North and South Railway
Encyclopedia
The North and South Railway (N&S), now defunct, was an American
railroad planned for construction between Casper, Wyoming
and Miles City, Montana
, via Sheridan, Wyoming
. Though substantial portions of the railroad's grade were completed in 1923, only the far southern end of the line was ever completed, and that trackage was abandoned in 1935.
During the first years of the twentieth century, residents of north-central Wyoming
and south-central Montana
advanced multiple proposals for the construction of a new railway line between Sheridan and Miles City. The proposed route, which generally followed the course of the Tongue River
, would access the vast and remote ranching country between the two towns, and would provide Sheridan with a second railway outlet to the east. (The city was already served by a main line of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
.)
The N&S line to Salt Creek operated only until 1935, when it was abandoned. Substantial evidence of the old railroad grade remains visible today, in both Wyoming and Montana.
Interestingly, the never-completed alignment of the N&S in Montana continues to receive attention as a possible rail corridor today – this time by the Tongue River Railroad, a proposed coal-hauling line between the Decker, Montana area and Miles City.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
railroad planned for construction between Casper, Wyoming
Casper, Wyoming
Casper is the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States.. Casper is the second-largest city in Wyoming , according to the 2010 census, with a population of 55,316...
and Miles City, Montana
Miles City, Montana
Miles City is a city in and the county seat of Custer County, Montana, United States. The population was 8,123 at the 2010 census.- History :...
, via Sheridan, Wyoming
Sheridan, Wyoming
Sheridan is a city in Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States. The 2010 census put the population at 17,444 and a Micropolitan Statistical Area of 29,116...
. Though substantial portions of the railroad's grade were completed in 1923, only the far southern end of the line was ever completed, and that trackage was abandoned in 1935.
History
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
and south-central Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
advanced multiple proposals for the construction of a new railway line between Sheridan and Miles City. The proposed route, which generally followed the course of the Tongue River
Tongue River (Montana)
The Tongue River is a tributary of the Yellowstone River, approximately 265 mi long, in the U.S. states of Wyoming and Montana. The Tongue rises in Wyoming in the Big Horn Mountains, flows through northern Wyoming and southeastern Montana and empties into the Yellowstone River at Miles City,...
, would access the vast and remote ranching country between the two towns, and would provide Sheridan with a second railway outlet to the east. (The city was already served by a main line of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri,...
.)
The N&S line to Salt Creek operated only until 1935, when it was abandoned. Substantial evidence of the old railroad grade remains visible today, in both Wyoming and Montana.
Interestingly, the never-completed alignment of the N&S in Montana continues to receive attention as a possible rail corridor today – this time by the Tongue River Railroad, a proposed coal-hauling line between the Decker, Montana area and Miles City.