Sidings Weekly Update #20

2 September 2004

 

 DE SMET SIDING EXTENSION PUT INTO SERVICE!!

 

 

As of September 2nd, we have put 4 of the 6 sidings now planned for 2004 into service, Tracy, Sanborn, Elkton and De Smet.  The Cobden siding is expected to be completed early in September and Florence is on schedule for October.

 

1.) The Cobden siding track work is now over 80% complete.

 

¨       Track construction started on June 28th.  Over 7,000 feet of track has been completely built.

¨       The siding has been put into service as a 4,500 foot stub track until the final extension is completed.

¨       Dirt work on the last 3000’ was completed last Friday and ties are being laid out in anticipation of completing the project next week, after the Labor Day holiday.

¨       Steve Hesse’s New Ulm section crew, and Darrin Le Garre’s tie crew will lead the way in the final construction assisted by machine operator Ted Arndt and welder Bob Smith.

¨       Final surfacing will be completed by Kent Maxon’s surfacing crew the second week of September.

 

 

2.) The Tracy siding was put into service on Thursday May 6th and continues to perform up to the transportation department’s expectations.

 

¨       The cross-over switches will be assembled in early September and installed in mid-September or later whenever we have a surfacing crew close to the area.

 

 

3.) The Florence siding construction is on schedule for completion by the end of October.

 

¨       Mathiowetz Construction of Sleepy Eye started on their dirt work on August 2nd and has completed the connection portion of the project. We expect all of the dirt work to be completed by the end of September.

¨       Material is on order and will be arriving over the next few weeks.

¨       The Connection and siding are expected to be in service by the end of October.

¨       The first two switches will be inspected later today at Seattle and will be shipped over the weekend and unloaded on site on Tuesday the 7th.

 

 

 4.) The De Smet Siding extension was put into service on the 20th of September.

·        The new siding will have final surfacing completed shortly in conjunction with the tie gang’s progress between De Smet and Huron.

 

5.) The Elkton Siding has been extended over 4,000 feet to the east and was put into service on the 28th of July.  This will help with congestion and will enable the meeting of longer trains.  Total length of Elkton siding is now 8200’.

 

 

6.) The Sanborn Siding project involved renewing over ½ the ties in the current siding and elevator tracks and changing the rail as well as adding ballast and surfacing.  This removed restrictions that allowed only empty cars and four-axle locomotives to use these tracks.  The track was put back into service on June 23rd!!

 

·        Project is 100% completed!!!