Launched in 1993, the Nebraska Central Railroad is a

shortline railroad :''Short Line is also one of the four railroads in the American version of the popular board game Monopoly, named after the Shore Fast Line, an interurban streetcar line.'' A shortline railroad is a small or mid-sized railroad company that opera ...

that operates about of track solely in Nebraska. It runs on former

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

and BNSF Railway track in central

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

. It is a subsidiary of the Rio Grande Pacific Corporation.

Subdivisions

Albion subdivision, a stub that starts at Oconee and runs west to

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

, then turns northwest towards Albion. This subdivision's business includes unit grain trains to Cargill and unit ethanol trains to Valero in Albion. Various small agriculture operations also receive NCRC service. Cedar Rapids Subdivision, a stub that starts at Genoa and runs west and then northwest towards Spalding. This subdivision effectively ends at Belgrade; the remaining is out of service due to marginal traffic. Preferred Sands is a major NCRC customer located west of Genoa. Norfolk Subdivision is a stub that starts at the Union Pacific's yard in

Columbus, Nebraska Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Platte County, in the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. The population was 22,111 at the 2010 census. It is the 10th largest city in Nebraska, with 24,028 people as of the 2020 censu ...

and runs west and then north towards

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

. Norfolk has a small yard that was once part of

Chicago & Northwestern Railroad The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...

's Cowboy Line. Train M-CBNC (Council Bluffs-Nebraska Central) runs across this subdivision daily except Sundays with scrap metal for

Nucor Corporation Nucor Corporation is an American producer of steel and related products based in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is the largest steel producer in the United States, the largest "mini-mill" steelmaker (i.e. it uses electric arc furnaces to melt sc ...

, ethanol for Louis Dreyfus and other businesses in Norfolk. Agrex in Enola, between Norfolk and

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

, receives unit grain trains.

Tyson Foods Tyson Foods, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, based in Springdale, Arkansas, that operates in the food industry. The company is the world's second-largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork after JBS S.A. It annually ...

in Madison also receives NCRC service. Ord Subdivision is a stub that starts at Union Pacific's yard in Grand Island and runs north and northwest to

Ord Ord or ORD may refer to: Places * Ord of Caithness, landform in north-east Scotland * Ord, Nebraska, USA * Ord, Northumberland, England * Muir of Ord, village in Highland, Scotland * Ord, Skye, a place near Tarskavaig * Ord River, Western Austral ...

. Green Plains Renewable and Cargill have large facilities near Ord. Palmer Subdivision is a stub that starts at

Central City In urban planning, a core city, principal city metropolitan core, or central city, is the largest or most important city or cities of a metropolitan area. A core city is surrounded by smaller satellite cities, towns, and suburbs. A central city ...

off Union Pacific's Columbus Subdivision and runs west to

Palmer Palmer may refer to: People and fictional characters * Palmer (pilgrim), a medieval European pilgrim to the Holy Land * Palmer (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Palmer (surname), including a list of people and ...

. This was once a BNSF branch that ran from

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

towards Burwell and Ericson. Service over this branch was discontinued by NCRC in March 2012. Stromsburg Subdivision is a branch line that starts at Central City and runs east to Brainard. This branch was once referred to as the "High Line" by many Union Pacific crews that operated across the branch. The line connected to the Union Pacific's Lincoln Subdivision in Valparaiso prior to the NCRC takeover in 1993. BNSF Railway interchanges with NCRC at David City. Grain trains are the chief commodity moved over the Stromsburg Sub.

NCRC Operations

Nebraska Central operates out of 3 locations. The headquarters are in Norfolk. The MOW, Signal department and Train Service employees are located in Columbus. The locomotive shop is housed in a former Union Pacific freight house in Grand Island; a small Grand Island Extra Board also operates out of Grand Island.

Locomotives

Union Pacific Locomotives are seen on a regular basis across the Nebraska Central , as they are used for Unit Train movements and the Norfolk Local per run through agreement.

External links

Nebraska Central Railroad Company
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nebraska Central Railroad Nebraska railroads Spin-offs of the Union Pacific Railroad