Kyle Railroad
{{Short description|Regional railroad line that runs from North Central Kansas into Eastern Colorado}}
{{refimprove|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox rail
|railroad_name = Kyle Railroad
|logo = File:Kyle Railroad logo.png
|image = DCP 0441kyle.JPG
|image_size =
|image_caption = KYLE 1757 undergoes repair at the Eastern Alabama Railway in Sylacauga, Alabama.
|image_alt =
|gauge = {{Railgauge|ussg}}
|old_gauge =
|marks = KYLE
|length = {{convert|508|mi|km}}
|start_year = 1982
|end_year = present
|predecessor_line =Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific
|successor_line =
|hq_city = Phillipsburg, Kansas
|website=https://www.gwrr.com/kyle/|parent_company=Genesee and Wyoming}}
The Kyle Railroad {{Reporting mark|KYLE}} is a regional railroad line that runs from North Central Kansas into Eastern Colorado. It is based in Phillipsburg, Kansas and runs on {{Convert|508|mi|km}} of track, mostly the former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad's Chicago to Denver main line. The Kyle was owned by RailAmerica from 2002 to 2012.{{cite journal|date=June 2010|title=RailAmerica's Empire|journal=Trains Magazine|publisher=Kalmbach Publishing}} Genesee & Wyoming Inc. bought RailAmerica in late 2012. As of 2024, KYLE holds 508 total miles (89 in Colorado and 419 in Kansas), has a maximum capacity of 286,000 gross pounds per railcar. KYLE also has two interchanges with two railroads: BNSF at Courtland, Kansas and Concordia, Kansas, and Union Pacific at Limon, Colorado and Salina, Kansas.{{cite web | url=https://www.gwrr.com/kyle/ | title=Kyle Railroad – A Genesee & Wyoming Company }}
History
The Kyle Railroad was formed for the 1982 northern Kansas harvest season by the Willis B. Kyle Organization, which consisted of several railroad properties, including the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway, the Oregon, Pacific and Eastern Railway, the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad and the Pend Oreille Valley Railroad.
Included was about {{Convert|360|mi|km}} of trackage from Mahaska, KS to Limon, CO. Officially, on September 16, 1980, The Kyle Railroad signed with the MSPA (Mid-States Port Authority) a contract for the Mahaska, KS to Limon, CO and Belleville, KS to Clay Center, KS line. The Kyle Railroad acted as the MSPA's operator of these lines.
In 2009 the Kyle Railroad bought the tracks on which it operates from the MSPA.{{Cite web |url=http://www.trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=5130;Kyle&page=quotesearch|title=KYLE to buy the track it operates|access-date=October 26, 2009}}
Power for the trains initially consisted of former Burlington Northern Railroad ALCO Century 425s, most tracing their heritage to the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway. Kyle Railroad migrated to General Electric U30C and U33C power by the mid-2000s. After RailAmerica purchased Kyle, the legacy GE power was dropped in favor of EMD power, including former Burlington Northern SD40-2s and Southern Pacific SD45T-2s. With the purchase by Genesee and Wyoming, six MK5000C's (rebuilt as MK50-3s) provided by the Utah Railway (a fellow subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming) entered operation on the Kyle Railroad, joining the older EMD locomotives. In June 2024, Kyle Railroad took delivery of four ex- Kansas City Southern Railroad GE C44-9W's, gradually replacing the MK50-3's. By May 2025, five of the six MK50-3's have been sidelined.
Traffic
The railroad handles mostly agricultural commodities, although limited amounts of construction materials are carried. 24,100 carloads were moved in 2016.
References
= Notes =
{{Reflist|1}}
External links
{{Portal|Railways}}
- [https://www.gwrr.com/kyle/ Kyle Railroad official webpage - Genesee and Wyoming website]
{{Regional railroads}}
{{Colorado railroads}}
{{Kansas railroads}}
{{Genesee & Wyoming}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyle Railroad}}
Category:Regional railroads in the United States
Category:Spin-offs of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
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