History

The D&W Railroad was formed in 2002 by TRANSCO Railway Products

Transco Railway Products

Transco was founded in October 1936, with its business mainly focused on servicing the railroad industry. In 1984, the company was restructured, with Transco Inc. now serving as the parent company for a number of subsidiary corporations, including Transco Railway Products Inc., Transco Products...

 to acquire the rail line from Dewar

Dewar, Iowa

Dewar is an unincorporated community in eastern Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. It lies along local roads northeast of the city of Waterloo, the county seat of Black Hawk County. Its elevation is 889 feet . Although Dewar is unincorporated, it has a post office with the ZIP code of...

 to Oelwein, Iowa

Oelwein, Iowa

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,692 people, 2,808 households, and 1,819 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,395.8 people per square mile . There were 3,040 housing units at an average density of 634.1 per square mile...

, from 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....

 in lieu of abandonment. D&W Railroad headquarters are located in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

. In 2005 the railroad reorganized from D&W Railroad, Inc., to D&W Railroad, LLC.

The D&W owns 18.8 miles (30.3 km) of track. The railroad is operated by the Iowa Northern Railway

Iowa Northern Railway

The Iowa Northern Railway is a Class III shortline railroad operating in the U.S. state of Iowa.-History:The origin of the Iowa Northern Railway starts with the major portion of the Manly to Cedar Rapids line which was built in the 1870s by the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railroad...

to provide service to shippers.

Upon the completion of the Hawkeye Renewables, LLC Plant in Fairbank in May 2006, Hawkeye Renewables became part owner of the line from Dewer to just outside of Fairbank. Plant capcity was originally stated as 100 MMGPY(Annual ethanol production capacity (in millions of
gallons)) but quickly increased to 115 MMGPY of ethanol production.

On January 6, 2011, Hawkeye Renewables, LLC plant in Fairbank a notice of agreement was given of sale to Flint Hills Resources Renewables, LLC. Sale of the Hawkeye Renewables, LLC plant in Fairbank to Flint Hills Resources Renewables, LLC was completed on February 17, 2011. Upon completion of the sale Hawkeye Renewables, LLC relinquished its part ownership of the D&W Railroad back to TRANSCO Railway Products.

The main products handled on the rail line include grain, chemicals, plastic pellets, grain products and rail cars to be repaired or rebuilt.

Naming

The "D" and "W" was dedicated in remembrance for Dan and Woody, two former TRANSCO Railway Products employees, who lost their lives in an tragic accident in Oelwein.

External links

• TRANSCO Railway Products Inc. D&W Railroads parent company and further contact.