Sidings Weekly Update #21

9 September 2004

 

 DE SMET SIDING EXTENSION PUT INTO SERVICE!!

 

 

As of September 9th we have put 4 of the 6 sidings now planned for 2004 into service, Tracy, Sanborn, Elkton and De Smet.  The track work on Cobden siding is expected to be completed late this week and put in service next week.  The Florence project is on schedule for being put into service in late October.

 

1.) The Cobden siding track work is now over 90% complete.

 

¨       Track construction started on June 28th.  Over 9,000 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 on August 27th.

¨       Wes Risseeuw and his tie crew, along with Chad Roob, will complete the switch installation and track construction by the end of this week.

¨       Ballasting and final surfacing will be completed by the New Ulm Section and Kent Maxon’s surfacing crew by the end of next week.

 

 

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 late September and installed later in the year when 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 portion of the 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 middle or end of September.

¨       Material is on order and has started to arrive and will all be on site by the middle of September.

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

¨       The first 4 switches were inspected last week in Seattle and the first 2 were delivered to the site earlier this week.  These two switches will be assembled and installed next week.

 

 

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

¨        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 has helped with congestion and will enable the meeting of longer trains.  Total length of Elkton siding is now 8200’.

¨        Extension is 100% completed!!!

 

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!!!