Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad

Last updated
Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad
Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad logo.png
New paint (14818186188).jpg
Freshly-painted EMD SD40-2 No. 3423 in Rapid City in 2014
Overview
Headquarters Rapid City, South Dakota
Reporting mark RCPE
Locale Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming
Dates of operation2014 (2014)Present
Predecessor Canadian Pacific Railway
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Length743 miles
Other
Website Official website

Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad( reporting mark RCPE) is a Class II freight railroad operating across South Dakota and southern Minnesota in the northern plains of the United States. Portions of the railroad also extend into Wyoming and Nebraska. It is owned and operated by Genesee & Wyoming. The primary commodities shipped are grain, clay, and cement. [1] Operations began on June 1, 2014. [2]

Contents

History

Genesee & Wyoming, a holding company of mostly shortline railroads, formed the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern to acquire the western end of the former Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad (DM&E) rail line from the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). The RCPE and DM&E entered an agreement on January 2, 2014, wherein RCPE would acquire 670 miles of track and 219 miles of trackage rights from the DM&E. [3] The acquisition was completed on May 30, 2014, for $210 million. Most of its employees came over from the DM&E. [4] Operations began on June 1, 2014.

The State of South Dakota partnered with the RCPE to enhance rail service and keep agricultural commodities moving to market. [5] In 2021, the RCPE received state and federal funding totalling US$42 million to upgrade 163 miles of rail between Fort Pierre and Rapid City. [6] This project updated that portion of the line with 136 pound continuous welded rail. [7] This increased the weight capacity of rail cars from 263,000-pound to 286,000-pound and the speed limit from 10 mph to a minimum of 25 mph. [7]

Route

The Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern owns 743 miles (1,196 km) of track. The main line runs between Tracy, Minnesota, and Rapid City, South Dakota, with branches north to Colony, in Crook County, Wyoming, and south to Dakota Junction, Nebraska. [8] Much of the main line from Tracy to Rapid City is paralleled by U.S. Route 14. The route travels the length of the state from the eastern border with Minnesota, to the western border with Wyoming, crossing the Missouri river at Pierre. [9]

There are three short branches as well:

There are interchanges with the BNSF Railway at Wolsey, South Dakota, Crawford, Nebraska, and Florence, Minnesota. The interchange with the Canadian Pacific is at Tracy, Minnesota. The RCPE has trackage rights from Tracy to Mankato, Minnesota on the CPR, where there is an interchange with the Union Pacific Railroad. [3] The RCPE also has trackage rights over the BNSF between Yale, SD to Watertown, South Dakota, and Wolsey, South Dakota to Aberdeen, South Dakota. [3] [4]

Operations

As of 2023, weight capacity between Fort Pierre, South Dakota and Tracy, Minnesota is 286,000 gross pounds per axle, while the weight capacity between Onida, South Dakota and Blunt, South Dakota is 263,000 gross pounds per axle. [10]

Locomotive fleet

LocomotiveBuilderModelSerial no.Frame no.Build dateNotes
CORP 2036EMDGP38354217191-11810/1969
2085EMDGP38-3328655723-62/1967to CORP/RCPE 2085; to SJVR/RCPE 2085, 2022
2086EMDGP38-3343077127-269/1968to CFE/RCPE 2086
2087EMDGP38-3328737960-22/1967
2088EMDGP38-3328797961-43/1967to DGNO/RCPE 2088
2089EMDGP38-3343127127-319/1968to SJVR/RCPE 2089
MNA 2762EMDSD40M-2324317932-3212/1966
MNA 2765EMDSD40M-2379097324-219/1971
PNWR 3007EMDGP40326027942-151/1967stripped to frame and cab
PNWR 3051EMDSD40-3345767148-71/1969to PNWR 3051, 2025
LTEX 3099EMDSD45T-272601-4672601-466/1972to LTEX 3099
KRR 3201EMDSD40M-2320947912-38/1966
AGR 3362EMDSD40-2796311-9796311-94/1980
AGR 3412EMDSD40-2796305-7796305-77/1980
3420EMDSD40-2786263-25786263-2511/1979
3421EMDSD40-2796297-68796297-682/1980
3422EMDSD40-2786218-20786218-208/1979
3423EMDSD40-2796311-1796331-14/1980
3424EMDSD40-2796305-4796305-47/1980
3425EMDSD40-2796297-47796297-471/1980
3426EMDSD40-2786263-32786263-3211/1979
3427EMDSD40-2786181-26786181-266/1979
3428EMDSD40-27334-487334-482/1972
3429EMDSD40-2796297-64796297-642/1980
3430EMDSD40-2786170-36786170-362/1979
3431EMDSD40-2796345-25796345-2511/1980scrapped 2024
3432EMDSD40-2786181-11786181-116/1979
3433EMDSD40-2766056-22766056-223/1977
3434EMDSD40-2786263-15786263-1511/1979
3435EMDSD40-2796297-1796297-11/1980
3436EMDSD40-2766056-14766056-143/1977
3437EMDSD40-2796297-84796297-842/1980
3438EMDSD40-2786263-45786263-4512/1979
3444EMDSD40-2776064-6776064-68/1978
3445EMDSD40-2786193-38786193-3811/1979
3446EMDSD40-2786170-31786170-312/1979
3447EMDSD40-2766005-8766005-89/1976
3452EMDSD40-2786181-5786181-56/1979
3453EMDSD40-2786218-35786218-358/1979
3454EMDSD40-2766005-5766005-59/1976
3455EMDSD40-2796311-17796311-174/1980scrapped 2024
3456EMDSD40-2806049-6806049-69/1981
3457EMDSD40-2786170-5786170-51/1979
3458EMDSD40-2786170-53786170-533/1979
3459EMDSD40-2796297-74796297-742/1980scrapped 2023
3460EMDSD40-2786228-7786228-79/1979
3461EMDSD40-2796297-2796297-21/1980
3462GMDSD40-2A39509/1980
3463GMDSD40-2A39479/1980
3464EMDSD40-2786246-7786246-79/1979
3465EMDSD40-274661-1974661-192/1975
3466EMDSD40-2786170-63786170-633/1979scrapped 2024
3467EMDSD40-2796297-102796297-1023/1980
3468EMDSD40-2786263-36786263-3611/1979
3469EMDSD40-2796311-15796311-154/1980
3470EMDSD40-2786216-41786216-4112/1979
3471GMDSD40-2A37709/1979
3480EMDSD40-3379067324-189/1971
3481EMDSD40-3376487324-108/1971to CFE/RCPE 3481
3482EMDSD40-3331707998-105/1967
3483EMDSD40-3357267214-21/1970scrapped 2023
ARZC 3996EMDSD40M-27382-27382-211/1972to KYLE/ARZC 3996
3997EMDSD40M-2319987887-88/1966to KYLE 3997
3999EMDSD40-2796297-17796297-171/1980
ARZC 4001EMDSD40M-274601-674601-68/1974scrapped 2024
ARZC 4002EMDSD40M-2343737163-42/1969scrapped 2024
MNA 4081EMDSD40-274690-2574690-253/1975
6050EMDSD40-2314317865-183/1966to AGR 6050; to AGR 3211
6400EMDSD40-2786170-64786170-643/1979to BAYL 6400
6403EMDSD40-2786263-22786263-2211/1979to TPW 3440
6406EMDSD40-2806053-1806053-111/1980to AZER 3469; to BPRR 3318; to KYLE/BPRR 3318
6410EMDSD40-2796297-37796297-371/1980to NECR 3320
6414EMDSD40-2796297-77796297-772/1980to ARZC/RCPE 6414; to ARZC 3998; to CORP/ARZC 3998
6415EMDSD40-274639-1974639-199/1974to TPW 3441
6416EMDSD40-2786218-2786218-27/1979to BAYL 3321
6429EMDSD40-2796297-84796297-842/1980to RCPE/AZER 3470; to AZER 3470
6434EMDSD40-2796297-17796297-171/1980to ARZC/RCPE 6434; to ARZC 3999
6444EMDSD40-2776064-4776064-48/1978to AZER 3471; to BPRR 3319; to KYLE/BPRR 3319
6445EMDSD40-2796297-96796297-963/1980to BAYL 6445; to AGR 3213
6453GMDSD40-2A39519/1980to TPW 3442
6456EMDSD40-2776088-3776088-33/1978to TPW 3443
LTEX 9282EMDSD45T-272625-2272625-223/1973to LTEX 9282
LTEX 9345EMDSD45T-273674-273674-21/1975to LTEX 9345

See also

References

  1. Nord, James - Rail funding expected to fuel job growth, development. Rapid City Journal, November 2, 2015
  2. Stegl, Jeff - Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad aims to become engrained in South Dakota's agricultural products network Progressive Railroading, September 2014
  3. 1 2 3 Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad, Inc.-Acquisition and Operation Exemption Including Interchange Commitment-Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corporation The Federal Register. March 27, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Blanchard, Roy (April 2015). "Daring to be different". Trains . 75 (4): 25–31.
  5. Mall, Scott - FreightWaves Classics/Infrastructure: New railroad sidings opened in South Dakota FreightWaves, Friday July 8, 2022
  6. Thompson, Nathan - RCP&E railroad project receives $42 million in funding from state, feds Rapid City Journal, November 30, 2021
  7. 1 2 RCP&E Railroad to upgrade main line in South Dakota. Progressive Railroading, November 23, 2021
  8. "Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad – A Genesee & Wyoming Company".
  9. 1 2 3 4 Official South Dakota Rail Map. South Dakota Department of Transportation, June 2021
  10. "Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad – A Genesee & Wyoming Company".
Preceded by Regional Railroad of the Year
2019
Succeeded by