Smart - ethanol plant sited for service from two Class I's

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

From ProgressiveRailroading.com…

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/freightnews/article.asp?id=10219

Proposed Ethanex Energy plant in Southern Illinois will be served by BNSF and UP.

Smart, very smart.

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132 million gallons. That is huge. I visited the large BIO ENERGY in Albert City IA recently. It is scheduled for 100 million gallons per year and it is served by UP only.

3

Hopefully it will get to market qucker that way.

4

There’s an ethanol plant being built in Rochelle–I don’t know its intended capacity (doesn’t look like much). It’s being served by the city’s own railroad, which means that both UP and BNSF could handle the stuff beyond town.

5

There is another one in Streator IL being built I think it is 80 Million gallons it could be served by both the BNSF and the NS so that way one could haul it west and the other could take it east. These plants are built were there are 3 things good source of feedstocks like corn or other grains that make decent amounts of ethanol. 2 good transportation that way low cost to ship both the ethanol and the byproducts out. 3 A local goverment willing to give the tax breaks needed to make a profit til they can make a profit on their own.

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What do you mean?,The city of Rochellle has its own railroad,or leased rails.Please explain.Ray

7

I believe there is an Eplant also in the works for Gilman, Illinois.

Also in downstate Roberts, Tuscola and Gibson City.

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I believe the City of Rochelle owns the industrial spurs that serve various industries on the east side of town. The switching duties are farmed out to Burlington Junction Railway out of Quincy, Ill.

This is the rebuilt and repainted SW1200 that has been doing the switching, photo taken at Eola en route for delivery last fall:

9

Now if they built this ethanol plant to be powered by Powder River coal, I think they’d have the tiger by the tail.[;)]

10

Wow ,thank you for the reply,bet that is a money maker for the city.Will have to look for that area ,next trip from Wisconsin

11

This plant has a lot more going for it than the article mentions. Just south of the town of Waltonville is a (coal)mine served by CN. Maybe they would build a generating plant. NS has trackage rights on the CN just west of the town.

Also noted, I-57 and I-64 junction is also nearby. Now we are talking “Options”

12

Location, location, location…

So why is Waltonville so dern small?

And as I’ve said elsewhere, burning coal to make ethanol is like burning Cognac to make Thunderbird. It’d make more sense for those Southern Illinois coal companies to build some coal-to-diesel plants.

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The Minnesota Valley railroad (A short line based out of Morton, Minnesota) is going to be hauling ethanol out of a plant a few miles they are going to be hauling it out and then have the Twin cities and western haul it to the Twin cities and then onward to all the towns around. So it’s starting to catch on and gain popularity. I can’t wait to see the Minnesota valley hauling all the ethanol out of there. It will be cool.[tup]

Happy railroading[(-D]

James