Sidings Weekly Update #23

23 September 2004

 

 5 New sidings now in service!!!

 

 

As of September 23rd we have put 5 of the 6 sidings now planned for 2004 into service. They are Tracy, Sanborn, Elkton, De Smet and now Cobden.

 

1.) The Cobden siding track work is now over 100% complete.

¨       The siding was put into “full” service as a 9900’ siding on Thursday the 16th

¨       This siding, the longest on the DM&E, had final surfacing completed by Kent Maxon’s crew earlier this 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 completed the connection portion in late August.  All dirt work is 100% completed.

¨       Material continues to arrive on site and crew’s headed up by Wes Risseeuw have been busy building the connection and distributing material in the siding area in anticipation of starting construction there later this week

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

¨       The first 4 switches were inspected earlier in Seattle and have been delivered to the site.

¨       The connection switch to the DM&E main line at MP 247.8 was installed on Monday the 13th and the “wye” switch on the connection track was assembled in place on Friday the 10th.

 

 

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

¨        This extension is now 100% completed

 

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!!!