One of my favorite movements on NS is the flatcars with John Deere tractors. These move east 1x or 2x per week, usually on train 16G a BRC to Conway train.
Anyone know where the John Deere tractors originate? Probably in Iowa, but unsure if these move via UP, BNSF, or Iowa Rail into Chicago.
Are these loaded on JD property or at a loading center?
Thanks,
Ed
Deere’s main plant is in Moline so they would have a choice of routes heading east.
It appears that tractors are assembled in Waterloo, IA.
But they have factories in a number of cities:
https://www.deere.com/assets/pdfs/common/our-company/about/jd-world-locations.pdf
The Waterloo plant is on the UP. Originally it was on the CGW, then CNW, Oelwein to Des Moines and Kansas City line. The UP maintains ownership of the Waterloo to Oelwein tracks, the largest section of Oelwein to KC that remains. UP has leased, but I believe retains ownership, of most of the trackage outside the Waterloo industrial area to the Iowa Northern.
UP kept one yard job there to service the industries. A few years ago they tried contracting out that job to the Iowa Northern. I had heard that IANR was going to give it back to UP, but I think they still do the switching for UP.
Cars to/from Waterloo travel between Cedar Rapids and Waterloo on the IANR. I imagine that tractors are going this route. At Cedar Rapids (Beverly Yard) they would be picked up by an eastbound.
Jeff
Quite a few of those rascals go out of Creve Coeur / East Peoria on the Tazewell and Peoria (old P&PU) along with CAT equipment.
Although born in Vermont, John Deere lived his entire adult life in Illinois, and the company has always been headquartered there I believe. In later life he served a term as mayor of Moline.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Deere_(inventor)
I might be wrong, but I seem to recall that he was friends with another Illinois businessman, George Pullman, and was on the Pullman Co. board of directors at one time?