Red River Valley and Western Railroad

Red River Valley and Western Railroad

Route map of the RRVW. Solid lines are trackage owned by the railroad; dotted lines are those with trackage rights.
Reporting mark	RRVW
Locale	North Dakota with a branch into Minnesota
Dates of operation	1987–
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Headquarters	Wahpeton, North Dakota
Website	www.rrvw.net

The Red River Valley and Western Railroad (reporting mark RRVW) is a regional railroad operating in the US states of North Dakota and Minnesota. It began operations in 1987 in an era of railroad restructuring.

Its 648 miles (1,043 km) of track, originally acquired from the Burlington Northern Railroad, included:

• Wahpeton, North Dakota to Oakes, North Dakota
• Breckenridge, Minnesota to Brushvale, Minnesota
• Wahpeton, North Dakota to Casselton, North Dakota
• Chaffee Junction, North Dakota to Chaffee, North Dakota
• Casselton, North Dakota to Marion, North Dakota
• Oakes, North Dakota to Jamestown, North Dakota
• Horace, North Dakota to Independence, North Dakota
• La Moure, North Dakota to Edgeley, North Dakota
• Jamestown, North Dakota to Minnewaukan, North Dakota
• Pingree, North Dakota to Regan, North Dakota
• Carrington, North Dakota to Turtle Lake, North Dakota
• Oberon, North Dakota to Esmond, North Dakota

Shortly after it began operations, the Red River Valley and Western Railroad acquired a 19-mile (31 km) rail line between Oakes, North Dakota and Hecla, South Dakota from the Dakota, Minnesota, and Eastern Railroad. It abandoned 18 miles (29 km) of this rail line, beginning just south of Oakes, North Dakota, on September 7, 2001.

Currently, the Red River Valley and Western Railroad owns and operates 490 miles (790 km) of trackage which includes:

• Breckenridge, Minnesota to Brushvale, Minnesota
• Wahpeton, North Dakota to Oakes, North Dakota
• Wahpeton, North Dakota to Casselton, North Dakota
• Chaffee Junction, North Dakota to Chaffee, North Dakota
• Oakes, North Dakota to Jamestown, North Dakota
• Horace, North Dakota to Independence, North Dakota
• La Moure, North Dakota to Edgeley, North Dakota
• Jamestown, North Dakota to Maddock, North Dakota
• Pingree, North Dakota to Woodworth, North Dakota
• Additional trackage rights on the BNSF Railway and the Canadian Pacific Railway from Ransom Junction, North Dakota to Lucca, North Dakota, from Casselton, North Dakota to Jamestown, North Dakota, and from Breckenridge, Minnesota to Geneseo Junction, North Dakota

The Red River Valley and Western Railroad is affiliated with the Twin Cities and Western Railroad and the Minnesota Prairie Line. Andrew Thompson is the chief executive officer of all three railroads.

References

• AAR Railfan Club (2005), Railway Age Names Shortline, Regional Railroads of the Year. Retrieved March 10, 2005.
• Red River Valley and Western Railroad (2005), Company Profile. Retrieved March 10, 2005.

External links

• Red River Valley and Western official website

Railroads of Minnesota
Common carriers	ALT BNSF CEDR CN CP CTRR DME DMIR DWP MDW MNN MNNR MPLI MSL MSWY NLR NPR OTVR PGR RRVW SCXY SOO TCWR UP WC
Passenger carriers	AMTK Metro NSSR MNRX LSMRR OSCVR
Private carriers	LTVX NSM
Former carriers	BCRN BFRR BN CBQ CGW CMO CNoR CNW CVAR DAKR D&IR DM&N DNE DSA DW&P ESL GBW GCR GN HCY IBT IC ICE IMRL MA&C MACR MCTA MER MH&W MI MILW MINE MIR MNER MNN MNS MNVA M&RR MRLM MSLC MSTL MTFR MW NP NRR PADW RI SOO SPB SPD SP&P SPUD TCRT WSFR WCR
See also: List of United States railroads by political division

Railroads of North Dakota
Common carriers	BNSF CP DMVW DN MRI MHC NPR RL RRVW SOO YSVR
Passenger carriers	AMTK
Private carriers	CHSC
Former carriers	BWGF BN CNW DME FG&S F&V GN MICO MILW NP RRVW
See also: List of United States railroads by political division