Kyle Railroad
This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(October 2023) |
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KYLE 1757 undergoes repair at theEastern Alabama RailwayinSylacauga, Alabama. | |
Overview | |
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Headquarters | Phillipsburg, Kansas |
Reporting mark | KYLE |
Locale | Kansas,Colorado |
Dates of operation | 1982–present |
Predecessor | Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific |
Technical | |
Track gauge | 4 ft8+1⁄2in(1,435 mm) |
Length | 556 miles (895 km) |
Other | |
Website | https://www.gwrr.com/kyle/ |
TheKyle Railroad(reporting markKYLE) is a regionalrailroadline that runs from North CentralKansasinto EasternColorado.It is based inPhillipsburg, Kansasand runs on 556 miles (895 km)[1]of track, mostly the formerChicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad'sChicagotoDenvermain line. The Kyle was owned byRailAmericafrom 2002 to 2012.[1]Genesee & Wyoming Inc.bought RailAmerica in late 2012. As of 2023, KYLE holds 556 total miles (84 inColoradoand 471 inKansas), has a maximum capacity of 286,000 gross pounds per railcar. KYLE also has two interchanges:BNSF(Courtland, KansasandConcordia, Kansas);Union Pacific(Limon, ColoradoandSalina, Kansas).[2]
History
[edit]The Kyle Railroad was formed for the 1982[1]northern Kansas harvest season by the Willis B. Kyle Organization, which consisted of several railroad properties, including theSan Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway,theOregon, Pacific and Eastern Railway,theCumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroadand thePend Oreille Valley Railroad. Included was about 360 miles (580 km) of trackage fromMahaska, KStoLimon, CO.Officially, on September 16, 1980, The Kyle Railroad signed with the MSPA (Mid-States Port Authority) a contract for the Mahaska, KS toLimon, COandBelleville, KStoClay Center, KSline. The Kyle Railroad acted as the MSPA's operator of these lines.
In 2009 the Kyle Railroad bought the tracks on which it operates from the MSPA.[3]
Power for the trains initially consisted of formerBurlington Northern RailroadALCO Century 425s,most tracing their heritage to theSpokane, Portland and Seattle Railway.Kyle Railroad migrated to General Electric U30C and U33C power by the mid-2000s. After RailAmerica purchased Kyle, the legacy GE power was dropped in favor of EMD power, including former Burlington Northern SD40-2s and Southern Pacific SD45T-2s. With the purchase by Genesee and Wyoming, sixMK5000C's (rebuilt as MK50-3s) provided by theUtah Railway(a fellow subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming) now operate on the Kyle Railroad, replacing the SD45T-2s.
Traffic
[edit]The railroad handles mostly agricultural commodities, although limited amounts of construction materials are carried.
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^abc"RailAmerica's Empire".Trains Magazine.Kalmbach Publishing. June 2010.
- ^"Kyle Railroad – A Genesee & Wyoming Company".
- ^"KYLE to buy the track it operates".RetrievedOctober 26,2009.
External links
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