Seeing that they have no tracks that I know of here what do they use? Saw them at the Rock Island yard here
I seem to recall that KCS has access to Council Bluffs via some form of haulage over UP that they obtained in connection with one of the UP or UP predecessor mergers. I don't know any of the details.
KCS power may turn up in Council Bluffs as part of a run-through arrangement of some sort. I periodically see KCS power in various parts of Chicago for the same reason.
KCS has haulage rights over both UP and BNSF into Council Bluffs. I believe both were the results of merger conditions. The BNSF was when BN and ATSF mergerd. Originally, the Katy (MKT) received the rights when UP acquired the MP. When MKT came into the UP fold, the rights were given to KCS.
KCS serves two elevators in Council Bluffs, both owned by Bartlett Grain Co. One is on the north side, adjacent to the exCNW yard. This facility has an exKCS switch engine. I don't know much about the other one, only that it's there.
Most of the year, the KCS trains come up from and return to Kansas City over the BNSF. For a part of the year they use the UP, coming up via the exMP and going back the long way - across the exCNW via Des Moines. I would guess it's to maintain the overhead rights, use them or lose them.
At the north elevator the KCS power lays over at the elevator. I don't know about the other one, that power may lay over at the IAIS facility.
Jeff
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