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FROGRAILRailfan Sites in South DakotaRailfan, railfan--where do you see trains in South Dakota? Mapwork: If you're going to be looking for railfan locations, you'll need an industrial strength map resource. I definitely recommend you get a DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer, study it before your trip, and copy pertinent pages for your field work. You can usually get substantial discounts on DeLorme atlases thru the Frograil Railfan Store, which is here. CITIES and SITESDakota Southern (DSRC). Chamberlain, a Missouri River town, is 135 miles west of Sioux Falls on Interstate 90. It is the home of the Dakota Southern Railway, which owns a rather amazing collection of equipment, apparently visible in the area of the station. Engines include stuff from ex-Illinois Terminal (?) GE70-tonners all the way up to an ex-UP DDA40X. Trains run as track conditions permit, and depending on customer requirements. (This info from the enjoyable and informative MNrail e-mail network, which is here) . Scott Chatfield was kind enough to provide this info. He's an active member of the MNrail e-mail network, which is here. There are two yards in Mitchell. The smaller is in front of the station downtown (where the remnants of the MILW engine facility are). This is where the Dakota Southern interchanges. The other is referred to as the "North Yard," and is about a mile north of the station, and is primarily used for grain hopper storage. BNSF sometimes has power in North Yard. |