C&NW"Cowboy Line"

[daveklepper]

When was the C&NW line across Nebraska abandoned.   I suspect why (paralleled the new owner UP's far better line, but need confirmation.

[wjstix]

A quick Yahoo!! internet search came up with this:

"C&NW began abandoning distant segments of the line in the 1960s. For a period in the 1980s, the Cowboy Line carried increasing loads of bentonite and coal from Wyoming. But, the company rerouted the business in 1989 and, in 1991, it filed an application with the Interstate Commerce Commission to abandon the Norfolk-to-Chadron portion of the line. The last trains ran across the northern Nebraska line on December 1, 1992."

http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/parks/guides/trails/cowboy/cowboy.asp

[cnwfan51]

   As a sidebar to this story, There was a lot of public protest to this along the line. the State Of Nebraska even considered buying the line and the leaseing it out much like the State Of South Dakota did with the ex Milwaukee lines tothe burlington Northern   Larry

[daveklepper]

And the status of the RofW today?

[cnwfan51]

From Norfolk Nebraska westword to Merriman Nebraska it was converted to a hiking trail. The tracks from Merriman  thru Chadron and on to Crawford were still in pmace and operated by a shortline I cnat think of the name, They went under and it was taken over by the DM&E Until they were taken over by CP Rail . The line from Chadron to Rapid City I have no idea what the status of that is at this time    Hope this helps  Larry

[MJChittick]

cnwfan51

The tracks from Merriman  thru Chadron and on to Crawford were still in pmace and operated by a shortline I cnat think of the name, They went under and it was taken over by the DM&E Until they were taken over by CP Rail .

I believe the line from Merriman to Chadron was operated by a shortline by the name of Nebkota.

[cnwfan51]

If you read 12,000 days on the C&NW they talk about the possible rehab of that line to move Wyoming coal eastward, It was looked at but when Larry Provo died suddenly that idea was dropped . Provo did not want the Union Pacific involved in moving coal from the powder river basin ,  Just a thought Larry

[trainbuff63]

I used to live in Douglas, WY where I worked for a company that transported the UP railroad crews to and from there trains in and out of the coal mines between Bill, Wy and Gillette, Wy. There were times that I used to have to follow the trains from Caballo or Rojo mines back to Bill or somewhere in between in case they had problems or to change out crews. But they do transport theeir trains mostly from the Bill Yard where a South Morrill, Nebraska crew will get on it and take it from there. But when I first got there and looking at all the trains (BNSF and UP with locomotives at either end I asked if they were confused on which direction the were going. But anyway, they do and have been moving coal trains in and out of the Powder Basin for many years now. It was an experience especially going across I-80 from Cheyenne to Rock Springs where you can get a good look at the trains going through there on the south side of the highway. Merry christmas to all.

tainbuff63

 

[bartman-tn]

The line Chadron east was the Nebkota.  I operated a charter passenger train over it a few years ago.  A few photos can be found at "www.southernappalachia.railway.museum".  At this time, there were just a few grain shippers left on the line and they had started up a dinner train to try to save the line.  The train lasted about two years before the line was abandoned.  DME operated the track into Chadron from the west.

Bart Jennings