Reporting mark KYLE Dates of operation 1982– Headquarters Phillipsburg Parent organization Genesee & Wyoming | Locale Kansas Length 561 miles (903 km) Date of operation 1982 | |
 | ||
Track gauge 4 ft 8 ⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | ||
Sd45t 2 and sd40 2 kyle railroad
The Kyle Railroad (reporting mark KYLE) is a regional railroad line that runs from North Central Kansas into Eastern Colorado. It is based in Phillipsburg, Kansas and runs on 561 miles (903 km) track, mostly the former Rock Island Railroad Chicago to Denver main line. The Kyle was owned by Rail America from 2002 to 2012. Genesee & Wyoming Inc. bought RailAmerica in late 2012.
Contents
Kyle railroad 9330 drift busting at kanorado kansas
History
The Kyle Railroad was formed for the 1982 Northern Kansas Harvest season by the Willis B. Kyle Organization, which consisted of several railroad properties, including the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway, the Oregon, Pacific and Eastern Railway, the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad and the Pend Oreille Valley Railroad. Included was about 243 miles (391 km) of trackage from Belleville, KS to Limon, CO, with trackage rights over the Cadillac and Lake City Railroad from Limon, CO to Colorado Springs, CO. Officially, on September 16, 1980, The Kyle Railroad signed with the MSPA (Mid-States Port Authority) a contract for the Hallam, NE to Limon, CO and Belleville, KS to Clay Center, KS line, as well as 90 miles (140 km) of trackage rights over the Union Pacific Railroad from Limon, CO to Denver, CO, totalling 455 miles (732 km). The Kyle Railroad acted as the MSPA's operator of these lines.
Recently the Kyle Railroad bought the tracks on which it operates from the MSPA.
Power for the trains consisted of former Burlington Northern Railroad ALCO Century 425s, most tracing their heritage to the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway.
Traffic
The railroad handles mostly agricultural commodities, although limited amounts of construction materials are carried. KYLE transported around 20,000 carloads in 2000.