Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad (RCP&E)

The railroad operates former C&NW routes.

I first learned of the RCP&E because they lost a bridge in the 2019 flood. Also of note is that they make good use of a roundhouse in Huron, SD.

gwrr_rcpe
743 miles owned ore leased

gwrr_start
"On May 30, 2014, the newly created Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad (RCPE) completed its purchase of the west end of the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern (DM&E West) rail line. That evening, the 670-mile line, which runs from western Minnesota across South Dakota and into northern Nebraska and western Wyoming, shut down. On June 1, following 24 hours of safety training and orientation, the 177 newly hired employees commenced freight service on the RCPE....More than $80 million of investment in infrastructure and equipment since 2014, including internal capital and federal and state grants, has contributed to RCPE’s success. Replacing 100-year-old rail allowed for longer trains and increased speeds eastward from Wall, South Dakota, as well as fuel and labor savings. Building three additional sidings along the line doubled capacity; customer cars no longer get left behind during crucial peak harvest or construction seasons. Five “heavy bad-order” six-axle locomotives were repaired, and 2,000 railcars were purchased to meet customer demand."

"Customers on the line ship approximately 52,000 carloads annually of grain, bentonite clay, ethanol, fertilizer and other products. The RCP&E interchanges with BNSF, Canadian Pacific, Union Pacific and the Nebraska Northwestern Railroad." [UP]

RailwayAge
[I noticed that the following text is also in gwrr_start.]
"Immediately facing a pre-existing backlog of grain from the 2013 harvest, along with the expected typical challenges of starting a new railroad company from scratch, RCPE employees were simultaneously tasked with expanding their already aggressive operating plan to handle a record-breaking 2014 South Dakota wheat harvest—150% above normal yields in some areas....Prior to RCPE’s acquisition of the DM&E West line, trains ran relatively unscheduled, essentially picking up what cars they could with the available power and crews. RCPE management successfully instituted a scheduled railroad that today runs 25 trains per week. Each crew knows where and when they come on and off duty and which customers to serve. Each customer, in turn, knows which days to expect service, and they receive that service within a 90-minute window."

Some of the track they had to upgrade.

BoardsAndCommisions