Nebraska Northwestern Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Nebraska Northwestern Railroad is a Class III railroad
that began operations in April 2010 after it purchased 7.5 miles of former Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern, previously Chicago and Northwestern Railway Cowboy Line track between Dakota Junction and the rail yard at Chadron, Nebraska
. In addition to the 7.5 miles of owned track, the railroad leased the line between the connection with the DME Rapid City line at Dakota Junction and the connection with BNSF Railway
at Crawford, Nebraska
.
In addition to the connections to the west, the railroad connects with the remaining 4 miles of track owned by the Nebkota Railway
coming from the east where a unit train
grain loading facility has been proposed.
Included in the purchase of the track were the railroad facilities at Chadron, including the former Chicago Northwestern roundhouse. Nebraska Northwestern intends to use the roundhouse for the repair and refurbishing of large railroad equipment.
In the spring of 2011 a 4.9 million dollar Federal Tiger grant was awarded to pay 80% of the cost of upgrading the line between Chadron and Dakota Junction to continuous rail and to add stringers and ties to the bridges between Chadron and Crawford.
Class III railroad
A Class III railroad, as defined by the Surface Transportation Board, is a railroad with an annual operating revenue of less than $20 million . The term only applies to United States railroads, but is sometimes applied to other countries...
that began operations in April 2010 after it purchased 7.5 miles of former Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern, previously Chicago and Northwestern Railway Cowboy Line track between Dakota Junction and the rail yard at Chadron, Nebraska
Chadron, Nebraska
Chadron is a city in Dawes County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 5,851 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dawes County. Chadron is the home of Chadron State College....
. In addition to the 7.5 miles of owned track, the railroad leased the line between the connection with the DME Rapid City line at Dakota Junction and the connection with 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...
at Crawford, Nebraska
Crawford, Nebraska
Crawford is a city in Dawes County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 997 at the 2010 census. It was incorporated in 1886 and was named for the late Captain Emmet Crawford who had previously been stationed at nearby Fort Robinson.-Geography:...
.
In addition to the connections to the west, the railroad connects with the remaining 4 miles of track owned by the Nebkota Railway
Nebkota Railway
The Nebkota Railway is a Class III railroad that began operations in 1994 with of former Chicago and North Western Railway Cowboy Line track between Merriman and Chadron, Nebraska. Due to a loss of grain shipments from Gordon, Nebraska in 2006 the railroad abandoned the eastern of its line...
coming from the east where a unit train
Unit train
A unit train, also called a block train, is a railway train in which all the cars making it up are shipped from the same origin to the same destination, without being split up or stored en route...
grain loading facility has been proposed.
Included in the purchase of the track were the railroad facilities at Chadron, including the former Chicago Northwestern roundhouse. Nebraska Northwestern intends to use the roundhouse for the repair and refurbishing of large railroad equipment.
In the spring of 2011 a 4.9 million dollar Federal Tiger grant was awarded to pay 80% of the cost of upgrading the line between Chadron and Dakota Junction to continuous rail and to add stringers and ties to the bridges between Chadron and Crawford.