The Fairmount and Veblen Railway (F&V) was a short line

railroad 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 tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

that operated in Richland County,

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

; and in

Roberts Roberts may refer to: People * Roberts (given name), a Latvian masculine given name * Roberts (surname), a popular surname, especially among the Welsh Places * Roberts (crater), a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon ;United Stat ...

and Marshall counties,

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 railroad was incorporated in December 1912 by C.A. Paulson of Minneapolis MN, Julius Rosholt, L.R. Roshall, George Anderson, and P.S. Hanson. In 1913 the railroad constructed trackage from

Fairmount, North Dakota Fairmount is a city in Richland County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 343 at the 2020 census. Fairmount was founded in 1884. It is part of the Wahpeton, ND– MN Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Fairmount is locate ...

southward into South Dakota to Rosholt, then westward to Claire City and Veblen. The line was extended southward the following year, from Veblen to Roslyn, and then eastward to Grenville. A steam locomotive acquired from the

Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway The Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad (MStP&SSM) was a Class I railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the Midwestern United States. Commonly known since its opening in 1884 as the Soo Line after the phonetic s ...

("Soo Line") was used on the railroad. The first meeting to discuss the possibility of such a line was held February 4, 1913 at Winans Hall in Harmon Township. Construction began in April, 1913, and on November 12, 1913, the first train came through Rosholt. "(Rosholt) proposed that farmers along the right-of-way for the distance of roughly eight to ten miles on each side contribute $200 for each quarter section of land, either owned or farmed. The money was to be in the form of a loan, with the notes secured by a mortgage in the new railroad. By this means, Mr. Rosholt hoped to raise one-half the cost of building the railroad, with himself to furnish the balance." (Orlando Bjork, 1988 Rosholt-Victor History Book) The town of Rosholt was named for Julius Rosholt, builder of the F&V, in appreciation for his fair dealings. In 1915 the F&V was acquired by the Soo Line, and its trackage operated as a branch line by that railroad. The portion of the line between Veblen and Grenville was abandoned in 1971, and in 2000 the trackage between Rosholt and Veblen was sold to the newly formed

Sunflour Railroad The Sunflour Railroad is a short-line railroad which owns trackage in Roberts County and Marshall County, South Dakota. The company owns approximately 19 route-miles of track, between the towns of Rosholt and Claire City; the line connects ...

. Trackage north of Rosholt remained in use in 2006, operated by Canadian Pacific, the Soo Line's corporate successor.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fairmount Veblen Railway Defunct North Dakota railroads Defunct South Dakota railroads Predecessors of the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad Railway companies established in 1913 Railway companies disestablished in 1915 Transportation in Richland County, North Dakota Transportation in Marshall County, South Dakota Transportation in Roberts County, South Dakota American companies established in 1913