Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad
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![]() Freshly-painted EMD SD40-2 No. 3423 in Rapid City in 2014 | |
Overview | |
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Headquarters | Rapid City, South Dakota |
Reporting mark | RCPE |
Locale | Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming |
Dates of operation | 2014 | –Present
Predecessor | Canadian Pacific Railway |
Technical | |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
Other | |
Website | Official website |
Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad (reporting mark RCPE) is a Class II 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.
History[]
The Genesee & Wyoming, a holding company of mostly shortline railroads, formed the Rapid City, Pierre and 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 acquisition was completed on May 30, 2014, for $210 million. Most of its employees came over from the DM&E.[1]
Route[]
The Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern owns 670 miles (1,078 km) of track. The main line runs between Tracy, Minnesota, and Rapid City, South Dakota, with branches north to , and south to Dakota Junction, Nebraska. Much of the main line parallels U.S. Route 14. There are three short branches as well:
- Blunt, South Dakota–Onida, South Dakota
- Huron, South Dakota–Yale, South Dakota
- Redfield, South Dakota–Mansfield, South Dakota
The RCPE also has trackage rights over the BNSF Railway between Yale, SD to Watertown, South Dakota, and Wolsey, South Dakota to Aberdeen, South Dakota.[1]
Operations[]
Customers on the line ship approximately 64,000 carloads annually of grain, bentonite clay, ethanol, fertilizer and other products.[1]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Blanchard, Roy (April 2015). "Daring to be different". Trains. 75 (4): 25–31.
External links[]
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- 2014 establishments in South Dakota
- Minnesota railroads
- Nebraska railroads
- South Dakota railroads
- Wyoming railroads
- Railway companies established in 2014