Dakota Southern Railway

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Dakota Southern Railway
Reporting marks	DSRC
Locale	South Dakota
Dates of operation	1987–
Predecessor line	Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
Track gauge	4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters	Chamberlain, South Dakota

The Dakota Southern Railway is a railway in that runs 189.7 miles (305.0 km) between Presho, South Dakota and Mitchell, South Dakota.^[1][2] It connects with the BNSF Railway in Mitchell..^[3]

[edit] History

The line is part of a former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P) secondary built between Marquette, Iowa and Rapid City, South Dakota during the period of 1880 and 1907.^[3] The line lost profitability and was embargoed in 1980 and subsequently bought by the South Dakota Department of Transportation, which still owns the tracks.^[4] The purchase was orchestrated by Governor Bill Janklow.^[5]

The Dakota Southern also operated a line from Napa, South Dakota to Platte, South Dakota from 1985-1989.^[3]

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 resumed as far as Presho, South Dakota in 2007. While the line still officially goes all the way to Kadoka, a grade crossing in Vivian, South Dakota is currently paved over.^[5]

[edit] Locomotive Roster

• Dakota Southern 75, a GE 70-ton switcher
• Dakota Southern 213, an ALCO Century 420
• Dakota Southern 506, an EMD SD9
• Dakota Southern 512, an EMD SD7
• Dakota Southern 522, an EMD SD7
• Dakota Southern 4427, an EMD SD9E
• Dakota Southern 719, an EMD GP30 used for parts
• Union Pacific 6925, an EMD DDA40X, inoperable and displayed in Chamberlain.^[6]

[edit] References

1. ^ SDDOT / Railroads / Current Rail System / Rail Carriers / Dakota Southern (asp). Retrieved on 2007-10-10.
2. ^ Icherald.com: News/Comments/Dakota Southern locomotive heads to Presho (php). Retrieved on 2007-10-11.
3. ^ ^{a b c} Lewis (1996). American Shortline Railway Guide. Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 0890242909. 
4. ^ SDDOT/Railroads/Current Rail System/Basic Mileage (asp). Retrieved on 2007-10-11.
5. ^ ^{a b} Dakota Southern reopens service to grain shippers after seven years (asp). Retrieved on 2007-10-11.
6. ^ Lewis (1996). American Shortline Railway Guide. Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 0890242909.