid Street in order to attend Chaffey High School.

Probably the hardest worker of those who pressed the railroad issue was Captain P. A. Demens. It was his feeling that because so much (over two-thirds) of the citrus fruit of Cucamonga and Ioamosa came from the land above the Cucamonga station, a railroad was necessary through Ioamosa.

A committee was chosen to work out the details of bringing the railroad through the area. This group consisted of Captain Demens, Earnest Goelitz, Leonard Smith, Dr. E. W. Reid, Frank A. Haley, Henry Albert, and Robert Wagner.

The committee was able to raise funds totaling over $19,000 from settlers in the area.

Also in 1912, a contest was set up to select a new name for the colony. The "new town" was to be built next to the proposed railroad tracks and it was felt that a new name would be fitting for the town. The name selected was Alta Loma, meaning "high hill." This name was to become permanent but the name of the person that proposed it seems to have been lost to history.

Following the selection of the name, newly selected postmaster Franklin Roth petitioned Postmaster General Frank H. Hitchcock for a change in the name from Ioamosa to Alta Loma. The change, of course, was granted.

For one reason or another, after the change of the name, things began to move very slowly concerning the completion of the railroad. Finally, however, the system was completed. Much of the credit for this can be given to Captain Demens.

In January 1914, the tracks were completed through Alta Loma and on to Etiwanda. In July, dedication ceremonies were held in San Bernardino to commemorate the opening of the Pacific Electric Railway from Los Angeles to San Bernardino by way of Alta Loma. A silver spike was presented at this time, to Paul Shoup, president of the railway.

After the completion of the railroad, the community began to make quite a surge in its growth, and it was at this time that the Ioamosa Foothill Citrus Association packinghouse was built. In fact, a total of four packinghouses were constructed on or near the new railroad tracks. They were the Alta Loma Warehouse, Hillside Groves’ packinghouse, American Fruit Growers’ packinghouse, and the Ioamosa Foothill building.

It was at this time that postmaster Roth established his grocery store on Amethyst Street just north of the railroad tracks. Roth had originally operated a store and the post office at the northwest corner of Hellman Avenue and 19th Street. Roth operated the business on Amethyst Street for several years and then sold to Gordon Billings.