The recent flooding in Cedar Rapids has brought some attention to the CRANDIC railroad. I checked out their website for information.
Who owns it? It appears they handle considerable corn/grain products into and out of CR. Is that their main business. Carloadings last year were 90,000 cars which translates into about 250 cars daily, a considerable amount of business for a carrier their size. They indicated an investment was made in Iowa Interstate…is there a close working relationship?
Anything else that can be provided is appreciated.
Alliant Energy owns the Crandic. Iowa Interstate moved their offices to CR a few years back and took over some of the line to CR as trackage rights ( I think).Yes the randic and IAIS have a good relationship going as a LOT of grain goes to CR and the area.
A very nice outfit - I had a lot of enjoyment watching and photographing them in Cedar Rapids. They’re largely an industrial transfer-type operation, serving ADM, their owners Alliant Energy, and some of the other food-processing plants in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. I liken them (on a smaller scale of course) to the Minnesota Commerical Rwy in the Twin Cities. ADM is definitely one of their biggest customers down on the south-side of Cedar Rapids. I think they also carry a considerable amount of transfer work between the IAIS in Iowa City and the UP and possibly CN serving Cedar Rapids. As I recall the IAIS took-over the haulage of coal up the former MILW’s Cedar Rapids - Ottumwa line, from Homestead to Cedar Rapids, but that was after I moved (I seldom saw CRANDIC trains on that line, but I photographed every one that I did see!).
I think IAIS handles all the traffic on the former MILW line now. CRANDIC still runs down the old interurban line through North Liberty/Coralville at least three times a week, last I heard.
On a historical note, when the CRANDIC was electrified, they ran trollies between Cedar Rapids & Iowa City, and the railway called them “comets”. Quite naturally, the riders quickly renamed them the “vomit comets” due to the swaying.
The Crandic was one of the original partners in the Heartland group that started up the IAIS. Quite a few years ago the Chicago West Pullman Corp was trying to buy the IAIS. They had not finished the deal, but exerted control over them. Many cost cutting items were put in place, one of which was shutting down the IAIS for 24 hours over the weekend.
The Crandic brought enough pressure to kill the deal. As I was told, during the day the IAIS was shut down, the Crandic sent traffic up to Waterloo to the CC&P via the IANR. This was more costly than being able to use the IAIS on a 7 day basis. At the time, the Crandic had a haulage agreement with the IAIS to all interchange points the IAIS reached. In effect, the Crandic interchanged with every railroad the IAIS did.
The Crandic, from what I understand, still switches the industries on the Homestead line. Actually, I think there is only one active at Walford, IA that receives farm chemicals. The coal trains and interchange traffic is handled by the IAIS. The IAIS comes up as far as the yard off of Edgewood Road, down by Beverly.
The Crandic also owns the ex-RI line from Iowa City to Hills, IA. There are a few industries on this line within Iowa City and one or two at Hills. All served as needed.
A friend of mine, now deceased, was the last Crandic agent at Iowa City. A few years ago the Crandic received a group of covered hoppers. They have named them in honor of active, retired and deceased employees. His is CIC 2086; Originally named in “Honor of,” after his passing it was restencilled to “In memory of G. E. Goodwin.” I still see it from time to time on the UP. The last few times I have seen it, it was badly vandalized by graffiti.