BNSF price policies having shuttered 186 of Dakota Southern's 187 miles, railroad owner Alex Huff returned his leased fleet of grain cars to GE Railcar, who elected to store them on the the line. In 2002, the state of South Dakota , which owned the rails, decided to sever them at Vivian. A new four-lane highway to the state capital crossed the line there. With no trains, the state decided not to install expensive grade crossing signals. With some cars stored at the west end of the line, Alex had to operate a train to rescue them. It would be a slow train, over long-unused track in muddy springtime conditions.
In the photo above, railfans from four states converge to watch the final run. At center, hat in hand, Alex gives advice to some of the assembled railfans before starting the locomotive in Vivian. With rain threatening, he cautions against the dirt roads of the area.