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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. Since its creation in the late 1980s the railroad has slowly grown and improved 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 history of the RRV&W's lines date back to Burlington Northern when the large Class I was looking to shed excess trackage, eventually giving the startup shortline more than 500 miles of secondary lines. Today, through improved service and excellent association with its customer base the railroad has been able to see its annual carload volumes soar and it now employs nearly 100 workers.

The Red River Valley and Western Railroad began operations on July 19, 1987 when it took over former BN secondary and branch lines, which the Class I was looking to shed following deregulation of 1980 which made it much easier for railroads to abandon or sell lines which they saw as unprofitable. These lines were originally owned by the Northern Pacific Railway and were predominantly agricultural branches connecting Wahpeton, North Dakota with small towns such as Jamestown, Pingree, Carrington,Wilton, and Turtle Lake. As for the RRV&W it did not acquire the entirety of these lines as some were abandoned. However, in total the shortline wound up with about 517 miles of track, instantly making the railroad a large shortline.

Because the RRV&W lies in granger country, a majority of its traffic was based upon grain, and still is (in a region where farmers heavily depend on the railroad to keep their agriculture moving much more cheaply than having to ship via trucks). However, the railroad has also diversified its traffic over the years as it has gained the trust of more companies and businesses. Today, you can find the RRV&W moving commodities such as food products, aggregates, steel, fertilizer, timber products, corn, machinery, and other agricultural products. 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.

Broken down in another way the shortline currently services more than eighty customers and over thirty grain elevators. Its connections to the outside world currently include BNSF Railway and Canadian Pacific. Additionally, because the RRV&W has been able to increase profits it has helped the shortline to improve its right-of-way as it now has nearly 40 miles of continuous welded rail (CWR) install along its lines. Given the fact that the railroad now has a quite diverse traffic base, features two Class I connections, and operates such a large system the future of the Red River Valley and Western Railroad looks very good.

For more information about the Red River Valley and Western Railroad please click here to visit their official website. It includes general information about the railroad as well as a small gallery of photos. Also included is full contact information and available services the railroad offers. Currently the Red River Valley and Western’s roster is comprised entirely of EMDs, all of which are four axles (mostly Geeps).

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Red River Valley and Western Railroad Locomotive Roster

Builder	Model Type	Road Number	Notes	Quantity
EMD	Slug	303, 309	Ex-AT&SF CF7s	2
EMD	GP10	404, 406	Ex-IC GP9s	2
EMD	SW1200RS	1213, 1276	Ex-CP	2
EMD	CF7	1504	Ex-AT&SF	1
EMD	GP20C	2001, 2002, 2005, 2051-2053	Ex-CB&Q, Ex-GN GP20s	6
EMD	GP15C	4100, 4101, 4103-4106	Ex-PRR, Ex-NYC GP9s	6

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. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing this 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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