 IANR 3809 idles at Cedar Rapids, Iowa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Headquarters | Waterloo, Iowa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reporting mark | IANR | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Manly, Oelwein, and Garner, Iowa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dates of operation | 1981– | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Iowa Northern Railway( reporting mark IANR) is a Class III [5] shortline railroad operating in the U.S. state of Iowa.
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, which became part of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (Rock Island RR) in 1902, and remained operated by the Rock Island until that company's bankruptcy in 1980.
On August 1, 1981, IANR operated their 1st inspection train consisting of IANR GP7 610 locomotive and a leased CNW passenger car. Next on August 7, 1981, short line service between Cedar Rapids and Vinton and from Shell Rock to Nora Springs started. By mid-1982, the operations had been connected and expanded to the present size. Iowa Northern Railway was incorporated in 1984, becoming one of the first short-line railroads in the state of Iowa and in July 1984 purchased its line from the bankrupt Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad estate for US$5.4 million. [6]
The railroad was originally owned by a group of grain elevators located along the line but was sold in 1994 to Iron Road Railways (IRR), a holding company based in Alexandria, Virginia, and Livonia, Michigan. In July of 1994, IANR abandoned a 14-mile (23 km) branch from Vinton to Dysart, Iowa. [7]
In 2002, following the bankruptcy and dissolution of IRR, the IANR was taken over by former IRR director Daniel Sabin.[ clarification needed ]
In late 2023, the Canadian National Railway (CN) acquired the IANR, and the company is awaiting approval for the transaction from the Surface Transportation Board (STB). [8] [9]
Iowa Northern Railway operates 163 miles (262 km) in Iowa between Cedar Rapids in eastern Iowa and Manly in north central Iowa. The railroad connects with the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway in Cedar Rapids; with the Canadian National Railway subsidiary Chicago Central and Pacific Railroad in Cedar Rapids and Waterloo; with the Canadian Pacific Railway subsidiary Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad) in Nora Springs; and with the Union Pacific Railroad in Manly, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids and Belmond. The Oelwein Subdivision operates over 23 miles (37 km) and the Garner Subdision operates over 28 miles (45 km) of trackage with portions of travel via incidental trackage rights. The railroad employs 100+ people, all located in Iowa. The railroad is headquartered in Waterloo, and has Customer Service and General Offices located there as well. Its Bryant Yard Shops are located in Waterloo. Traffic consists of grain, ethanol and other bio-fuels related commodities, chemicals, food products, and machinery.
After the short line was established in 1984, the railroad handled 12,000 revenue cars and the average track speed was less than 10 mph (16 km/h). In 2006, traffic surged to 40,000 revenue cars and with increases in track speed on some sections to 25 mph (40 km/h).
In October 2003, Iowa Northern Railway began freight operations over a 23-mile (37 km) line of the former Chicago Great Western Railway (CGW). This CGW portion of the current rail structure was originally constructed in the 1880s. The Chicago Great Western Railroad merged with Chicago and North Western Railway in 1968. The Chicago and North Western was purchased by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1995. IANR operates freight service over a 23-mile (37 km) line of railroad now owned by D&W Railroad between Dewar and Oelwein and over incidental UP trackage rights between Waterloo and Dewar. Traffic consists of repaired freight cars, grain, and chemical products.[ citation needed ]
On May 23, 2011, the railroad announced that the North Central Iowa Rail Corridor LLC planned to purchase about 28 miles (45 km) of trackage from the Union Pacific Railroad between Forest City and Belmond, Iowa, that it would access via trackage rights on the Canadian Pacific Railway. [10] Final details indicated that the North Central Iowa Rail Corridor LLC purchased the track for $1.5 million and signed a 10-year lease-to-own agreement with Iowa Northern Railway to operate the line. [11]
On May 27, 2011 [Docket No. FD 35511 pp 31009] Iowa Northern Railway Company filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150.41 [12] to operate approximately 27.83 miles of rail line owned by Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP), referred to as the Forest City Line. The Forest City Line extends between milepost 48.12 at Belmond, Iowa, and milepost 79.95 at Forest City, Iowa, and includes 600 feet of connecting track at Garner, Iowa, in Hancock, Winnebago, and Wright Counties, Iowa.
In addition on May 27, 2011 [Docket No. FD 35511 pp 31010] [13] Pursuant to a prospective trackage rights agreement, Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corporation d/b/a Canadian Pacific (CP) will agree to grant overhead trackage rights to Iowa Northern Railway Company (IANR) over approximately 78.2 miles of rail line between: (1) Milepost 137.50 near Garner, Iowa, and milepost 116.70 at the connection with CP's Mason City Subdivision, a distance of approximately 20.80 miles; (2) milepost 116.70 at the connection with CP's Mason City Subdivision and milepost 107.30 near Nora Jct., Iowa at the connection with IANR, a distance of approximately 30.2 miles between Garner and Nora Jct.; and (3) milepost 116.70 at the connection with CP's Mason City Subdivision and milepost 7.9 on CP's Austin Subdivision near Plymouth Jct., Iowa at the connection with IANR, a distance of approximately 27.2 miles between Garner and Plymouth Jct.
Operation of the Garner Subdivision began on November 4, 2011. [14] IANR operates freight service over a 28-mile line of railroad now owned by North Central Iowa Rail Corridor LLC between Garner, Forest City and Belmond and includes incidental CP trackage rights between Garner, Mason City and Nora Jct or Plymouth Jct. Traffic consists of grain, goods and RV truck products.
BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, 33,400 miles (53,800 km) of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that provide rail connections between the western and eastern United States. BNSF trains traveled over 169 million miles in 2010, more than any other North American railroad.
The Wisconsin and Southern Railroad is a Class II regional railroad in Southern Wisconsin and Northeastern Illinois currently operated by Watco. It operates former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad and Chicago and North Western Railway (C&NW) trackage, mostly acquired by the state of Wisconsin in the 1980s.
The Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad is a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Kansas City. Before its purchase, it was the largest Class II railroad in the United States, operating across South Dakota and southern Minnesota in the Northern Plains of the United States. Portions of the railroad also extended into Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois. It interchanged with all seven U.S. Class I railroads.
The I&M Rail Link was a railroad operating in the north central portion of the United States. The company commenced operations on April 5, 1997, acquiring lines from the Canadian Pacific Railway and Soo Line Railroad.
The Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway, also known as the CRANDIC, is a Class III railroad operating in the US state of Iowa.
The Mackenzie Northern Railway is a 602-mile (969 km) Canadian railway operating in Alberta and the Northwest Territories. It is the northernmost trackage of the contiguous North American railway network. Since being purchased by CN in 2006, the railway's mainline consists of the Slave Lake, Peace River, Manning, and the Meander River subdivisions.
The Iowa Interstate Railroad is a Class II regional railroad operating in the central United States. The railroad is owned by Railroad Development Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The San Joaquin Valley Railroad is one of several short line railroad companies and is part of the Western Region Division of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. It operates over about 371 miles (597 km) of owned or leased track primarily on several lines in California's Central Valley/San Joaquin Valley around Fresno and Bakersfield. The SJVR has trackage rights over Union Pacific between Fresno, Goshen, Famoso, Bakersfield and Algoso. The SJVR also operated for the Tulare Valley Railroad (TVRR) from Calwa to Corcoran and Famoso.
Progressive Rail Inc. is a shortline railroad and owner of several other shortlines. PGR is directly operating several separate branches in Minnesota including the Airlake Terminal Railway. Progressive Rail also acquired the Wisconsin Northern Division in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin and operates as a separately-named division. They also own the Chicago Junction Railroad, Clackamas Valley Railway, the Iowa Traction Railway and Iowa Southern Railway in Iowa, the Piedmont & Northern Railroad, the Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railroad in Illinois, the St. Paul & Pacific Northwest Railroad, and the Wisconsin Northern Railroad.
The Indiana Rail Road is a United States Class II railroad, originally operating over former Illinois Central Railroad trackage from Newton, Illinois, to Indianapolis, Indiana, a distance of 155 miles (249 km). This line, now known as the Indiana Rail Road's Indianapolis Subdivision, comprises most of the former IC/ICG line from Indianapolis to Effingham, Illinois; Illinois Central successor Canadian National Railway retains the portion from Newton to Effingham. INRD also owns a former Milwaukee Road line from Terre Haute, Indiana, to Burns City, Indiana, with trackage rights extending to Chicago, Illinois. INRD no longer serves Louisville, Kentucky, and the Port of Indiana on the Ohio River at Jeffersonville, Indiana, through a haulage agreement with the Louisville & Indiana Railroad (LIRC).
The Arizona Eastern Railway is a Class III railroad that operates 206 miles (332 km) of railroad between Clifton, Arizona, and Miami, Arizona, in the United States. This includes trackage rights over the Union Pacific Railroad between Lordsburg, New Mexico, and Bowie, Arizona. The railroad serves the copper mining region of southeastern Arizona, and the agricultural Gila River Valley. The railroad offers a transload location for lumber, building materials and other consumer commodities at Globe, Arizona. As of 2023, AZER has a maximum capacity of 286,000, and has one interchange: Union Pacific.
The Northern Plains Railroad is a short line railroad that operates over 344 miles (554 km) of track in the northern U.S. state of Minnesota and the northern U.S. state of North Dakota.
The Burlington Junction Railway is a Class III short line railroad which was chartered in 1985. Originally operating on the southernmost 3 miles (4.8 km) of the former Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway mainline in Burlington, Iowa after abandonment by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, it provides short freight hauling, switching operations, locomotive repair, and transloading services, the latter currently handling over 3,000 carloads a year. Typical commodity types transported include chemicals and fertilizer. The BJRY's primary interchange partner is the BNSF Railway.
The Central Midland Railway, a division of Progressive Rail Incorporated of Lakeville, Minnesota, was a short line railroad in the U.S. state of Missouri, operating under lease of the former St. Louis Subdivision of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. CMR operated the easternmost 60 miles (97 km) of the 298-mile (480-km) Rock Island line which used to stretch from St. Louis to Kansas City, Missouri. CMR's operation of the line was performed under two separate leases from the Union Pacific Railroad and the A&K Railroad Materials Corp, respectively, from Overland, Missouri - a suburb of St. Louis, to a location just west of Union, Missouri. CMR's first leased-segment was Union Pacific's "Lackland Subdivision" which extends from "Rock Island Junction" near the intersection of Page Avenue and I-170 in Overland to a location on the north-side of Creve Coeur Lake in Maryland Heights, Missouri, known as "Vigus." The second leased-segment was owned by A&K Railroad Materials and extends from Vigus to just east of Beaufort, Missouri, with active service terminating at Union.
The Owatonna Subdivision or Owatonna Sub is a railway line in northern Iowa and southern Minnesota owned and operated by the Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad (IC&E) subsidiary of Canadian Pacific. It extends about 124 miles (200 km) from Mason City, Iowa in the south to a junction at Comus north of Faribault, Minnesota. U.S. Highway 218 closely follows the rail line between Lyle, Minnesota and Owatonna.
The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including track in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri and the province of Ontario. Its primary connections included Chicago, Illinois; Kansas City, Missouri; Detroit, Michigan; Buffalo, New York; St. Louis, Missouri; and Toledo, Ohio.
Iron Road Railways Incorporated (IRR) was a railroad holding company which owned several short line railroads in the U.S. state of Maine, as well as the Canadian provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
The Maine Northern Railway Company Limited is a 258 mi (415 km) U.S. and Canadian short line railroad owned by the New Brunswick Railway Company, a holding company that is part of "Irving Transportation Services", a division within the industrial conglomerate J.D. Irving Limited.
Duplainville is a neighborhood located within the city of Pewaukee, Wisconsin. It is around three miles north of Waukesha, and around 15 miles west of Milwaukee. The area is mainly industrial, but is most known among railfans because of the diamond junction between the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Canadian National Railway.
