A couple of Prairie Towns 2023

[Mayner]

Visiting relatives and friends in the States at the moment, not much time to go walk-about/railfanning, but found time for some train/railroad photos while visiting my father-in laws home thursday last.

An SW ?? and a cut of grain hoppers Kindred North Dakota. 

The Valley area of ND retains a dense network of branch lines to serve elevators in small Towns (railroad depot/yard) in this rich agricultural area. Kindred is on a former Northern Pacific line spun off by the Burlington Northern to the Red River Valley and Western a shortline that operates over 500 miles of track in North Dakota and Minnesota https://www.rrvw.net/.  The RRVW basically operates as a feeder system to Burlington Northern Santa Fe at an interchange at Beckenridge MN on the former GN Main line from St Paul to the Pacific Coast. The SW appears to have been used to switch cars for loading at the elevator, most likely with grain stored (waiting for the price to increase) since last years harvest.

Civic pride runs high in small cities (town or village) with mown lawns and roadside berms although homes and buildings in the CBD can be somewhat run-down.

Fairmount ND.

My father in-laws home town in South East ND close to the border with Minnesota and 10 miles from the border with South Dakota, a relatively prosperous city of about 500 folks and agricultural service center and one time railroad crossroads of the SOO (Canadian Pacific)main line from St Paul to the Canadian Border and the Milwaukee Road Fargo branch and junction with local shortline Fairmount and Veblen SD.

Fairmount ceased to be a railroad crossroads following the abandonment of the Milwaukee Road Fargo branch during the 1900s, though some local trackage still exists to serve local industry, likewise a section of the Fairmount and Veblen exists to serve an ethanol plant and a elevator at Rosholt SD.

The most significant change that has taken place during the past 20 years is the conversion of the Canadian Pacific (former SOO Line) from Track Warrant Control (a modern version of Train Order and Telegraph) to CTC with power signalling. Previously "Dispatchers"  (train controllers) at a number of locations dictated Track Warrants/(Train Orders) to Train Crews using a two way radio system, (trains were required to be stationary while receiving orders). This was basically a modernised and simplified version of Telegraph and Train Order which existed before the widespread introduction of 2 way radio, where a Dispatcher transmitted a Train Order by telegraph or phone to a station "Agent" roughly equivalent to a signal man, who in turn handed the train crew a written copy of the Train Order and operated the distinctive Train Order signals.

TWC was a boon to railfans listening in on a scanner for you knew what train to expect, loco no, sometimes locos crew and work taking place along the line!

SOO line ceased to exist as a separate entity in the early 1990s, though locos and freight and service stock continued to operate in SOO colours into the mid 2000s.

Didn't get to see any trains while in Fairmount though had a look around town.

Fairmount looking East towards the Minnesota State Line and the Bois De Sioux  River.  First Europeans to have settled in the area were likely to be French Trappers though Vikings may have visited earlier. With the coming of the railroads settlers were mainly Scandanavian and German farmers who were already used to long cold winters.

Track nearest the camera laid with ribbon rail and Pandrol clips is the main line, second track for local switching moves. During TWC days trains seldom crossed at Fairmount  the second track was usually used for storing long trains of empty grain cars.

Fairmount looking West. Track closest to camera typical North American construction with baseplates and spike fixing. Tall switch stand on switch (point) to yard tracks (at lower level) serving elevator and local industry trackage. Stand with scoop and brush for removing snow from toe end of switch to left of switch stand.

1st (possibly original) Elevator. A fairly typical set up with the original steel clad elevator, (possibly timber) flanked by grain bins on both sides. The elevator companies basically acted as brokers buying grain (cheaply) from farmers, to store in anticipation of a price rise before selling on the market, sometimes elevators were owned by a farmers Co-Op in the hope of returning the profit to the farmer.

Looking East toward Elevator 1.  The track on the far right is a local industry track which serves fertiliser and propane depots.

Mid Town?  There was a large dilapidated house with a vegetable garden in this area when I first visited Fairmount in the early 2000s, the curving track on the right is the spur to the fertiliser and propane depots.

Fertiliser Depot. This area was developed during the last 10 years, The gantry arrangement over the track on the right is likely to be a safety harness anchor point for people accessing the roof walkways of covered hopper cars, the tank cars on the left may be transporting liquids (oil,mollasses?) to the tanks on the right of the photo.

Propane & Ammonia Depots. Used both as a fertiliser and for mould control  anhydrous ammonia is supplied in small bulk tanks for use on farms.

A Trackmobile is used for switching tank cars containing anhydrous ammonia. https://www.trackmobile.com/

 

West end of town looking East! Elevators 1,  2 & 3 appear to be owned by three separate companies, so three separate grain shippers in one Town. The gantries over the tracks in the center section of elevators 2 &3 are safety harness anchor points, so its possible the Elevator 1 no longer ships grain by rail.

Grain cars have to be positioned under the loading chutes/discharge points at an elevator during loading/unloading, sometimes a locomotive, Trackmobile, tractor or a loading shovel or gravity is used to position cars during loading.

A loading shovel tends to be a favourite for positioning cars at smaller elevators, readily available without the cost of hiring a loco or trackmobile.

Fairmount West End, Flour Mill.

Possibly Fairmounts busiest industry the Mill both receives grain and dispatches flour using different types of freight car. Grain hoppers (on left) discharge by gravity , flour is transported in pressure differential hopper wagons https://www.progressiverailroading.com/railproducts/product.aspx?id=86

CP & RRVW at Fairmount

Although Fairmount is on a CP line, its industries are mainly switched by RRVW trains as a result of a trackage rights agreement dating from the 1950s. The SOO and GN operated parallel lines for approx. 30 miles across MD and ND up to the mid 1950s when the GN abandoned its line and obtained trackage rights over the CP including the right to serve Fairmount. CP trains over this section tend to be run-through freights to and from Canada and its West Coast ports, the RRVW carrying out local freight work.