Iowa Interstate Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Iowa Interstate Railroad is a Class II railroad
operating in the central United States
. The railroad is owned by Railroad Development Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
.
The railroad was formed on November 2, 1984, using former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
tracks
between Chicago, Illinois, and Omaha, Nebraska
. It was in partnership with real estate
firm Heartland Rail Corporation that the IAIS was able to operate. Heartland purchased the right-of-way
and infrastructure for $
31 million (of which, $15 million was a loan from the Iowa Railway Finance Authority), and then leased it to IAIS for operations.
The railroad's mainline is roughly a straight line between these two terminal cities with a branch line
connecting Bureau
to Peoria, Illinois
. In recognition of the railroad's Rock Island Railroad heritage, the IAIS logo uses a shape similar to the original railroad's logo.
s rather than signals
. When the IAIS took control of the track, the signal system was already damaged beyond repair, so the trains were operated by warrant control. A centralized traffic control
system has yet to be installed on the railroad's mainline. However, a new planned Chicago-Rock Island-Iowa City Amtrak
passenger train is to run twice daily by 2015. It will run on BNSF from Chicago west to Wyanet, Illinois
, and on Iowa Interstate for the remaining portion of the trip to Iowa City, and CTC will be installed for the portion of mainline between Wyanet and Iowa City to accommodate the new passenger train's 79 mph (126 kph) service.
Beginning in the mid 1990s, the IAIS mainline has been identified as a potential route for high speed
passenger train service between Wyanet, Illinois
(where the IAIS could be connected to the BNSF Railway
), the Quad Cities
and Iowa City, Iowa
, as part of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative
(MRRI). The ultimate goal of the MRRI is to establish passenger train routes in a hub-and-spoke
formation with Chicago as the hub that allow for speeds up to and above 110 mph (177 km/h). Estimate of capital costs to upgrade the IAIS mainline to allow passenger train speeds of 79 mph (127 km/h) between Wyanet and Iowa City is $54.9 million, according to an April 2008 study by Amtrak
.
The IAIS and the railroad infrastructure were purchased from Heartland by Railroad Development Corporation in 2003.
IAIS subsidiary Rail Traffic Control provides consulting services for dispatching and operating small- to medium-sized railroads worldwide.
In 2004, IAIS was awarded the E. H. Harriman Award for its safe operational record.
721 and 651 are permanently mated, as are 601 and 650
Current Officers
Class II railroad
A Class II railroad in the United States is a mid-sized freight-hauling railroad, in terms of its operating revenue. , a railroad with revenues greater than $20.5 million but less than $277.7 million for at least three consecutive years is considered a Class II railroad...
operating in the central United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The railroad is owned by Railroad Development Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
.
History
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:...
tracks
Rail tracks
The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast , plus the underlying subgrade...
between Chicago, Illinois, and Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
. It was in partnership with real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
firm Heartland Rail Corporation that the IAIS was able to operate. Heartland purchased the right-of-way
Right-of-way (railroad)
A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted, through an easement or other mechanism, for transportation purposes, such as for a trail, driveway, rail line or highway. A right-of-way is reserved for the purposes of maintenance or expansion of existing services with the right-of-way...
and infrastructure for $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
31 million (of which, $15 million was a loan from the Iowa Railway Finance Authority), and then leased it to IAIS for operations.
The railroad's mainline is roughly a straight line between these two terminal cities with a branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
connecting Bureau
Bureau Junction, Illinois
Bureau Junction, usually called Bureau, is a village in Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 368 at the 2000 census. Though its official name is Bureau Junction, the village is more commonly called Bureau, and Bureau is the main name used by phone companies, the federal Board...
to Peoria, Illinois
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
. In recognition of the railroad's Rock Island Railroad heritage, the IAIS logo uses a shape similar to the original railroad's logo.
Operations
Operations on the railroad are controlled by track warrantTrack warrant
Track warrants are systematized permissions used on some railroad lines to authorize a train's use of the main line. Dispatchers issue these permissions to train crews instead of using signals. The crews receive track warrants by radio, phone, or electronic transmission from a...
s rather than signals
Railway signal
A signal is a mechanical or electrical device erected beside a railway line to pass information relating to the state of the line ahead to train/engine drivers. The driver interprets the signal's indication and acts accordingly...
. When the IAIS took control of the track, the signal system was already damaged beyond repair, so the trains were operated by warrant control. A centralized traffic control
Centralized traffic control
Centralized traffic control is a form of railway signalling that originated in North America and centralizes train routing decisions that were previously carried out by local signal operators or the train crews themselves. The system consists of a centralized train dispatcher's office that...
system has yet to be installed on the railroad's mainline. However, a new planned Chicago-Rock Island-Iowa City Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
passenger train is to run twice daily by 2015. It will run on BNSF from Chicago west to Wyanet, Illinois
Wyanet, Illinois
Wyanet is a village in Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,028 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Wyanet is located at ....
, and on Iowa Interstate for the remaining portion of the trip to Iowa City, and CTC will be installed for the portion of mainline between Wyanet and Iowa City to accommodate the new passenger train's 79 mph (126 kph) service.
Beginning in the mid 1990s, the IAIS mainline has been identified as a potential route for high speed
High Speed Train
There are three types of trains in Britain that have been traditionally viewed as high speed trains:* Advanced Passenger Train - Tilting trains which never entered into regular revenue-earning service....
passenger train service between Wyanet, Illinois
Wyanet, Illinois
Wyanet is a village in Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,028 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Wyanet is located at ....
(where the IAIS could be connected to 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...
), the Quad Cities
Quad Cities
The Quad Cities is a group of five cities straddling the Mississippi River on the Iowa–Illinois boundary. These cities, Davenport and Bettendorf and Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline , are the center of the Quad Cities Metropolitan Area, which, as of 2010, had an estimated population of...
and Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...
, as part of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative
Midwest Regional Rail Initiative
The Chicago Hub Network is a collection of proposed fast conventional and high-speed rail lines in the Midwestern United States including of track. Since the 1990s, there have been multiple proposals to improve the links from Chicago, Illinois to major destinations including Indianapolis, Indiana,...
(MRRI). The ultimate goal of the MRRI is to establish passenger train routes in a hub-and-spoke
Spoke-hub distribution paradigm
The hub-and-spoke distribution paradigm is a system of connections arranged like a chariot wheel, in which all traffic moves along spokes connected to the hub at the center...
formation with Chicago as the hub that allow for speeds up to and above 110 mph (177 km/h). Estimate of capital costs to upgrade the IAIS mainline to allow passenger train speeds of 79 mph (127 km/h) between Wyanet and Iowa City is $54.9 million, according to an April 2008 study by Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
.
The IAIS and the railroad infrastructure were purchased from Heartland by Railroad Development Corporation in 2003.
IAIS subsidiary Rail Traffic Control provides consulting services for dispatching and operating small- to medium-sized railroads worldwide.
In 2004, IAIS was awarded the E. H. Harriman Award for its safe operational record.
Motive power
IAIS uses 47 locomotives and two slugs to power its trains:- 14 GE ES44AC (Numbered 500-513); unit 513 is painted in a Rock IslandChicago, Rock Island and Pacific RailroadThe Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:...
commemorative scheme. - 8 EMD SD38-2EMD SD38-2An EMD SD38-2 is a six-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division from 1972 to 1979. EMD built 83 of these medium road-switchers, which were used in both yard and mainline roles. Part of the EMD Dash 2 line, the SD38-2 was an upgraded SD38 with modular electronic...
(Numbered 150-157) - 22 EMD GP38-2EMD GP38-2An EMD GP38-2 is a four-axle diesel-electric locomotive of the road switcher type built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. Part of the EMD Dash 2 line, the GP38-2 was an upgraded version of the earlier GP38...
(Numbered 700-721) - 1 EMD GP38EMD GP38An EMD GP38 is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between January 1966 and December 1971. Power was provided by an EMD 645 16-cylinder engine which generated ....
(Numbered 601) - 2 SlugsSlug (railroad)A railroad slug is an accessory to a diesel-electric locomotive. It has trucks with traction motors but is unable to move about under its own power, as it does not contain a prime mover to produce electricity...
(Numbered 650 and 651)
721 and 651 are permanently mated, as are 601 and 650
- 2 QJ 2-10-2China Railways QJThe QJ was a type of heavy freight steam locomotive used by China Railways. The majority were made by Datong locomotive factory...
(Numbered 6988 and 7081), used for special excursions
Company officers
Presidents of the Iowa Interstate Railroad:- Doug Christy
- Jon R. Roy ( –2002)
- Dennis H. Miller (2004–present)
Current Officers
- Dennis H. Miller, President and CEO
- Richard Stoeckly, Vice President-Chief Operating Officer
- Pat Sheldon, VP Mechanical/Engineering
- Randy Laughridge, Chief Mechanical Officer