Rock Island Rail Overview
Rock Island Rail is a shortline railroad company currently operating 5 railroads in Mississippi, Kansas, and Oklahoma.
These include the Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad, Mississippi Delta Railroad, Great River Railroad, Gulf & Ship Island Railroad, and Ottawa Northern Railroad.
Rock Island Rail was originally started in April 2019 to operate the virtually defunct Mississippi Delta Railroad. The company revived the name of the iconic Midwestern railroad, and operates multiple shortline railroads.
RI Interchanges with CN at Swan Lake, MS, CPKC at Gulfport, MS, Columbus & Greenville Railway at Metcalfe, MS, BNSF at Ottawa, KS, and BNSF at Wellington, Kansas.
Rock Island Rail Roster
|
|
| Number
|
Model
|
Year Built
|
History
|
Notes
|
| Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad
|
| EWLX 329
|
SD45
|
1967
|
Ex-EWG 329/MRL 329/SP 7558/SP 8878.
|
Stored serviceable in South Haven, KS.
|
| EWLX 815
|
GP30
|
1963
|
Ex-NIWX 815/WC 2252/WC 815/FRVR 815/CNW 815.
|
Main locomotive.
|
| EWLX 1617
|
GP7
|
1953
|
Ex-EWG 1617/STMA 1617/WRIX 1617/LCR 1617/GWR/BN 1617/CBQ 261.
|
Main locomotive.
|
| EWLX 7311
|
SD18
|
1963
|
Ex-WRIX 7311/EWG 7311/NIWX 7311/VLIX 7311/CRGX 7311/CO 7311/CO 1811.
|
Stored serviceable in South Haven, KS.
|
| EWLX 8702
|
SD40T-2
|
1978
|
Ex-WER 8702/EWG 8702/WRIX 8702/UP 8702/UP 4432/SSW 8375.
|
Main locomotive.
|
| Mississippi Delta Railroad
|
| MSDR 802
|
CF7
|
1950
|
Ex-MSDR 802/CAGY 802/ATSF 2451/ATSF 234L.
|
Stored OOS. For sale.
|
| MSDR 803
|
CF7
|
1953
|
Ex-MSDR 803/CAGY 803/ATSF 2465/ATSF 273L.
|
Stored OOS.
|
| RI 1555
|
SD38P
|
1966
|
Ex-BNSF 1555/BNSF 1806/BNSF 6266/BN 6266/VWMX 2602/SOU 3085.
|
Stored operable. Purchased 2022.
|
| RI 1559
|
SD38P
|
1966
|
Ex-BNSF 1559/BNSF 1805/BNSF 6265/BN 6265/SOU 3099.
|
Purchased 2022.
|
| KLIX 2003
|
GP20E
|
1962
|
Ex-KLIX 2003/WAMX 2003/SKOL 4153/SSW 4153
|
To Become RI 2003.
|
| RI 2101
|
C40-8
|
1991
|
Ex-CN 2101/UP 9066/CNW 8554.
|
Purchased 2023.
|
| RI 2109
|
C40-8
|
1991
|
Ex-CN 2109/UP 9074/CNW 8562.
|
Purchased 2023.
|
| MSDR 2112
|
MRS-1
|
1953
|
Ex-KRM 2112/WW 2112/USAX 2112.
|
Stored OOS.
|
| RI 2127
|
C40-8
|
1991
|
Ex-CN 2127/UP 9092/CNW 8854.
|
Main locomotive. Purchased 2021.
|
| LREX 3024
|
GP30
|
1963
|
Ex-CVR 3024/DRGW 3024
|
Main locomotive.
|
| RI 4310
|
GP38DC
|
1969
|
Ex-IAIS 603/SOU 2764
|
Main locomotive. Named "The American Railfan.”
|
| RI 4373
|
GP38DC
|
1969
|
Ex-CSX 1961/CR 7716/PC 7716
|
Main locomotive. Named "George W. LaMore.”
|
| MSDR 6226
|
GP9
|
1957
|
Ex-MSDR 6226/WGCR 6226/CO 6226.
|
Stored OOS.
|
| Gulf & Ship Island Railroad
|
| RI 767
|
NW2R
|
1939
|
Ex-RI 109/PREX 109/PREX 107/BNSF 3310/BN 5/BN 454/GN 106/GN 5306.
|
Secondary power. Purchased from PREX in 2022.
|
| RI 1106
|
GP15-1
|
1976
|
Ex-GMTX 415/LLPX 415/CNW 4411.
|
Main locomotive. Named "John W. Whitten III."
|
| Great River Railroad
|
| GTR 2
|
S2
|
1943
|
Ex-NASA 2/USAX 7111.
|
Stored.
|
| GTR 8341
|
S1
|
1941
|
Ex-PG 500/DS 41002/USAX 7141.
|
Stored.
|
| Ottawa Northern Railroad
|
| ONR 142
|
RS3M
|
1951
|
Ex-MDRY 142/MKT 1701.
|
|
| RI 310
|
F40PHR
|
1985
|
Ex-LTEX 310/SLC 310/AMTL 310/VRE V31/AMTK 392.
|
Purchased in 2022. Assigned to Ottawa Northern Railroad as of late 2022.
|
| ONR 460
|
44 Tonner
|
1942
|
Ex-MDRY 460/ATSF 460.
|
Stored inoperable.
|
| ONR 524
|
NW2
|
1946
|
Ex-MDRY 524/BN 524/CBQ 9227.
|
|
| ONR 4079
|
GP20
|
1962
|
Ex-MDRY 4079/FMRC 4079/GNBC 4079/SP 4079/SP 7229.
|
|
| ONR 8250
|
GP10
|
1957
|
Ex-MDRY 8250/GNBC 8250/FMRC 8250/IC 8250/IC 9250.
|
|
| Switching Contracts
|
| RI 107
|
GP9
|
1955
|
Ex-PREX 107/GET 107/GETY 107/OHCR 7537/CR 7537/PC 7005/PRR 7005.
|
Purchased in 2023. Assigned to switching contract.
|
| RI 488
|
CF7
|
1953
|
Ex-PREX 488/MSCI 488/KJRY 488/NRL 2488/ATSF 2488/ATSF 337L.
|
Purchased in 2023. Assigned to switching contract.
|
| RI 804
|
GP8
|
1951
|
Ex-PREX 804/GCW 804/ICG 7714/NW 3455/WAB 455.
|
Purchased in 2023. Assigned to switching contract.
|
|
Rock Island Rail Rolling Stock
|
|
| Number
|
Type of Railcar
|
Built
|
History
|
Notes
|
| RI 207
|
Caboose
|
19??
|
Ex-MB 207.
|
In active service. Used as a shoving platform.
|
| SP 1360
|
Caboose
|
1951
|
Ex-SP 1360.
|
|
| MSRC 1606
|
Caboose
|
1972
|
Ex-MSRC 1606/IC 9401.
|
In active service. Assigned to Gulfport.
|
| CR 21559
|
Caboose
|
1952
|
Ex-CR 21559/NYC 20340.
|
|
| RILX 500000
|
Caboose
|
1970
|
Ex-ALAB 500000/NS 500000/SOU X485.
|
|
| PPCX 1372 "Picuris"
|
Lounge-Dorm Passenger Car
|
1937
|
Ex-SLRG 1372/MTM 3380/AMTK 3380/ATSF 1372.
|
Under repairs and stored in Batesville, MS.
|
| PPCX 800129 "Hollywood Beach"
|
Observation Lounge Passenger Car
|
1956
|
Ex-AMTK 3231/SCL 6501/SAL 20.
|
In active service. Used in Amtrak charter service.
|
| PPCX 800726 "Royal Street"
|
Observation Passenger Car
|
1950
|
Ex-GTLX 3301/ACL/SAL/LN 3301.
|
In active service. Used in Amtrak charter service.
|
|
Back to Mississippi Shortlines
Back to Kansas Shortlines
Back to Oklahoma Shortlines
Back to Shortlines
