(The following story by Chuck Lentz appeared on the Grand Island Independent website on August 30.)
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — Leaving the highway between Grand Island and Fremont would in many places take a traveler to the tracks of the Nebraska Central Railroad, a “short-line” railway that has for 11 years transported agricultural products on slow trains behind bright red engines.
Although a small railroad with only 266 miles of track, NCRR runs trains on five lines branching from the Union Pacific main line: to Ord from Grand Island, to Norfolk from Columbus, to David City and Brainard from Central City, to Albion from Columbus, and to Palmer from Central City.
All are connected to each other by “trackage rights” on the UP main line and on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe branch from Columbus south to David City.
Most of those lines have had relatively heavy traffic this summer.
The Ord branch that passes the Central Nebraska Regional Airport and Lincoln School in Grand Island is one that currently has more traffic than usual.
“The Ord sub’s been pretty busy this month, so we’ve been running it five days a week,” said Gary Hughes, NCRR’s assistant general manager. Most lines usually have a train only two or three days a week, he added.
The line between Central City and David City is used five days a week currently, he said.
“The Norfolk sub’s our main line. We do it six days a week,” Hughes said.
The company’s headquarters is in Norfolk. Another office and the engine repair facility are located in the large stone building in the Union Pacific yard in Grand Island.
The railroad’s rolling stock is mainly its 13 engines, most of them bright red with yellow and white markings.
The railroad came into existence in 1993. Most of its tracks were formerly branch lines of Union Pacific, which still owns most of the NCRR track.
“We have a long-term lease; they still own it,” Hughes said.
The exception is the little 16-mile line from Central City to Palmer. NCRR bought it outright from BNSF in 2000.
A sixth NCRR line from Columbus to Spalding has been out of commission since its bridge over the Cedar River east of Fullerton washed out in 2001, Hughes said.