The PRC Subdivision is a

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

line owned and operated by the

Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad is a Class II railroad operating across South Dakota and southern Minnesota in the northern plains of the United States. Portions of the railroad also extend into Wyoming and Nebraska. It is owned and opera ...

(RCPE), a subsidiary of

Genesee & Wyoming Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) is an American short line railroad holding company, that owns or maintains an interest in 122 railroads in the United States, Canada, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom and formerly Australia. It operates ...

. The line is the company's important east–west route, connecting

Rapid City Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...

Pierre Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

, both in

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

. The line is a freight-only line, stretching for approximately across central

. It uses the

Chicago and North Western Railroad Bridge The Chicago and North Western Railroad Bridge is a bridge on the National Register of Historic Places in Pierre, South Dakota. It was the first permanent bridge across the Missouri River in central South Dakota. The Pennsylvania through truss ...

to cross the Missouri River between Pierre and Fort Pierre. The route is not equipped with

centralized traffic control Centralized traffic control (CTC) is a form of railway signalling that originated in North America. CTC consolidates train routing decisions that were previously carried out by local signal operators or the train crews themselves. The system con ...

automatic block signalling Automatic block signaling (ABS), spelled automatic block signalling or called track circuit block (TCB ) in the UK, is a railroad communications system that consists of a series of signals that divide a railway line into a series of sections ...

systems. Traffic is controlled via radio under

track warrant control A track warrant is a set of instructions issued to a train crew authorizing specific train movements. The system is widely used in North America. The warrant is issued by the train dispatcher and delivered to the train crew via radio. The train cr ...

rules. In addition to freight yards located at

and

, there are passing sidings at Philip and

Wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including: * Walls in buildings that form a fundamental part of the su ...

. There is also a wye at Wall. There is also a long passing siding named J.C. Siding west from

. At other locations only spur tracks exist. Station at Cottonwood does not have a siding or spur tracks.

Connections

The PRC Subdivision connects with

Pierre Subdivision The Pierre Subdivision is an east–west railway line owned and operated by the Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad (RCPE), a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming. The line stretches approximately across the central parts of South Dakota, connectin ...

and with Black Hills Subdivision at

. There was also a spur track connection to

Ellsworth Air Force Base Ellsworth Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located about northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota, just north of the town of Box Elder. The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing (28 BW). Assigned to the Global Stri ...

Box Elder ''Acer negundo'', the box elder, boxelder maple, Manitoba maple or ash-leaved maple, is a species of maple native to North America. It is a fast-growing, short-lived tree with opposite, compound leaves. It is sometimes considered a weedy or inva ...

. This connection is not active as it was closed off in 2004 by the U.S. Air Force There are no connections to other rail traffic operators along this line.

External links

Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railfan Timetables
Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad Chicago and North Western Railway Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad Rail infrastructure in South Dakota {{SouthDakota-transport-stub