Dakota Southern Railway
Encyclopedia
The Dakota Southern Railway is a railway that runs 189.7 miles (305.3 km) between Kadoka, South Dakota
and Mitchell, South Dakota
. It connects with the BNSF Railway
in Mitchell.
(CMStP&P) secondary built between Marquette, Iowa
and Rapid City, South Dakota
during the period of 1880 and 1907. The line lost profitability and was embargoed in 1980 and subsequently bought by the South Dakota Department of Transportation
, which still owns the tracks. The purchase was orchestrated by Governor Bill Janklow
.
The Dakota Southern also operated a line from Napa, South Dakota to Platte, South Dakota
from 1985-1989.
The railway originally hauled large amounts of grain
, but this business became unprofitable in the late 1990s. Between 2000 and 2007, the railway had just one customer—a box
factory in Mitchell, South Dakota
, and thus no trains passed that point. In 2005, however, the railway obtained a haulage agreement with BNSF to allow it to operate to Sioux City, where it could transfer with the Union Pacific Railroad
and the Canadian National Railway
, making grain service profitable again. After track repairs, service briefly resumed as far as Presho, South Dakota
in the fall of 2007. While the line still officially goes all the way to Kadoka, a grade crossing in Vivian, South Dakota
is currently paved over, as well as one in Belvidere
.
On October 1, 2009 new owners took over the day to day operations of the railroad. They planned to rehabilitate the entire line to Murdo over the next 3 years. The first year was to be from Mitchell
to White Lake
, the 2nd year to Chamberlain
and in the 3rd year rehabilitation would be carried out to Murdo.
In the spring of 2011 a 16 million dollar Federal Tiger grant was secured to help finance the 28 million dollar rebuild of 61.6 miles of the line between Mitchell and Chamberlain. Work began in late May 2011. According to former railroad owner Alex Huff, the 65 pound rail will be replaced with 136, 132 and 115 pound rail. As a result of the rebuilding, two competing companies have proposed building 110 car shuttle loading facilities near Kimball, South Dakota
.
The new owners are Mike Williams and Stan Patterson. They both own other lines in the country. Mike Williams owns the Bountiful Grain and Craig Mountain Railroad
, Ozark Valley Railroad
and the Iowa River Railroad
. Stan Patterson operates the Washington and Idaho Railway
.
Kadoka, South Dakota
Kadoka is a city in Jackson County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 654 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Jackson County.-Geography:Kadoka is located at ....
and Mitchell, South Dakota
Mitchell, South Dakota
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 14,558 people, 6,121 households, and 3,599 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,475.7 people per square mile . There were 6,555 housing units at an average density of 664.4 per square mile...
. It connects with the BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
in Mitchell.
History
The line is part of a former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific RailroadChicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until its merger into the Soo Line Railroad on January 1, 1986. The company went through several official names...
(CMStP&P) secondary built between Marquette, Iowa
Marquette, Iowa
Marquette is a city in Clayton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 421 at the 2000 census. The city, which is located on the Mississippi River, is named after Jesuit missionary Jacques Marquette, who along with Louis Joliet discovered the Mississippi River just southeast of the city on...
and Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek on which the city is established, it is set against the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. The population was 67,956 as of the 2010 Census. Rapid...
during the period of 1880 and 1907. The line lost profitability and was embargoed in 1980 and subsequently bought by the South Dakota Department of Transportation
South Dakota Department of Transportation
The South Dakota Department of Transportation is a state government organization in charge of maintaining public roadways of the U.S. state of South Dakota.-External links:*...
, which still owns the tracks. The purchase was orchestrated by Governor Bill Janklow
Bill Janklow
William John "Bill" Janklow served as the 25th Attorney General of South Dakota, before being elected as South Dakota's 27th and 30th Governor, as well as to the United States House of Representatives where he served for a little more than a year. A Republican, Janklow's career has continued as a...
.
The Dakota Southern also operated a line from Napa, South Dakota to Platte, South Dakota
Platte, South Dakota
Platte is a city in Charles Mix County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,230 at the 2010 census. The community is named after the Platte Creek.- History :Settlement began in the area in the early 1880s....
from 1985-1989.
The railway originally hauled large amounts of grain
GRAIN
GRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation that works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems. Our support takes the form of independent research and analysis, networking at local, regional and...
, but this business became unprofitable in the late 1990s. Between 2000 and 2007, the railway had just one customer—a box
Box
Box describes a variety of containers and receptacles for permanent use as storage, or for temporary use often for transporting contents. The word derives from the Greek πύξος , "box, boxwood"....
factory in Mitchell, South Dakota
Mitchell, South Dakota
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 14,558 people, 6,121 households, and 3,599 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,475.7 people per square mile . There were 6,555 housing units at an average density of 664.4 per square mile...
, and thus no trains passed that point. In 2005, however, the railway obtained a haulage agreement with BNSF to allow it to operate to Sioux City, where it could transfer with the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
and the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
, making grain service profitable again. After track repairs, service briefly resumed as far as Presho, South Dakota
Presho, South Dakota
Presho is a small city in Lyman County, South Dakota, United States. It is named for J. S. Presho, an early settler from New York who arrived in the area in 1858...
in the fall of 2007. While the line still officially goes all the way to Kadoka, a grade crossing in Vivian, South Dakota
Vivian, South Dakota
Vivian is a census-designated place in Lyman County, South Dakota. The population was 119 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Vivian is located at ....
is currently paved over, as well as one in Belvidere
Belvidere, South Dakota
Belvidere is a city in Jackson County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 49 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Belvidere is located at ....
.
On October 1, 2009 new owners took over the day to day operations of the railroad. They planned to rehabilitate the entire line to Murdo over the next 3 years. The first year was to be from Mitchell
Mitchell
Mitchell may refer to:* B-25 Mitchell, an American World War II-era bomber aircraft* Billy Mitchell Award, a Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program award* Mitchell , an automobile built in Racine, Wisconsin from 1903-1923...
to White Lake
White Lake, South Dakota
White Lake is a city in Aurora County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 372 at the 2010 census.-Geography:White Lake is located at ....
, the 2nd year to Chamberlain
Chamberlain, South Dakota
Chamberlain is a city in Brule County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 2,387 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Brule County. Chamberlain is home to the Akta Lakota Museum and Cultural Center, which profiles the lives of nomadic Plains Indians...
and in the 3rd year rehabilitation would be carried out to Murdo.
In the spring of 2011 a 16 million dollar Federal Tiger grant was secured to help finance the 28 million dollar rebuild of 61.6 miles of the line between Mitchell and Chamberlain. Work began in late May 2011. According to former railroad owner Alex Huff, the 65 pound rail will be replaced with 136, 132 and 115 pound rail. As a result of the rebuilding, two competing companies have proposed building 110 car shuttle loading facilities near Kimball, South Dakota
Kimball, South Dakota
Kimball is a town in Brule County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 703 at the 2010 census.-History:Kimball was first known as Stake 48 on the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad line going west out of Mitchell, South Dakota. In 1880, the first homestead claims were made in the...
.
The new owners are Mike Williams and Stan Patterson. They both own other lines in the country. Mike Williams owns the Bountiful Grain and Craig Mountain Railroad
Bountiful Grain and Craig Mountain Railroad
The BG&CM Railroad or Bountiful Grain and Craig Mountain Railroad is a Class III shortline railroad operating between Spalding and Cottonwood, Idaho, along the former route of the Camas Prairie Railroad. Spalding is located about east of Lewiston along Idaho's western border with Washington. BGCM...
, Ozark Valley Railroad
Ozark Valley Railroad
-External links:*...
and the Iowa River Railroad
Iowa River Railroad
The Iowa River Railroad operates freight service from Marshalltown, Iowa to Ackley, Iowa, for a distance of 41.89 miles. Traffic includes plastics, fertilizers and grain products.- History :...
. Stan Patterson operates the Washington and Idaho Railway
Washington and Idaho Railway
The Washington and Idaho Railway is a shortline railroad that operates in the area south of Spokane, Washington, connecting the BNSF Railway at Marshall to Palouse, Washington, Harvard, Idaho, and Moscow, Idaho...
.
Locomotive Roster
- Dakota Southern 75, a GE 70-ton switcherGE 70-ton switcherThe GE 70-ton switcher is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by General Electric between about 1942 and 1955. It is classified as a B-B type locomotive. The first series of "70 tonners" were a group of seven center cab locomotives built for the New York Central Railroad in November, 1942. These...
- Dakota Southern 213, an ALCO Century 420ALCO Century 420The ALCO Century 420 was a four-axle, 2000 horsepower diesel locomotive of the road switcher type. 131 were built between June 1963 and August 1968. Cataloged as a part of ALCO's "Century" line of locomotives, the C420 was intended to replace the earlier RS-32 model.- Original Owners :Since...
- Dakota Southern 506, an EMD SD9EMD SD9An EMD SD9 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between January 1954 and June 1959. Power was provided by an EMD 567C 16-cylinder engine which generated . This model is, externally, similar to its predecessor, the SD7. The principal spotting feature are the...
- Dakota Southern 512, an EMD SD7EMD SD7An EMD SD7 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between February 1952 and November 1953. Power was provided by an EMD 567B 16-cylinder engine which generated ....
- Dakota Southern 522, an EMD SD7EMD SD7An EMD SD7 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between February 1952 and November 1953. Power was provided by an EMD 567B 16-cylinder engine which generated ....
- Dakota Southern 4427, an EMD SD9EEMD SD9An EMD SD9 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between January 1954 and June 1959. Power was provided by an EMD 567C 16-cylinder engine which generated . This model is, externally, similar to its predecessor, the SD7. The principal spotting feature are the...
- Dakota Southern 719, an EMD GP30EMD GP30The EMD GP30 was a 2,250 hp four-axle B-B diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois between July, 1961 and November, 1963...
used for parts - Union Pacific 6925, an EMD DDA40XEMD DDA40XThe EMD DDA40X was a D-D diesel-electric locomotive built by the General Motors EMD division of La Grange, Illinois for the Union Pacific Railroad...
, inoperable and displayed in Chamberlain.