D&I Railroad
The D&I Railroad (DAIR) (also nicknamed the Dakota and Iowa Railroad) is a Class III shortline railroad which is a wholly owned subsidiary of L. G. Everist, Inc. The line hauls ethanol, dried distillers grains (DDG), corn oil, plastic pellets, cement, sand, gravel, and Sioux Quartzite, which is mined from two large quarries in Dell Rapids.
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Dell Rapids, South Dakota |
| Reporting mark | DAIR |
| Locale | South Dakota, Iowa |
| Dates of operation | 1985–present |
| Predecessor | Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, Chicago and North Western Transportation Company |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Length | 138 miles (222 km) |
| Other | |
| Website | https://www.lgeverist.com/dirailroad/ |
The D&I has a trackage rights agreement with BNSF that allows it to travel on three BNSF subdivisions to deliver and sell products, as they must use BNSF’s system to reach their southern half of their trackage. The D&I operates on both former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad and Chicago and Northwestern Railroad trackage, which were handed over to the state of South Dakota in 1980-1981 after the Milwaukee Road’s bankruptcy and subsequent abandonment of unprofitable lines.