News from Pierre
From:David Voeltz
Date: Fri, Oct. 6 1995
Email: BSBT...@prodigy.com (David Voeltz)
Groups:misc.transport.rail.americas
APPROVAL GRANTED TO ELEVATORS TO REMOVE PORTION OF NAPA TO PLATTE RAIL LINE - The Division of Railroads inspected several stations on the non-operational Napa to Platte rail line. Elevator operators indicated that their loading abilities were restricted and obstructed by the existing non-operational tracks adjacent to their elevators and requested that the industrial trackage be removed to facilitate truck operations and expansion of storage facilities. The South Dakota Railboard approved this action on several elevators along this line including Avon, Lake Andes, Geddes, and Tyndall.
Subject: Re: MNRail: old coal handling facilities
From dsrc512@...
Mon Jan 13 13:40:34 2003
To: <mnrail@...>
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2003 14:16:38 -0600
West of Mitchell, SD coal sheds as George describes still exist in Mt. Vernon, White Lake, Kimball and Kadoka. The building in Presho was knocked down as part of the recent Governor's clean up
Following up on an inquiry from a customer on the
Alex
News from Pierre
Mon, Apr 29 1996, by David Voeltz on bit.listserv.railroad
RECYCLING II PROJECTS - The Transportation Review Task Force studying current SD Department of Transportation operations has recommended the salvaging of the former CMStP&P rail line from Caputa to Kadoka, SD. and from Napa Junction to Platte. Since the task force feels that the amount of traffic generated in the Black Hills can only support one rail line (DM&E) and since rail banked line is badly eroded and has suffered from thefts of rail and bridge lumber, it is in the state's best interest to salvage what materials remain. The same thought applies to the Platte to Napa Jct. line. While in better physical condition, there is not enough traffic to justify keeping the line.
South Dakota Rail Abandonment
Wed, Jul 17 1996, by David Voeltz on bit.listserv.railroad
The South Dakota Railroad Board met by conference call on May 31, 1996 to discuss the salvage of the rail lines from Napa Junction to Platte and from Caputa to Kadoka. The Railroad Board requested Department staff to research legal questions regarding the salvage of these lines and disposition of the right-of-way before seeking Board approval of such action. Another meeting of the Railroad Board will be held in late June.
APPROVAL GRANTED TO SALVAGE STATE OWNED RAIL LINES
Thurs, Aug 1 1996, by David Voeltz on bit.listserv.railroad
The South Dakota Rail Board has granted approval to solicit bids for the removal and sale of surplus rail materials. Nearly 170 miles of state owned but unused track is for sale. One set of tracks runs about 89 miles from Platte to Napa Junction, which is north of Yankton, and the other set is about 84 miles in length and runs from Kadoka to Caputa., southeast of Rapid City. The Dept. of Transportation will open bids on July 30th for these rails, ties, side track, switches, crossings, and bridges. A pre-bid conference was held July 23 in Wegner and 18 or 19 people from all over the country expressed an interest in the property. No locomotives or rolling stock are on sale and the line from Napa Junction to Platte has not seen regularly use since 1979.
SD RRXING Inspection Report - Part 5
From: David Voeltz
Date: Sun, Feb 10 2002 11:53 am
This is the fifth and final report for this year of the railroad crossing inspections that I conduct in South Dakota as part of my duties working for the Dept. of Transportation. These notes are simply my observations and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer....
I returned to Napa Junction Tuesday morning and inspected the crossing. This is the junction for the Milwaukee Road's former Platte Line. I also saw someone has worked on the west leg of the wye The Platte line has also been mowed so it must be true that someone wants to restore service on a segment of the line. I also took some pictures of this (see pics).
There is a "STOP JUNCTION 400 FEET" on the bottom portion of the wye. Then a few feet ahead, a derail protects the mainline. As I was leaving the junction, a BNSF hyrail drove up on the county road and parked near the crossing. Later I saw him on the rail heading eastbound.
---------------------------
B.C.D. 03-50
June 10, 2003
EMPLOYER STATUS DETERMINATION Dakota Short Line, Inc. This is the determination of the Railroad Retirement Board concerning the status of Dakota Short Line, Inc., as an employer under the Railroad Retirement Act (45 U.S.C. § 231 et seq.) and the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (45 U.S.C. § 351 et seq.).
In Surface Transportation Board Finance Docket No. 34043, decided May 31, 2001, Dakota Short Line filed a notice of exemption to sublease from the Napa to Platte Regional Railroad Authority and operate approximately 13.5 miles of rail line formerly operated by Dakota Southern Railway Company, a covered employer under the Acts (B.A. No. 2631). The line interchanges with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe.
Information regarding Dakota Short Line was provided by Leon E. Steege, President of the company. Mr. Steege advised the Board in June 2001 that the company had a lot of track work to do before operations could begin. In December 2002, Mr. Steege stated that operations had not yet begun and would not begin until at least April 2003. According to Mr. Steege, Dakota Short Line first had two employees on its payroll as of April 28, 2003, to begin work under a contract to supply a locomotive and train crew to spread 800 cars of ballast for a state contractor in connection with a state rehabilitation project.
Section 1(a)(1) of the Railroad Retirement Act (45 U.S.C. § 231(a)(1)), insofar as relevant here, defines a covered employer as:
(i) any carrier by railroad subject to the jurisdiction of the Surface Transportation Board under Part A of subtitle IV of title 49, United States Code;
Sections 1(a) and 1(b) of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (45 U.S.C.
Cherryl T. Thomas
V. M. Speakman, Jr.
Jerome F. Kever
Subject: Re: MNRail: Dakota Short Line
From dsrc512@... Fri Jun 13 12:14:46 2003
From: "Alex or Dick Huff" <dsrc512@...>
To: "MNrail" <mnrail@...>
Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 14:01:02 -0500
From my discussions with the proprietor, only one trip was made all the way to Tabor for the purpose of demonstrating that the line was open. No revenue loads have been handled to date. The locomotive is currently leased with engineer and conductor on the "Britton Line", northeast of Aberdeen, SD.
The locomotive is used to spread ballast and other track material for a
contractor which is upgrading the line.
When the locomotive was moved from Napa Jct to Aberdeen in late April, the first leg of the trip to Mitchell included the unplanned use of the unit by BNSF. BNSF's once a week local stalled on the grade from Yankton to Napa Jct. With the permission of the unit's owner, BNSF cut off their two units and ran to Napa Jct, picking up the B30-7 as a third unit. BNSF was then able to make the rest of the run without doubling any hills.
The B30-7 is being used today to help the DMV&W at the grain train derailment near Britton. The Dakota Short Line crew pulled the rear of the train away from the crossing. The derailment appears to have been caused by a pressure kink on disturbed track that ran to the crossing which is anchored 115# and didn't move.
Alex
Subject: MNRail: Re: [SoDakRailFans] Dakota Short Line
From dsrc512@... Mon Jan 19
19:05:41
2004
From: "Alex or Dick Huff" <dsrc512@...>
To: "MNrail" <mnrail@...>, <SoDakRailFans@yahoogroups.com>
Date:
Mon, 19 Jan 2004
21:00:22
-0600
Dakota Shortline made one trip to Tabor with the sole unit, B30-7, #849. The purpose of the trip was to demonstrate that the line was serviceable.
The locomotive was run up to the asphalt covered crossing on the east side of Tabor, leaving indentations in the edge of the asphalt. The locomotive was left at Tabor for a day and then returned to Napa Jct.
Marks in the more westerly crossings are from hirail vehicles. Dakota Shortline's lease extends to the state highway a mile and a half west of Tabor. This crossing has been removed.
The house with the hirail vehicles, mower, etc. is one of few residences in the town of Janousek. Through error, Janousek was left out of Rick's exemplary book on the Platte Line. In response to my twitting Rick, he e-mailed me the missing text:
JANOUSEK: MP 5
Janousek was a small settlement along the track some 5 miles west of Napa . Never incorporated, the town had eight square blocks containing adance hall, general store and grain elevator at its peak in the early1900's. It is now mostly prairie grass with three dwellings remaining,having faded from the landscape long ago.In the fall of 1979, the Milwaukee installed a rock dumping pit here,shipping and stockpiling rock for the repair and expansion of SD Highway 50between Tabor and Yankton.
In answer to Todd's earlier query about the condition of the rest of thePlatte Line, last year I had the "pleasure" of providing a hi-rail and twodays time with a state inspector looking at the line from Wagner (MP 46) east. Talk about deja vu all over again. In summary, the state found theline could be put back into service for less than $2 million, most of themoney would be spent swapping out rail and replacing crossings removed byone county. The trestles remain sound and the present 60# rail is sovaluable in the mining and export markets that offers have been made to swap either 90# or 100# rail for it, stick for stick, angle bars and tie plates included.
When Dakota Southern operated the Platte Line, grain was moved in 100T capacity covered hoppers, albeit slowly.
Alex, pleased owner of the first autographed copy of "Rails Through the Grass", dated 6/25/00 .
Subject: Re: MNRail: Dakota Short Line
From dsrc512@... Mon Mar 07 15:39:03 2005
From: "Alex or Dick Huff" <dsrc512@...>
To: <mnrail@...>
Date: Mon, 7 Mar 2005 13:05:50 -0600
Reply-To: mnrail@...
The locomotive remains the property of Dakota Short Line. It is stranded in Aberdeen until the owner arranges to have one end lifted and shims put on the center plate of one truck. BNSF refuses to move it back to Napa Jct (near Yankton) due to inadequate side bearing clearance. The locomotive and crew were subcontracted to spread ballast on a rehab project on the Britton Line (Aberdeen to Geneseo Jct, ND).
Alex Huff
Subject: Re: MNRail: Dakota Short Line
From dsrc512@... Wed Jan 21
10:27:07
2004
From: "Alex or Dick Huff" <dsrc512@...>
To: <mnrail@...>
(West of Tabor, all the crossings have been removed because no railroad exited to maintain the grade crossing. The rails were cut and thrown on the ROW to either side of the road. This is Alex’s explanation about who would replace the crossings, should service resume.)
It is my understanding that the county or town is obligated to replace the crossings (most of which have been graded down and the railroad fill cut back on either side) it removed. However, the counties pick the members of the local rail authority which in turn selects/approves an operator on the line.
Guess how likely the rail authority will allow the line to be reopened if the operator doesn't agree to bear the cost of repairing the crossings.
Alex
Company: Rail Line Still Viable
Yankton Press & Dakotan
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Story last updated at 2:16 AM on May 19, 2005
YANKTON (AP) -- State and local leaders are looking at turning 82 miles of unused railroad track between Platte and Yankton into a recreational trail.
But Dakota Southern Railway President Alex Huff of Chamberlain said much of the line from near Yankton to at least Wagner is still economically viable for transportation.
The bridges are still sound and trains could connect with four major rail lines at Sioux City, Iowa, Huff said.
Though some work is needed, it would not be physically impossible to put the track back into service, he said.
Dakota Southern stopped operating on the track in 1989.
Platte Mayor John Stekly proposed the idea for a recreational trail similar to the 114-mile George S. Mickelson Trail in the Black Hills.
Subject:Re: [MILW] Revivial of Platte Line????
From:"Todd S. Schultz"
Date:Mon, 03 Apr 2006 20:44:07 -0500
To:MILW@yahoogroups.com
Unless the situation has changed recently, Leon Steege of the Dakota Short Line actually holds the lease on the first 10 miles of the line. He was an associate of the Huffs when they ran the line.
When DSL failed to generate traffic on the Tabor-Napa stretch, Leon took his locomotive to Aberdeen and fulfilled the state contract to spread ballast on the Britton line revival. Last I heard, the loco was still in Aberdeen, as BNSF will not move it due to insufficient truck-side frame clearance. If this ethanol plant comes through, the economic incentive may exist to jack the unit up and insert a shim. It will be interesting to see who winds up operating the line. DSL? DSRC? A combination of personalities? I would think it foolish to bring in an outside group to run the line, unless significant track improvements are made. The Nobles Rock disaster showed that not every railroader is cut out to operate the ex-MILW of SD.
On Saturday, I told an associate at the roundhouse that I wouldn't be surprised to see an ethanol plant pop up west of Napa or Mitchell, or between Elk Point and Canton, due to the new options granted by locating on state track. Seems like it might have been a good prediction.
Subject: [SoDakRailFans] Platte Line
Date:Thu, 20 Jul 2006 23:49:43 -0500
From: Alex Huff
To:SoDakRailFans@yahoogroups.com
As reported in some paper's today, the state rail board met on Wednesday and agreed to sell the east end of the Platte Line (Ravinia to Napa Jct) to agroup that wants to build an ethanol plant on the east side of Wagner. The state will retain ownership of the remaining track, about twenty-six miles, to the outskirts of Platte. The last revenue loads came off the line in 1989, moved by Dakota Southern. DSRC started operations on the line in 1985.
The ethanol plant will fund an upgrade on the line, replacing the rail with 90# or better steel, replacing ties and upgrading the bridges so they can handle 286,000# gross weight cars.
The state will take the responsibility to see that the thirty-six crossings which have been removed will be restored.
Returning to its roots, Dakota Southern has signed an agreement to be the rail operator. The plant will be operational is about two years.
Sale of the line will occur when the financial documents for the construction of the plant are signed.
Subject:[SoDakRailFans] Napa Junction rebuild?
From:blindog@mindspring.com
Date: Sun, 24 Sep 2006 23:24:05 -0400 (GMT-04:00)
To: SoDakRailFans@yahoogroups.com
(An indication that the planned reconstruction is occurring. -TSS)
What's up at Napa Jct? I went by there a few days ago during the cyclone and was surprised to find the track onto the old Platte branch being relaid from the subgrade up. However, the branch west of there doesn't look like it's seen a train in decades. Which brings up the question, what happened to the Dakota Short Line? I heard they had a B23-7 or the like and hoped to see it, which is why I braved the mud to go to Napa in the first place.
thanks
Scott Chatfield