Minnesota Northern Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Minnesota Northern Railroad is a Class III
Class III railroad
A Class III railroad, as defined by the Surface Transportation Board, is a railroad with an annual operating revenue of less than $20 million . The term only applies to United States railroads, but is sometimes applied to other countries...

 shortline railroad
Shortline railroad
A shortline railroad is a small or mid-sized railroad company that operates over a relatively short distance relative to larger, national railroad networks. The term is used primarily in the USA and Canada...

 that operates over 224 miles (360.5 km) of track in northwestern Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

. The railroad is co-owned by KBN Incorporated and Independent Locomotive Service and is headquartered in Crookston, Minnesota
Crookston, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,192 people, 3,078 households, and 1,819 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,658.8 people per square mile . There were 3,382 housing units at an average density of 684.8 per square mile...

.

As of 2006, the Minnesota Northern Railroad employed 11 people and handled approximately 11,000 carloads per year. The primary commodities hauled included grain
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...

, seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...

s, sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...

 and sugar by-products, coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...

, animal feeds
Fodder
Fodder or animal feed is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin...

, and fertilizer
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...

s.

The Minnesota Northern Railroad interchanges with the BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...

, the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...

, and the Northern Plains Railroad
Northern Plains Railroad
The Northern Plains Railroad is a short line railroad that operates over 344 miles of track in the northern U.S. state of Minnesota and the northern U.S...

.

History

The Minnesota Northern Railroad was created in December 1996 when the railroad’s former owner, RailAmerica
RailAmerica
RailAmerica, Inc., based in Jacksonville, Florida, is a holding company of a number of short-line railroads and regional railroads in the United States and Canada....

, purchased 204 miles (328.3 km) of track from the newly-created Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway. Also included in the sale were 64 miles (103 km) of trackage rights
Trackage rights
Trackage rights , running rights or running powers is an agreement whereby a railway company has the right to run its trains on tracks owned by another railway company....

 on the BNSF's Grand Forks Subdivision from Crookston, Minnesota
Crookston, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,192 people, 3,078 households, and 1,819 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,658.8 people per square mile . There were 3,382 housing units at an average density of 684.8 per square mile...

 to Erskine, Minnesota
Erskine, Minnesota
Erskine is a city in Polk County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 503 at the 2010 census. It is part of the 'Grand Forks- ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area'.-Geography:...

 and the Canadian Pacific's Detroit Lakes Subdivision from Erskine, Minnesota
Erskine, Minnesota
Erskine is a city in Polk County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 503 at the 2010 census. It is part of the 'Grand Forks- ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area'.-Geography:...

 to Thief River Falls, Minnesota
Thief River Falls, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,410 people, 3,619 households, and 2,091 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,760.0 people per square mile . There were 3,931 housing units at an average density of 822.7 per square mile...

.

The 204 miles (328.3 km) of track initially sold to the Minnesota Northern Railroad consisted of:
  • A 45 miles (72.4 km) portion of the P Line Subdivision from Perley, Minnesota
    Perley, Minnesota
    Perley is a city in Norman County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 92 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...

     to Crookston, Minnesota
    Crookston, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 8,192 people, 3,078 households, and 1,819 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,658.8 people per square mile . There were 3,382 housing units at an average density of 684.8 per square mile...

  • The 23 miles (37 km) Fertile Subdivision from Crookston, Minnesota
    Crookston, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 8,192 people, 3,078 households, and 1,819 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,658.8 people per square mile . There were 3,382 housing units at an average density of 684.8 per square mile...

     to Fertile, Minnesota
    Fertile, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 893 people, 396 households, and 220 families residing in the city. The population density was 471.9 people per square mile . There were 433 housing units at an average density of 228.8 per square mile...

  • The 32 miles (51.5 km) Ada Subdivision from Crookston, Minnesota
    Crookston, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 8,192 people, 3,078 households, and 1,819 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,658.8 people per square mile . There were 3,382 housing units at an average density of 684.8 per square mile...

     to Ada, Minnesota
    Ada, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 1,657 people, 749 households, and 432 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,234.4 people per square mile . There were 835 housing units at an average density of 622.1 per square mile...

  • The 92 miles (148.1 km) Warroad Subdivision from St. Hilaire, Minnesota
    St. Hilaire, Minnesota
    St. Hilaire is a city in section 6 of River Falls Township in Pennington County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 279 at the 2010 census.-History:...

     to Warroad, Minnesota
    Warroad, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 1,722 people, 657 households, and 419 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 766 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 81.65% White, 0.29% Black or African American, 7.38% Native American,...

  • A 12 miles (19.3 km) spur of the Grand Forks Subdivision from Tilden Junction, Minnesota to Red Lake Falls, Minnesota
    Red Lake Falls, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 1,590 people, 608 households, and 380 families residing in the city. The population density was 749.7 people per square mile . There were 652 housing units at an average density of 307.4 per square mile...

    .


Shortly after the Minnesota Northern Railroad acquired its track, it abandoned the dilapidated Fertile Subdivision and most of the spur from Tilden Junction to Red Lake Falls. In addition, it acquired approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) of trackage rights
Trackage rights
Trackage rights , running rights or running powers is an agreement whereby a railway company has the right to run its trains on tracks owned by another railway company....

 over the BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...

 near Erskine, Minnesota
Erskine, Minnesota
Erskine is a city in Polk County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 503 at the 2010 census. It is part of the 'Grand Forks- ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area'.-Geography:...

. Later abandonments would include the portion of the Ada Subdivision from Beltrami, Minnesota
Beltrami, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 101 people, 44 households, and 31 families residing in the city. The population density was 50.2 people per square mile . There were 48 housing units at an average density of 23.9 per square mile...

 to Ada, Minnesota
Ada, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,657 people, 749 households, and 432 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,234.4 people per square mile . There were 835 housing units at an average density of 622.1 per square mile...

, the portion of the P Line Subdivision from Shelly. Minnesota to Perley, Minnesota
Perley, Minnesota
Perley is a city in Norman County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 92 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...

, and the portion of the Warroad Subdivision from Roseau, Minnesota
Roseau, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,756 people, 1,157 households, and 713 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,153.6 people per square mile . There were 1,229 housing units at an average density of 514.4 per square mile...

 to Warroad, Minnesota
Warroad, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,722 people, 657 households, and 419 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 766 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 81.65% White, 0.29% Black or African American, 7.38% Native American,...

.

Prior to coming under the control of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, the 204 miles (328.3 km) of track initially purchased by the Minnesota Northern Railroad belonged to the Burlington Northern Railroad
Burlington Northern Railroad
The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996....

. Before being owned by the Burlington Northern Railroad, the P Line, Ada, and Warroad Subdivisions were owned by the Great Northern Railway. The Fertile Subdivision and spur from Tilden Junction to Red Lake Falls, meanwhile, had been owned by the Northern Pacific Railway
Northern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the west along the Canadian border of the United States. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in...

.

The portion of the Fertile Subdivision sold to the Minnesota Northern Railroad was once a part of the Northern Pacific Railway’s
Northern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the west along the Canadian border of the United States. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in...

 250 miles (402.3 km) mainline from Hawley, Minnesota
Hawley, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,882 people, 744 households, and 514 families residing in the city. The population density was 764.8 people per square mile . There were 787 housing units at an average density of 319.8 per square mile...

 to Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...

, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...

. Though the line was an important route for passenger and freight trains to and from Winnipeg in its heyday, currently only a few portions have been spared from abandonment. A segment of the abandoned grade between Crookston, Minnesota
Crookston, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,192 people, 3,078 households, and 1,819 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,658.8 people per square mile . There were 3,382 housing units at an average density of 684.8 per square mile...

 in the north and Ulen, Minnesota
Ulen, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 532 people, 203 households, and 120 families residing in the city. The population density was 488.9 people per square mile . There were 228 housing units at an average density of 209.5 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 99.25% White and 0.75%...

 in the south has been converted to a multi-use trail known as the Agassiz Recreational Trail
Agassiz Recreational Trail
Agassiz Recreational Trail is a 53-mile multi-use rail trail in northwest Minnesota between Crookston, MN and Ulen, MN. Hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and ATV riding are allowed on the naturally surfaced trail. The trail is owned by Clay, Norman, and Polk...



Ownership of the Minnesota Northern Railroad was turned over from RailAmerica
RailAmerica
RailAmerica, Inc., based in Jacksonville, Florida, is a holding company of a number of short-line railroads and regional railroads in the United States and Canada....

 to KBN Incorporated and Independent Locomotive Service in 2001. Both companies are based in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

 and also co-own two other short line railroads: the St. Croix Valley Railroad
St. Croix Valley Railroad
The St. Croix Valley Railroad is a Class III short line railroad that operates over 36 miles of track in eastern Minnesota. The railroad is co-owned by KBN Incorporated and Independent Locomotive Service and is headquartered in Rush City, Minnesota.As of 2008, the St. Croix Valley Railroad...

 in eastern Minnesota and the Dakota Northern Railroad
Dakota Northern Railroad
The Dakota Northern Railroad is a Class III short line railroad that operates over 72 miles of track in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of North Dakota....

 in eastern North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....

.

Locomotive and Freight Car Fleet

Minnesota Northern Railroad co-owner Independent Locomotive Service supplies the railroad with a fleet of various locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...

s, primarily rebuilt four-axle "general purpose" locomotives and switcher
Switcher
A switcher or shunter is a small railroad locomotive intended not for moving trains over long distances but rather for assembling trains ready for a road locomotive to take over, disassembling a train that has been...

s from EMD. The locomotives are sent from an Independent Locomotive Service shop in either Bethel, Minnesota
Bethel, Minnesota
Bethel is a city in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 466 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water. 237th Avenue / County 24 serves as a main route in the community...

 or Holt, Minnesota
Holt, Minnesota
Holt is a city in Marshall County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 88 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...

.

The majority of the Minnesota Northern Railroad’s locomotives contain maroon paint with gold lettering. The colors are reminiscent of the school colors used at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

.

Besides possessing locomotives, the Minnesota Northern Railroad also leases 80 covered hopper
Covered hopper
A Covered Hopper is a railroad freight car. They are designed for carrying dry bulk loads, varying from grain to products such as sand and clay. The cover protects the loads from the weather - dried cement would be very hard to unload if mixed with water in transit, while grain would be liable to...

s. All other freight cars used on the railroad are supplied by both the BNSF
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...

 and Canadian Pacific
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...

 railways.

Stations on the Minnesota Northern Railroad

The Minnesota Northern Railroad owns track that goes through the following communities:
  • Badger, Minnesota
    Badger, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 470 people, 207 households, and 127 families residing in the city. The population density was 352.9 people per square mile . There were 228 housing units at an average density of 171.2 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 100.00% White...

  • Beltrami, Minnesota
    Beltrami, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 101 people, 44 households, and 31 families residing in the city. The population density was 50.2 people per square mile . There were 48 housing units at an average density of 23.9 per square mile...

  • Climax, Minnesota
    Climax, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 243 people, 113 households, and 68 families residing in the city. The population density was 212.2 people per square mile . There were 124 housing units at an average density of 108.3 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 93.00% White, 1.65%...

  • Crookston, Minnesota
    Crookston, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 8,192 people, 3,078 households, and 1,819 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,658.8 people per square mile . There were 3,382 housing units at an average density of 684.8 per square mile...

     (Also a BNSF Railway
    BNSF Railway
    The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...

     station)
  • Dakota Junction, Minnesota
    Dakota Junction, Minnesota
    Dakota Junction is an unincorporated community located in the North Township, Pennington County, Minnesota, United States....

  • Eldred, Minnesota
  • Fox, Minnesota
  • Greenbush, Minnesota
    Greenbush, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 784 people, 317 households, and 194 families residing in the city. The population density was 534.6 people per square mile . There were 348 housing units at an average density of 237.3 per square mile...

  • Greenview, Minnesota
  • Girard, Minnesota
  • Holt, Minnesota
    Holt, Minnesota
    Holt is a city in Marshall County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 88 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...

  • Mandus, Minnesota
  • Middle River, Minnesota
    Middle River, Minnesota
    Middle River is a city in Marshall County, Minnesota, along the Middle River. The population was 303 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...

  • Nielsville, Minnesota
    Nielsville, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 91 people, 40 households, and 23 families residing in the city. The population density was 329.9 people per square mile . There were 50 housing units at an average density of 181.3 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 96.70% White, and 3.30% from...

  • Roseau, Minnesota
    Roseau, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 2,756 people, 1,157 households, and 713 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,153.6 people per square mile . There were 1,229 housing units at an average density of 514.4 per square mile...

  • St. Hilaire, Minnesota
    St. Hilaire, Minnesota
    St. Hilaire is a city in section 6 of River Falls Township in Pennington County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 279 at the 2010 census.-History:...

  • Shelly, Minnesota
    Shelly, Minnesota
    Shelly is a city in Norman County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 191 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...

  • Strata, Minnesota
  • Strathcona, Minnesota
    Strathcona, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 29 people, 16 households, and 7 families residing in the city. The population density was 59.4 people per square mile . There were 18 housing units at an average density of 36.9 per square mile...

  • Thief River Falls, Minnesota
    Thief River Falls, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 8,410 people, 3,619 households, and 2,091 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,760.0 people per square mile . There were 3,931 housing units at an average density of 822.7 per square mile...

     (Also a Canadian Pacific Railway
    Canadian Pacific Railway
    The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...

     and Northern Plains Railroad
    Northern Plains Railroad
    The Northern Plains Railroad is a short line railroad that operates over 344 miles of track in the northern U.S. state of Minnesota and the northern U.S...

     station)
  • Tilden Junction, Minnesota (Also a BNSF Railway
    BNSF Railway
    The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...

     station)
  • Wilds, Minnesota

Sources


http://regulations.justia.com/view/119917/
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