We just got back from a trip to our state’s capitol. Along the way, I saw the oddest place to store idle coal cars. On the Dakota Southern ( former Milwaukee Road) lines west of Chamberlain, S.D. was about a mile of stored coal cars. I realize that a shortline can make some money storing cars for a Class1. Locally, the Ellis & Eastern seems to have cars stored for BNSF.
The cars west of Chamberlain, however, are on a line that barely gets used, and then, only every few years. That would seem to make it a prime candidate. But, it’s about a 70 mile trip down the line to the interchange point with BNSF. The track in question is probably good for about 10 miles per hour. Somebody spent the better part of a day moving them there.
The Maw(maumee and western) had coal cars stored along us 24 between napoleon and liberty center ohio.With the track condition it took them 2 days to get them back to the csx siding in Defiance so that they could be put back to use.
Hey Murphy haven’t you heard? They’re going to rebuild the line from Mitchell to White Lake this summer, then to Reliance next year, then on to Murdo the year after. Dakota Southern is under new ownership.
For real. There was a large write up in the Huron paper right after it was announced. And I THINK there was a short blurb in Trains 2 or 3 issues back.
’ Found it. March issue, page 9. The railroad has been " largely dormant for more tnan a decade due to adverse interline grain rates and poor track conditions".
The poor track conditions is pretty cut and dried. The state bought the line from The Milwaukee around 1980. I twas in tough shape then, and didn’t have enough business to keep it operating. What does adverse interline grain rates refer to? The only connection is with BNSF at Mitchell. I can’t see what would make the adverse rates change with a new ownr.
When they had to deal only with BNSF at Mitchell, BNSF wanted so much money it was cheaper for the elevators along the line to truck their grain up to the DM&E.
When the state sold the BNSF the former Milwaukee Road track they had been leasing for 25 years, South Dakota got a concession out of BNSF.
Dakota Southern was granted trackage rights on BNSF from Mitchell to Sioux City. Sioux City is served by BNSF, UP and another railroad, CN I believe. Now DS can haul their grain to Sioux City and deal with 3 railroads, not one.