Communities


Here is a list of all the towns, each town being a link to a blog post of that town.  All distances, except for the Mansfield and Onida Sub-Divisions, are from Rapid City, South Dakota in miles and are not necessarily the listed mileposts of each community.

NORTH-SOUTH SUB-DIVISIONS


Huron Sub-Division (Tracy, MN to Huron, SD) 

The Huron Sub-Division runs from Tracy, MN at the interchange with Canadian Pacific to the large railyard at Huron, South Dakota.  Being typical of the Midwest prairie, grades are light, and trains pass through woodlands and lakes as well as plenty of corn fields.  The land starts to open up and become hilly west of the Minnesota/South Dakota Border.  Many towns have a grain elevator, propane distributor, ethanol plant, or other agriculture related industry in town or nearby.  Larger towns such as Brookings and Huron will have small yards nearby for local cars to be distributed.  
 
  1.  Tracy, MN (422.6)
  2. Garvin, MN (415.4)
  3. Balaton, MN (409.8)
  4. FRA Jct, MN (401.4)
  5. Florence, MN (399.7)
  6. Tyler, MN (395.5)
  7. Lake Benton, MN (387.6)
  8. Verdi, MN (381.4)
  9. Elkton, SD (374.8)
  10. Aurora, SD (364.1)
  11. Brookings, SD (358.3)
  12. Volga, SD (351.7)
  13. Arlington, SD (340.9)
  14. Lake Preston, SD (328.2)
  15. De Smet, SD (319.6)
  16. Manchester, SD (312.4)
  17. Iroquois, SD (304.4)
  18. Cavour, SD (295.2)
  19. Huron, SD (286.5)
Pierre Sub-Division (Huron, SD to Pierre, SD)

West of Huron, the terrain opens up from woodlands to gentle hills and grassy prairie.  Still in farm country, most towns have grain services, gravel plant, or other such facilities.  Huron is easily the hub for traffic on the RCPE east of the Missouri River, with Wall and Rapid City performing those roles west of the Missouri.  Within this sub-division there are two other small subs which branch off to the north, Onida and Mansfield Sub-Divisions.  BNSF has an interchange here as well. 

  1. Wolsey, SD (272.9)
  2. Wessington, SD (261.7)
  3. St. Lawrence (248.8)
  4. Miller, SD (246.3)
  5. Ree Heights, SD (235.8)
  6. Highmore, SD (224.0)
  7. Holabird, SD (216.2)
  8. Harrold, SD (209.2)
  9. Blunt, SD (196.4)
  10. Pierre, SD (168.8)
Pierre-Rapid City Sub Division (Pierre, SD to Rapid City, SD)

The final leg to Rapid City, this branch serves sparse communities that are sometimes two dozen miles apart.  This line is also the main-line for traffic going to or coming from the Black Hills Sub-Division, especially grain products.  The Terrain is open and grassy, with high winds and typical thunderstorms during the summer.  In the winter, these high-plains can be hazardous with drifts that can get quite deep between January and March.  

  1.   Fort Pierre, SD (164.8)
  2.  Wendte, SD (146.0)
  3. Van Metre, SD (136.3)
  4. Midland, SD (116.0)
  5. Philip, SD (89.5)
  6. Quinn, SD (64.6)
  7. Wall, SD (58.1)
  8. Wasta, SD (44.2)
  9. Owanka, SD (33.9)
  10. New Underwood, SD (20.1)
  11. Box Elder, SD (8.5)
  12. Pressler Jct. (Rapid City, SD) (0.0)
NORTH-SOUTH SUB-DIVISIONS 

Black Hills, Sub-Division (Colony, WY to Dakota Jct. NE)

Possibly the most scenic sub-division on the RCP&E Railroad, the Black Hills Sub-Division hugs the eastern edge of the famous Black Hills running from Colony, WY to Dakota Junction, NE with Rapid City roughly in the center.  Colony has a bentonite clay plant, whereas Dakota Junction is an interchange with the Nebraska North Western Railroad, which is based out of Chadron and provides car repair services.  This is also an interchange with the BNSF railroad.  Terrain here is hilly and grassy, but in the relative shelter of the Black Hills.  The only part of the line within the Black Hills is the section from Rapid City to Belle-Fouche, where snowy winters are common.  The southern portion of the line doesn't receive quite as much precipitation due to the weather affects of the Black Hills.  

  1. Bentonite (Colony, WY) (77.6 North)
  2. Belle Fouche, SD (58.6 North)
  3. St. Onge, SD (47.3 North)
  4. Whitewood, SD (39.9 North)
  5. Sturgis, SD (33.1 North)
  6. Piedmont, SD (18.3 North)
  7. Rapid City, SD (0.0)
  8.  Hermosa, SD (18.4 South)
  9. Fairburn, SD (30.1 South)
  10. Buffalo Gap, SD (46.5 South)
  11. Oral, SD (53.5 South)
  12. Smithwick, SD (60.7 South)
  13. Oelrichs, SD (70.3 South)
  14. Dakota Jct. NE (96.7 South)
Mansfield Sub-Division (Mansfield, SD to Wolsey, SD)*

Located just north of the Pierre-Huron sub-division, the Mansfield Sub is connected to the rest of the system via trackage rights on the BNSF Railroad between Wolsey and Redfield, South Dakota. Being 60 miles in total length, is Sub is one of the shortest and is situated running North and South.  This branch is located East of the Missouri River, making it in the transition zone between the fertile plains of Eastern South Dakota and the high plains of Western South Dakota.
  1. Mansfield, SD (60.0)
  2. Northville, SD (54.1)
  3. Athol, SD (43.7)
  4. Redfield, SD (33.2)
  5. BNSF line between Redfield and Wolsey
  6. Wolsey, SD (0.0)
Onida, Sub-Division (Onida, SD to Blunt, SD)*
This little Sub-Division is a mere 15 miles long from Blunt to the end of the track.  Why is it that this branch is still in service?  Onida has a very large grain facility and the railroad serves the vital function of transporting grain hoppers, brimming with the fall's harvest, to eastern markets.  This line is located just east of Pierre and connects to the main-line at Blunt, South Dakota.

  1. Onida, SD (14.3)
  2. Blunt, SD (0.0)
*Mansfield and Onida Sub-Divisions have mileages listed from Wolsey and Blunt, South Dakota  for each sub-division, respectively.

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