Dakota Rail

Former railroad in Minnesota and South Dakota

Dakota RailOverview

Reporting mark| DAKR
Locale|

* Minnesota
* South Dakota

Dates of operation| 1982 (1982)-2001 (2001)
Predecessor|

* Burlington Northern Railroad
* Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad

Successor| Sisseton Southern Railway
Technical
Track gauge| 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Length| 82 miles (132 km)

Dakota Rail, Inc. (reporting mark DAKR) was a short-line railroad which operated in South Dakota and Minnesota. It operated from 1982 until 2001. From 1995 onward it was a subsidiary of RailAmerica.

## History

[edit]

Dakota Rail was founded in 1982 to operate the Sisseton Branch, a 38-mile (61 km) railway line between Sisseton, South Dakota, and Milbank, South Dakota, owned by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific (Milwaukee Road). The Milwaukee Road was in the throes of its final bankruptcy; barley shippers in the Sisseton area sought to ensure that service would continue. Dakota Rail, together with the Sisseton Line Associations and SLA Property Management, purchased the line for $660,000.[1][2] Dakota Rail spent more than $3 million rehabilitating the line.[3]

Dakota Rail expanded into neighboring Minnesota in 1985 after the Burlington Northern Railroad announced plans to abandon its Hutchinson Subdivision (more commonly known as the Hutch Spur), a 44-mile (71 km) line that branches off the Wayzata Subdivision in Wayzata and ends in Hutchinson, Minnesota. Local efforts to save the line were led by Ancher Nelsen, a former U.S. Representative. Dakota Rail leased the line from the Burlington for $100/year, with an option to buy for $5 million after five years. Dakota Rail's two lines were not geographically contiguous.[4]

Dakota Rail operation of the Sisseton Branch ended in July 1987, with the Sisseton Southern Railway taking over. The company went bankrupt in 1988 but emerged from bankruptcy in 1990 with new owners.[5] RailAmerica, a short-line railroad holding company, acquired Dakota Rail in 1995 for $1.5 million.[6] RailAmerica abandoned the Hutch Spur in 2001 and sold the right-of-way to the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority, Carver County, and McLeod County. The Dakota Rail Regional Trail now runs over part of the former line.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Gale, Dennis (March 14, 1982). "Branch line sale could be confirmed soon line". Rapid City Journal. p. 42. Retrieved May 3, 2018 - via Newspapers.com.
2. ^ Gale, Dennis (June 5, 1982). "Dakota Rail buys Milwaukee branch line". Rapid City Journal. p. 5. Retrieved May 3, 2018 - via Newspapers.com.
3. ^ "Dakota Rail operation is looking better". Sioux City Journal. November 22, 1984. p. 48. Retrieved May 3, 2018 - via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ Hillinger, Charles (April 13, 1986). "Workin' the short line". Billings Gazette. p. 39. Retrieved May 3, 2018 - via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ Lewis, Edward A. (1991). American Shortline Railway Guide (4th ed.). Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Publishing. p. 77\. ISBN 0-89024-109-0. OCLC 25150373.
6. ^ "RailAmerica acquires Prairie Holding". The Palm Beach Post. September 9, 1995. p. 27. Retrieved May 3, 2018 - via Newspapers.com.

* v
* t
* e

Railroads of Minnesota

Common carriers|

* Airlake Terminal Railway
* BNSF
* Cedar River Railroad
* Canadian National
* Canadian Pacific
* Cloquet Terminal Railroad
* Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad
* Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway
* Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific Railway
* Minnesota, Dakota & Western Railway
* Minnesota Northern Railroad
* Minnesota Commercial Railway
* Minnesota Prairie Line
* Montgomery Short Line
* Minnesota Southern Railway
* Northern Lines Railway
* Northern Plains Railroad
* Otter Tail Valley Railroad
* Progressive Rail
* Red River Valley & Western Railroad
* St. Croix Valley Railroad
* Soo Line Railroad
* Twin Cities & Western Railroad
* Union Pacific
* Wisconsin Central

Passenger carriers|

* Amtrak
* Northstar Line

Private carriers|

* Cliffs Erie Railroad
* Northshore Mining

Heritage railroads|

* Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad
* North Shore Scenic Railroad
* Osceola & St Croix Valley Railway

* See also: Former carriers in Minnesota
* List of United States railroads by political division

* v
* t
* e

Railroads of South Dakota

Common carriers|

* BNSF
* CPKC
* D&I Railroad
* Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad
* Dakota, Missouri Valley & Western Railroad
* Dakota Southern Railway
* Ellis & Eastern
* Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad
* Huron Subdivision
* Pierre Subdivision
* PRC Subdivision
* Tracy Subdivision
* Ringneck and Western Railroad
* Sisseton Milbank Railroad
* Soo Line Railroad
* Sunflour Railroad
* Twin Cities & Western Railroad

Heritage railroads|

* Black Hills Central Railroad
* Prairie Village, Herman and Milwaukee Railroad

* See also: Former carriers in South Dakota
* List of United States railroads by political division

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template