The Red River Valley and Western Railroad

The Red River Valley and Western Railroad is a large shortline carrier operating in southeastern North Dakota and extreme western Minnesota. In the railroad�s past twenty years of operation it has slowly been growing and improving services, so much so that in 2005 it was recognized by Railway Age (the railroad was also recognized by BNSF Railway in 2006 with its Short-Line Achievement Award).

The RRVW began operations in 1987 when it took over operations of ex-Burlington Northern trackage and because it lies in granger country, a majority of its traffic is based upon grain (in a region where farmers heavily depend on the railroad to keep their agriculture moving much more cheaply than having to ship via trucks) but it also hauls other commodities like merchandise and coal.

Along with hauling freight the railroad is a bit unique in also having a car-repair facility on its property, a rarity not often accessible to shortlines.

To give a brief history of the Burlington Northern, when created on March 2, 1970 the Burlington Northern Railroad became the largest railroad in the United States, save for the soon-to-be bankrupt eastern carrier, Penn Central, comprising a staggering nearly 27,000 mile system. An attempt to create the BN occurred no less than three previous times (all denied by the ICC on grounds of a monopoly) and was a dream of tycoon James J. Hill who had an interest in every line that comprised the system; the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; the Great Northern; the Northern Pacific; and the Spokane, Portland & Seattle.

When the railroad finally became a reality it dominated the West and dwarfed every other system. The BN lasted for a quarter century until the mega-merger movement got rolling again in the 1990s and it merged with the legendary Santa Fe to form today�s Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, now known simply as the BNSF Railway, the West�s dominate railroad along with the fabled Union Pacific.

Currently the Red River Valley and Western�s roster is comprised entirely of EMDs, all of which are four axles (mostly Geeps). The below roster is courtesy of The Diesel Shop:

The Red River Valley and Western Railroad Roster

#303 and #309 - Slug: Ex-Santa Fe CF-7s

#404 and #406 - EMD GP10: Ex-MPLI, Exx-TC&W, nee-IC

#1213 and #1276 - EMD SW1200RS: Ex-CP

#1504 - EMD CF-7: Ex-Reading & Northern

#2001, #2002, and #2005 - EMD GP20C: Ex-TC&W, Exx-BN

#2051 and #2053 - EMD GP20C: Ex-TC&W

#4100, #4101, #4103 and #4104 - EMD GP15C: Ex-Soo

#4105 and #4106 - EMD GP15C: Ex-Soo

The Burlington Northern was comprised of the Northwest�s most dominant lines; the GN and NP, which had direct main lines serving Chicago and Seattle (via the Burlington). Their counterpart in all of this was the SP&S, which not only gave the carriers access to the ports of Seattle but also the markets of Portland, Tacoma, and northwestern Oregon. In the end the BN would come to dominate the Northwest region, save for the Milwaukee Road, which remained a significant competitor until astonishingly abandoning its Pacific main line in 1980 giving the BN a virtual monopoly on markets west of Montana.

For more reading on shortlines like the Red River Valley & Western consider the book American Shortline Railway Guide from author Ed Lewis. The book has gone through several updated editions to keep up with the ever-changing world of the shortline industry. Today, the publication highlights almost 600 shortlines across the country with general background information about each (such as roster information, rail line history, radio frequencies, etc.). If you have any interest in shortlines you will very likely enjoy this book.

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