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North Dakota Railroading and Railfanning In "The Peace Garden State"

North Dakota railroading is usually thought of for two things, lots of originating grain and other agricultural products and main lines heading to the Pacific Northwest. At one time North Dakota was home to no less than three main lines heading to the west coast although today only one remains in continuous operation by the same railroad. Today, the Peace Garden State is mostly the realm of BNSF Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway although several shortline railroads continue to operate there as well, most of which move large amounts of agricultural products and serve several grain elevators.

North Dakota railroading has its beginnings dating back to 1872 when the Northern Pacific Railway reached the Fargo Territory (well before any of the land in the region reached statehood) building towards the west coast. Along with the NP, in the coming years the state would find itself home to two other railroads operating through its borders to reach the west coast, the Great Northern and the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (the Milwaukee Road), the latter of which was the last to build its line completing it in the early 20th century.

While the Milwaukee’s main line skirted the southwestern corner of North Dakota, the Chicago & North Western Railwayhad a few branch lines into the southeastern corner of the state and Soo Line had moderate operations as well, the territory was mostly the domain of the Northern Pacific and Great Northern Railways.

To give a brief history of both, the Northern Pacific Railway was the first of the three major Northwestern railroads to begin construction. Unlike many other railroads the Northern Pacific did not change names numerous times throughout its existence and would likewise never acquire numerous other smaller railroads to form its system. Perhaps what the railroad is best remembered for is its Ying Yang herald and its distinguished flagship passenger train, the North Coast Limited, which used a beautiful two-tone green livery.

The Northern Pacific Railway has its roots dating to the summer of 1864 when President Lincoln signed the railroad’s creation by an Act of Congress and the Northern Pacific Railroad Company was born. Construction on the new company began seven years later in 1870 and would roughly follow the expedition of Lewis and Clark who originally chartered the western territory in the early 19th century.

Of all the railroads James J. Hill owned or controlled in some way, the Great Northern Railway is by far his greatest masterpiece earning him the legendary nickname of Empire Builder. Under his tenor the railroad would stretch from the Midwest to Pacific Coast and of all the Northwestern railroads the GN was by far the strongest and most respected. Even after 30+ years of being gone the railroad still holds strong influences and memories from its Empire Builder passenger train and prominent dark green, orange, and yellow livery to its beloved mascot and emblem, Rocky the mountain goat (a common animal to the Rocky Mountains).

A significant reason why the Great Northern Railway was so successful and respected throughout its life was the excellent presidents who oversaw the railroad. Following Hill’s death Ralph Budd, the renowned leader of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, took the helm and led the railroad through significant growth allowing it to weather the Great Depression relatively well.

Being that James Hill held such an influence over his three railroads; the Great Northern, Northern Pacific, and the jointly owned Seattle, Portland & Spokane Railway, the three were destined to be merged at some point. The railroads tried for decades to do so but were blocked numerous times by the ICC, mostly citing monopoly issues as the reason. It took until 1970 when the ICC finally granted permission to do so (partly because the Milwaukee Road consented after years of trying to block the merger) forming the then Burlington Norther Railroad. The BN, however, would last only 25 years before merging with the Santa Fe to become the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, today known as simply BNSF Railway.

Today, North Dakota railroading is almost exclusively the realm of successors BNSF Railway and Canadian Pacific (the latter of which owns most of the remaining Soo and Milwaukee trackage). The rest is operated by shortline railroads Dakota, Missouri Valley & Western Railroad; Northern Plains Railroad and the Red River Valley & Western Railroad.

In all, these railroads operate over 3,500 miles of track although at one time the state was home to over 5,000 miles. For more information about North Dakota railroading, in terms of route mileage over the years please refer to the chart below.

North Dakota railroading may no longer be home to famous passenger trains like the GN’s Empire Builder, NP’s North Coast Limited or Milwaukee’s Hiawatha’s but Amtrak does continue to operate the legendary Builder, one its most popular and recognized long distance passenger trains with stops at Fargo, Rugby, Stanley, Williston, Minot, Devils Lake and Grand Forks.

Passenger and freight railroading aside North Dakota is also home to three railroad museums you may be interested in visiting. These include the Fort Lincoln Trolley, North Dakota State Railroad Museum and Railroad Museum of Minot.

In all, North Dakota railroading features some interesting operations in the Northern Plains region that are well worth a visit. For instance, if you plan a trip north don’t miss, among other things, BNSF Railway’s spectacular bridges; the 3,860-foot Highline Bridge in Valley City and the 1,792-foot Gassman Coulee Bridge near Minot.

Also, for more reading about railroads in the west you might want to consider picking up a copy of the book The Story of the Western Railroads: From 1852 Through the Reign of the Giants by Robert Riegel, which describes western railroading from its beginnings in the 1850s, before the transcontinental line was built (when west meant across the Mississippi) to how the large systems that dominated the 20th century came about. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing the book please visit the link below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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