Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad: Route, Roster, Overview

Last revised: October 21, 2026

The Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad, Inc. is the Class II railroad that took the west end of the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern. Reporting mark RCPE. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. The purchase agreement is dated January 2, 2014. On March 24, 2014, in Surface Transportation Board Finance Docket No. 35799, the Office of Proceedings accepted a verified notice for the company, then a noncarrier, to acquire and operate the lines. The purchase was completed on May 30, 2014. The line shut down that evening. Freight service began on June 1, 2014. The railroad's headquarters remain located in Rapid City.

DM&E's Belle Turn near Jolly SD in July 2009

Then-Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern SD40-2 #6368 and Iowa, Chicago & Eastern #6216 are south on the Back Hills Subdivision near Jolly, South Dakota with the southbound Belle Turn on July 17, 2009. The track here is in good shape and the train coasts along at about 30 mph. Doug Kroll notes this train carried mainly bentonite clay from pits on the line between Belle Fourche and Colony, Wyoming that were worked by a crew at night out of Belle Fourche. Doug Kroll photo.

The notice describes approximately 670 miles in Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Wyoming, and the eight pieces it lists add to 672.88 miles. It also describes approximately 219 miles of incidental trackage rights, and those three pieces add to 219.79 miles. The railroad runs from Tracy, Minnesota, through Huron and Fort Pierre to Rapid City, northwest to Colony, Wyoming, and southwest to Dakota Junction, Nebraska. At the closing, the Crawford Subdivision was in the purchase and was operated by the Nebraska Northwestern under a lease. On the first day, general manager Todd Bjornstad described a fleet of about 50 locomotives and 3,000 railcars being assembled. Five GP38-3s that came from the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern can be tied to builder numbers. Canadian Pacific had controlled the predecessor since October 30, 2008, and kept the line east of Tracy and the Iowa, Chicago & Eastern.

On this page: The purchase · The lines · Trackage rights · At a glance · Since 2014 · Diesels

The purchase

The property was the western end of a railroad Canadian Pacific already controlled. The Surface Transportation Board had approved that control on September 30, 2008, in Finance Docket No. 35081, effective October 30, 2008. On December 4, 2012, Canadian Pacific invited offers for the west end. What Genesee & Wyoming bought, two winters later, was that west end.

The Globe and Mail reported the agreement on January 2, 2014: about $210 million, about 1,062 kilometres, about 180 employees to be hired, most of them already on the line, and a closing expected by the middle of 2014. Canadian Pacific’s chief executive, Hunter Harrison, called it a strong long-term franchise. The Genesee & Wyoming annual report for 2014 dates the same announcement January 2 and describes the purchase as the 670-mile west end. The notice filed with the Board is the mile-by-mile account.

Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern filed under 49 CFR 1150.35. The notice was published in the Federal Register on March 27, 2014, at 79 FR 17234, document 2014-06820. Rachel D. Campbell, director of the Office of Proceedings, decided it on March 24, 2014. A related notice, Finance Docket No. 35800, covered Genesee & Wyoming Inc.’s continuance in control once the new company became a Class II carrier. The exemption could take effect on April 25, 2014, forty-five days after the filing. Petitions for stay had to be in by April 11. The parties expected to close shortly after the exemption was effective. They closed on May 30.

The May 30 release, from Rapid City, put the price at approximately $210 million, plus approximately $7.5 million for inventory, equipment, and vehicles. The 2014 financial statements state a cash purchase price of $218.6 million, and that figure includes materials and supplies, railcars, equipment, and vehicles. The same statements count 36,894 carloads from the new railroad in the partial year after the acquisition. The release itself put the traffic at about 52,000 carloads a year. The annual report, describing the railroad in service, says customers ship approximately 63,000 carloads a year.

Two obligations stayed behind. Through December 31, 2030, the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern retained the common-carrier obligation for coal to, from, and over the west lines, and the purchaser left that coal obligation with the seller for the same period. The purchase also left the Powder River construction rights with the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern and its affiliates. The notice points to Wyoming Dakota Railroad Properties—Acquisition and Operation Exemption—Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad, Finance Docket No. 34871, served August 14, 2006. The story of the unbuilt coal line is on the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern page.

The new company did assume the Colony Line interchange commitment. Those rights and obligations came from the agreements signed when the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern acquired the Colony Line from the Union Pacific in 1996, including the Colony Line Car Supply, Services, and Divisions Agreement for the rest of its term. The notice also says the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern would grant the seller trackage rights between Tracy and Wolsey, so the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern could keep handling overhead grain trains with BNSF between Florence, Minnesota, and points beyond Tracy, and non-revenue ballast trains, including interchange with BNSF at Wolsey. The seller was expected to file its own notice for those rights. When this acquisition notice was decided, a South Dakota petition in Finance Docket 35081 (Sub-No. 2) was still in discovery. The Board had served decisions in that docket on December 20, 2013, and March 10, 2014.

The lines

The notice prints eight pieces. The Huron Subdivision is the old Chicago & North Western stem from Tracy to Huron. The Pierre Subdivision continues to Fort Pierre. The PRC Subdivision runs from Fort Pierre to Pressler Junction, the Rapid City end of that subdivision. Pierre, across the Missouri, is the crew point named in the 2014 release. The Black Hills Subdivision leaves Dakota Junction, Nebraska, and runs to Bentonite, at Colony, Wyoming. Crawford is its own subdivision, 20.78 miles, from Dakota Junction down to Crawford. Onida–Blunt, Redfield–Mansfield, and the Yale Spur are the three branches. The Yale Spur is subleased from the East Central Railroad Authority, and the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern was assigning that sublease.

Footnote 4 of the notice says the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern was the operator of the west lines except the Crawford Subdivision, which Nebraska Northwestern Railroad, Inc., operated under a lease. The 2014 annual report still describes the Dakota Junction–Crawford trackage as leased to Nebraska Northwestern Railroad Inc. Those 20.78 miles are in the purchase. The 2019 award release describes a branch from Rapid City to Chadron, Nebraska. Chadron is the town named in that release. Dakota Junction is the 2014 southwest end of the owned line.

Line	From	To	Miles
Huron Subdivision	Tracy, Minn., milepost 231.5	Huron, S.D., milepost 362.7	131.2
Pierre Subdivision	Huron, milepost 362.7	Ft. Pierre, S.D., milepost 484.4	121.7
PRC Subdivision	Ft. Pierre, milepost 484.4	Pressler Jct., S.D., milepost 649.2	164.8
Black Hills Subdivision	Dakota Jct., Neb., milepost 0.4	Bentonite/Colony, Wyo., milepost 174.7	174.3
Crawford Subdivision	Dakota Jct., milepost 411.72±	Crawford, Neb., milepost 432.5±	20.78
Onida Subdivision	Onida, S.D., milepost 97.5	Blunt, S.D., milepost 115.1	17.6
Mansfield Subdivision	Redfield, S.D., milepost 39.7	Mansfield, S.D., milepost 66.9	27.2
Yale Spur	Yale, S.D., milepost 145.0	Huron, milepost 160.3±	15.3
Distances as stated in the notice			672.88

The notice also calls the same property approximately 670 miles. The Crawford row is the leased subdivision. The Yale Spur row is the East Central Railroad Authority sublease.

Trackage rights

The incidental trackage rights are a second map. One piece is the seller’s own railroad from Tracy east to Mankato, which is how the new company reaches the Union Pacific at Mankato and stays in touch with the Canadian Pacific at Tracy. One piece is BNSF trackage from Wolsey to Aberdeen, assigned by the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern as successor to the Chicago & North Western. The mileposts on that piece are 70.50 and 777.04, and the notice states the distance as 72.04 miles. The third piece is BNSF’s line from Yale to Watertown, together with yard trackage at Huron. The three distances add to 219.79 miles. The notice calls them approximately 219 miles. The trackage rights are a separate total from the 670 miles of line.

Trackage	From	To	Miles
Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern, owned and operated by the seller	Tracy, milepost 231.5	Mankato, Minn., milepost 142.4	89.1
BNSF, assigned by the seller as successor to the Chicago & North Western	Wolsey, S.D., milepost 70.50	Aberdeen, S.D., milepost 777.04	72.04
BNSF, owned and operated by BNSF, including Huron yard trackage	Yale, milepost 148.5, and Huron yard at milepost 160.33	Watertown, S.D., milepost 90.72, and the end of the Huron yard track	58.65
Distances as stated in the notice			219.79

At a glance

Item	Detail
Legal name	Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad, Inc.
Owner	Genesee & Wyoming Inc. Class II after the acquisition. Reporting mark RCPE
Headquarters	246 Founders Park Drive, Suite 202, Rapid City, SD 57701, on the June 2024 company page
Agreement	January 2, 2014. Finance Docket 35799, decided March 24, 2014, published March 27, 2014, 79 FR 17234. Control continuance, Finance Docket 35800
Service	Purchase completed May 30, 2014. The line shut down that evening. Freight service from June 1, 2014. The exemption could take effect April 25, 2014
Lines in the notice	Approximately 670 miles. The eight stated pieces add to 672.88 miles. Tracy to Huron to Fort Pierre to Pressler Junction; Dakota Junction to Colony; Crawford Subdivision 20.78 miles, then leased to Nebraska Northwestern; Onida, Mansfield, and the Yale Spur
Trackage rights	Approximately 219 miles. The three stated pieces add to 219.79: Tracy–Mankato 89.1, Wolsey–Aberdeen 72.04, and Yale–Watertown with the Huron yard 58.65
Price	May 30, 2014 release: about $210 million, plus about $7.5 million. The 2014 financial statements: cash purchase price $218.6 million, including materials and supplies, railcars, equipment, and vehicles
What stayed with the seller	Coal obligation on the west lines through December 31, 2030. Powder River construction rights, Finance Docket 34871, served August 14, 2006. The east end, and the Iowa, Chicago & Eastern
Opening day	177 employees, most hired from the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern. Brad Ovitt, president. Todd Bjornstad, general manager. About 52,000 carloads a year in the release. Shops at Rapid City and Huron. Crews at Rapid City, Belle Fourche, Pierre, Huron, Brookings, and Tracy
2014 annual report	Approximately 670 miles, including Dakota Junction–Crawford then leased to Nebraska Northwestern. Approximately 63,000 carloads a year. Approximately 180 employees. Interchange with Canadian Pacific, Union Pacific, BNSF, and Nebraska Northwestern
June 2024 company page	Owned, leased, and operating rights: 678 miles. Minnesota 41, Nebraska 34, South Dakota 596, Wyoming 7. Capacity 286,000 lb from Fort Pierre to Tracy and from Onida to Blunt; 263,000 lb elsewhere. Interchange: BNSF at Wolsey, Crawford, and Florence; Canadian Pacific Kansas City at Tracy; Union Pacific at Mankato
Diesels identified below	Five GP38-3s, 2085–2089, from Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern 3830–3834. Bjornstad’s May 30 plan was about 50 locomotives and 3,000 railcars

Since 2014

The release counted 177 employees, most of them hired from the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern, and said the company expected to hire more. Brad Ovitt was president. Todd Bjornstad, the general manager, said the railroad would create a fleet of approximately 50 locomotives and 3,000 railcars for its own customers, with more cars from the connecting Class I railroads. Alicia Martin was head of sales. The railroad kept shops at Rapid City and Huron. Crews changed at Rapid City, Belle Fourche, Pierre, Huron, Brookings, and Tracy. Interchange at the start was with BNSF, Canadian Pacific, Union Pacific, and the Nebraska Northwestern. The commodities in that release were grain, bentonite clay, ethanol, fertilizer, and other freight. A 2014 Progressive Railroading account of the grain season reported the railroad using 50 locomotives, where Canadian Pacific had used 30 on the same lines, and quoted Ovitt on a pheasant in the new emblem, chosen by the employees.

The first season was a full elevator. The annual report describes a 24-hour stand-down for safety training, then freight service on June 1, with a backlog of 2013 grain still in the elevators and a record South Dakota wheat harvest on top of it. The company’s later account of the startup says yields in some areas ran 150 percent above normal. The same annual report calls a new grain transload at Chadron, Nebraska, the railroad’s first industrial-development win, done in the first quarter of operation and ready for the fall harvest. South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard, writing to the Surface Transportation Board and quoted in that report, said he had found Genesee & Wyoming’s reputation for safety and customer service to be a good one. The report’s operating sketch is approximately 670 miles between Tracy and Rapid City, north of Rapid City to Colony, south of Rapid City to Dakota Junction, the connecting branches, and the Dakota Junction–Crawford trackage then leased to Nebraska Northwestern. Customers ship approximately 63,000 carloads a year. The railroad had approximately 180 employees, most hired from the predecessor.

On March 14, 2019, Railway Age named the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern its Regional Railroad of the Year. The Genesee & Wyoming release that day, from Rapid City, listed four achievements: 2016 through 2018 with zero Federal Railroad Administration-reportable employee injuries; more than $80 million invested in infrastructure; revenues grown 20 percent since 2015; and more than $300 million in new customer investment along the line. Michael Miller, then president of Genesee & Wyoming’s North American operations, said the recognition belonged to the railroad’s 175 employees. The release still describes the 670-mile freight line from Tracy to Rapid City, through Brookings, Huron, Miller, Highmore, Pierre, and Wall, with branches from Redfield to Mansfield and from Rapid City to Colony and to Chadron. The commodities named in 2019 are grain, bentonite clay, cement, ethanol, and fertilizer. The company’s startup narrative adds that replacing 100-year-old rail allowed longer trains and higher speeds eastward from Wall, and that customer surveys in 2015 and 2017 came in above 8.0 of 10.

The company’s own page, dated June 2024, states a different mileage from the 2014 notice. Owned, leased, and operating rights together are 678: Minnesota 41, Nebraska 34, South Dakota 596, and Wyoming 7. Those four state figures add to 678. Capacity on that page is 286,000 pounds between Fort Pierre and Tracy and between Onida and Blunt, and 263,000 pounds elsewhere. The interchange towns on that page are BNSF at Wolsey, South Dakota, Crawford, Nebraska, and Florence, Minnesota; Canadian Pacific Kansas City at Tracy; and Union Pacific at Mankato. The Crawford connection is listed there as a BNSF interchange. The address on the page is Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad, Inc., 246 Founders Park Drive, Suite 202, Rapid City, SD 57701. The page also lists 1,000 spots of railcar storage. Acquired by Genesee & Wyoming: 2014.

The tenth-anniversary account in Trains, June 6, 2024, describes gatherings that week at the yards in Rapid City, Pierre, and Huron. It puts the decade’s investment in infrastructure and equipment at more than $100 million, with state and federal help, including new rail east of Wall and three added sidings that doubled capacity on the main line. It counts nearly 200 employees, three injury-free years out of the ten, and a 2023 customer survey of 8.9 out of 10. June 2024 coverage of the Rapid City gathering quotes Michael Miller as the company’s chief executive.

The heavy job west of the river is the Fort Pierre–Rapid City main. On November 22, 2021, the South Dakota Department of Transportation announced a federal RAISE grant for that work. The state’s estimate was $84 million: $42 million from the railroad, $20 million from the state under Senate Bill 93, and $22 million from the RAISE grant. The scope in that announcement is 87.7 miles of jointed rail replaced with 136-pound continuous welded rail, together with bridge, tie, turnout, crossing, and detector work, so the line could carry 286,000-pound cars. Secretary of Transportation Joel Jundt described the result as industry-standard cars at speeds up to 25 miles an hour. The South Dakota Railroad Board’s update of September 17, 2025, still showed those three amounts and described the work as underway, with the rail construction scheduled through November 1, 2026. On November 12, 2025, local accounts of the railroad’s statement said the project was nearing completion, put the new welded rail at about 88 miles, and said trains would be able to run between 25 and 40 miles an hour. Those accounts quote Ryan Englebright, the general manager, and they describe a branch from Rapid City to Crawford.

Diesels

The Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern inherited a secondhand hood-unit railroad and then assembled its own fleet. On May 30, 2014, Bjornstad’s figure for that fleet was approximately 50 locomotives and 3,000 railcars. The 2014 Progressive Railroading account said the railroad was then using 50 locomotives. The five GP38-3s below are the ex-Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern units whose builder numbers match this site’s GP40 production roster. Each was built as a GP40 and later rebuilt. Illinois Central 3040–3048 are serials 32860–32868, order 5723, so 3045 is 32865. Illinois Central 3052–3055 are serials 32872–32875, order 7960, so 3053 is 32873. Illinois Central 3056–3059 are serials 32876–32879, order 7961, so 3059 is 32879. Penn Central 3105–3169 are serials 34282–34346, order 7127, so 3130 is 34307 and 3135 is 34312. The Penn Central pair was built in September 1968.

Model	Numbers	Builder	Serial	Order	Built	Qty	Notes
GP38-3	2085	EMD	32865	5723	February 1967	1	Ex-Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern 3830. Built as Illinois Central GP40 3045. Later Kansas City Southern 781
GP38-3	2086	EMD	34307	7127	September 1968	1	Ex-Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern 3831. Built as Penn Central GP40 3130. Later Conrail 3130 and Kansas City Southern 760
GP38-3	2087	EMD	32873	7960	February 1967	1	Ex-Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern 3832. Built as Illinois Central GP40 3053. Later Kansas City Southern 789
GP38-3	2088	EMD	32879	7961	March 1967	1	Ex-Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern 3833. Built as Illinois Central GP40 3059. Later Kansas City Southern 795
GP38-3	2089	EMD	34312	7127	September 1968	1	Ex-Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern 3834. Built as Penn Central GP40 3135. Later Conrail 3135 and Kansas City Southern 764
GP38-3s on this roster						5	2085–2089, from Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern 3830–3834

Sources

Federal Register, March 27, 2014, 79 FR 17234–17235, FR Doc. 2014-06820. Surface Transportation Board Docket No. FD 35799, Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad, Inc.—Acquisition and Operation Exemption Including Interchange Commitment—Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corporation. Decided March 24, 2014, by Rachel D. Campbell, Director, Office of Proceedings. Agreement of January 2, 2014. Approximately 670 miles, eight pieces totaling 672.88 miles as stated, and approximately 219 miles of incidental trackage rights, three pieces totaling 219.79 miles as stated. Class II. Finance Docket 35800. Coal obligation retained by the seller through December 31, 2030. Powder River rights excluded, Finance Docket 34871, served August 14, 2006. Crawford Subdivision operated by Nebraska Northwestern Railroad, Inc., under a lease. Yale Spur subleased from the East Central Railroad Authority. Colony Line interchange commitment from the 1996 agreements, including the CSSDA. Earliest consummation April 25, 2014. Official PDF: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2014-03-27/pdf/2014-06820.pdf.
The Globe and Mail, January 2, 2014. Agreement announced that day. About $210 million. About 1,062 kilometres. About 180 employees. Closing expected by the middle of 2014. Hunter Harrison.
Genesee & Wyoming, May 30, 2014, Rapid City. Purchase completed for approximately $210 million plus approximately $7.5 million. The 670-mile line to shut down that evening. Freight service June 1, 2014. 177 employees. Brad Ovitt, president. Todd Bjornstad, general manager, on a fleet of approximately 50 locomotives and 3,000 railcars. About 52,000 carloads a year. Headquarters Rapid City. Northwest to Colony, southwest to Dakota Junction, east to Tracy. Shops at Rapid City and Huron. Crew points Rapid City, Belle Fourche, Pierre, Huron, Brookings, and Tracy. Interchange with BNSF, Canadian Pacific, Union Pacific, and Nebraska Northwestern. Railway Gazette International, June 2, 2014, reports the same opening.
Genesee & Wyoming Inc., 2014 annual report. Cash purchase price $218.6 million, including materials and supplies, railcars, equipment, and vehicles. Freight service June 1, 2014. Approximately 670 miles, including Dakota Junction to Crawford then leased to Nebraska Northwestern Railroad Inc. Approximately 63,000 carloads a year. Approximately 180 employees. Interchange with Canadian Pacific, Union Pacific, BNSF, and Nebraska Northwestern. Partial-year 2014 carloads from the railroad: 36,894. Chadron transload in the first quarter. Governor Dennis Daugaard’s letter to the Board, quoted in the report.
Progressive Railroading, 2014, “Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad aims to become engrained in South Dakota’s agricultural products network.” Fifty locomotives in use, against 30 that Canadian Pacific had used. Ovitt on the pheasant in the emblem.
Genesee & Wyoming, March 14, 2019, Rapid City. Railway Age Regional Railroad of the Year. Zero FRA-reportable employee injuries, 2016–2018. More than $80 million in infrastructure. Revenues grown 20 percent since 2015. More than $300 million in new customer investment. 175 employees. Michael Miller, president, North America. The 670-mile line, including a branch to Chadron. Commodities include cement. https://media.gwrr.com/press-releases/news-details/2019/Rapid-City-Pierre--Eastern-Named-Regional-Railroad-of-the-Year/default.aspx.
Genesee & Wyoming customer story, “G&W Starts Up Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad in South Dakota.” May 30 purchase, shutdown that evening, June 1 after 24 hours of training, 177 employees. Yields 150 percent above normal in some areas. Rail east of Wall. Customer surveys in 2015 and 2017 above 8.0 of 10. https://www.gwrr.com/customer-success-stories/starting-up-the-rapid-city-pierre-eastern-railroad/.
Genesee & Wyoming railroad pages, “as of 06/2024.” Owned, leased, and operating rights 678 (Minnesota 41, Nebraska 34, South Dakota 596, Wyoming 7). Interchanges and capacity as in the glance. Address 246 Founders Park Drive, Suite 202, Rapid City, SD 57701. https://www.gwrr.com/rcpe/ and https://www.gwrr.com/railroads/rapid-city-pierre-and-eastern-railroad.
Trains, June 6, 2024. Tenth anniversary. More than $100 million over the decade. Rail east of Wall. Three additional sidings. Nearly 200 employees. Three injury-free years out of ten. 2023 customer survey 8.9 of 10. Yard gatherings at Rapid City, Pierre, and Huron.
South Dakota Department of Transportation, November 22, 2021, as reported by South Dakota Public Broadcasting and mykxlg.com. RAISE grant for Fort Pierre to Rapid City. Estimated $84 million: $42 million from the railroad, $20 million from the state under Senate Bill 93, and $22 million from the RAISE grant. 87.7 miles of rail, and the related bridge, tie, turnout, and crossing work. Joel Jundt, Secretary of Transportation. South Dakota Railroad Board attachment, September 17, 2025: the same three amounts, rail construction scheduled through November 1, 2026. Pioneer Review and DRG News, November 12, 2025: the project nearing completion, about 88 miles of continuous welded rail, speeds from 25 to 40 miles an hour. Ryan Englebright, general manager.
This site’s GP40 production roster. Illinois Central 3040–3048, serials 32860–32868, order 5723, February 1967. Illinois Central 3052–3055, serials 32872–32875, order 7960, February 1967. Illinois Central 3056–3059, serials 32876–32879, order 7961, March 1967. Penn Central 3105–3169, serials 34282–34346, order 7127, August–September 1968. Those blocks fix 3045 at 32865, 3053 at 32873, 3059 at 32879, 3130 at 34307, and 3135 at 34312. The prior Kansas City Southern numbers on the five rows are the numbers recorded for those frames. The Diesel Shop’s Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern list, http://www.thedieselshop.us/RCPE.HTML, repeats builder numbers from one road number to another. The published table is the five GP38-3s whose serials match the production roster.

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