System-Wide Monthly Update #3

8, June 2005

 

The 2005 production season has been proceeding well for the last two months and the engineering forces have been very busy scheduling the distribution of ties and other materials that were in the original capital program as well as the seven additional projects that were added last month. The CWR projects for 2005 are already over 75% completed and the tie and surfacing projects are over 33% and 25% completed respectively.

 

¨       All 5 rail trains (nearly 400,000 feet) have been delivered and unloaded by the second week of May.  The two major projects of 15 track miles each, one near Plymouth, Iowa and one near Revere, Minnesota, were both completed before Memorial day.

¨       The “Curve Patch” program for 2005 will include laying over 75,000 feet of premium rail on over 35 curves between Nora Junction on the Mason City sub, to Airline Junction on the Kansas City sub.  Work was started on this curve project last week.

¨       Due to the additional Capital projects that have recently been added to the 2005 capital program, major tie projects are scheduled to be completed on the Kansas City, River, Chicago, and Owatonna subs of the IC&E and the Tracy and PRC subs of the DM&E.  There will be lesser projects on the Mason City sub on the IC&E and the Hartland, Waseca, and Black Hills subs on the DM&E.  Nearly 185,000 ties are now projected to be installed in the 2005 season.

¨       The most notable bridge projects of 2005 are the complete rebuild of Bridge 1506 at Fort Pierre, South Dakota and Bridge 434.5 at Sleepy Eye, Minnesota on the DM&E.  Several lesser projects will be completed on both properties.

¨       All materials for all projects seem to be in good supply and will be readily available, although high steel and fuel prices have hampered some deliveries and have raised the prices on many items.

¨       There are now 30 new premium turnouts in the 2005 capital plan with 15 of them being associated with the CWR projects and the rest for various upgrades around the two properties.

¨       Current estimates are for about 220,000 tons of ballast for the 2005 season’s 750 miles of surfacing.