Champions at Heart: Red Cedar Thunder Brings Home the Gold
The energy was electric in Oshkosh the weekend of April 12–13, as the Menomonie Red Cedar Thunder basketball team soared to victory at the Special Olympics State Tournament—claiming their first state championship title in a decade. For players, coaches, and fans
Summer 2025 Rail Upgrades: NPR’s Commitment to Safety and Performance
Those of our readers who live and work in our northern climates know very well that winter conditions turn to summer very quickly as late April dawns. It’s at that point that the work of the unsung heroes of the
How NPRS Supports Railroad History at Lake Superior Railroad Museum
By Lake Superior Railroad Museum Executive Director Ken Buehler Northern Plains Railroad has been one of the Lake Superior Railroad Museum’s longest and most consistent supporters. Our association with NPR’s Chairman Gregg Haug and President Jesse Chalich has benefited the preservation
Mileposts: CPKC’s New Laredo Bridge Doubling Rail Freight Capacity
By Shawn I. Smith In February 2025, CPKC officially announced the opening of a second span of their Patrick J. Ottensmeyer International Railway Bridge, which crosses the Rio Grande between the U.S. and Mexico at Laredo, TX. This work is
Employee Spotlight: Get to know Karl Carson, General Manager of Operations
Leading Operations with Vision, Dedication, and Team Excellence. What is your job title? My title is General Manager of Operations. What does your job entail? I oversee all aspects of Complete Track Works and Highland Excavating. When did you start with the company? I started here
How Northern Plains Rail Services Powers Agricultural Growth with Track Work, Locomotives, and Safety Training
Northern Plains Provides Track Work, Locomotives, and Safety Training to New Agricultural Industries Located in Hager City, WI, ALCIVIA, a member-owned agricultural and energy cooperative recently opened a new shuttle-loading grain elevator facility in Wisconsin, served by the BNSF Railway.Northern Plains Rail Services was
Getting to Know Amanda Rey: An Employee Spotlight
1. What is your job title at Northern Plains? Regional Manager of Marketing and Development 2. What does your job entail? My role is to identify opportunities where we can strategically grow our business. I work alongside existing and prospective customers to grow
New Era: Cypress Rail Takes Over NPRS Facilities
On October 2, 2024, Cypress Rail Solutions assumed operations of rail car shops and facilities formerly operated by Northern Plains Rail Services at both Erskine, Minnesota, and Grand Forks, North Dakota. In addition, Cypress assumed operations of several NPRS-operated mobile
One of the First Industrial Railways
Located 30 miles northeast of Edmonton, within Alberta’s Industrial Heartland, is Nutrien’s Redwater Plant, producing over 950,000 tons per annum of ammonia- and nitrogen-based fertilizer products that remain essential to the agricultural industry.Taking advantage of the attributes of a local
Heartland Heritage: Rail and Agriculture’s Role in Economic Growth
Growing up in rural Alberta, I was constantly reminded that I lived in the “Heart of Alberta” – the proud slogan adopted by Stettler in its earliest days. In town, we had many similarly titled businesses, like the Heartlander Motel,
Harvest 2024 Report: NPRS Helps Deliver One of the Best Crops in Years
After the usual worries and predictions, the 2024 cereal, corn, and oil seed crop along NPR’s network in North Dakota and Minnesota proved to be generally of high quality, with good yields. The results are good news for our growers, communities,
We Go ENSCO
This past fall, Northern Plains Rail Services was pleased to be selected as the official railroad operator for the Transportation Technology Center (TTC), a specialized rail testing facility located near Pueblo, CO. The TTC – jointly owned by the Federal Railroad
Pulling for You
Like all railroads, our ability to serve customers and efficiently operate our trains is determined by the nature of our locomotive fleet. At NPR, our current 22-unit fleet includes “first, second, and third generation” locomotives, from the oldest, a 1952
Customer Spotlight: Landus
An Iowa-based cooperative, Landus is a leader in agriculture that spans every step in the supply chain. With 7,000 farmer owners and 600 employees, Landus is the 7th largest grain company by storage in North America. We sat down with
Mileposts: A History of Locomotives
Railroading has several critical components. Without track, signals, and right of way, we can’t connect cities and markets. Without freight cars, we can’t contain the goods. Without people operating trains and switching the yards and customer sidings, we don’t deliver
Employee Spotlight: Brandon Bader
We sit with Brandon Bader, Assistant Manager of Motive Power West, to discuss his experience working for Northern Plains Railroad since 2014. /*! elementor - v3.15.0 - 09-08-2023 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} Q. What is your job title at
Safety Corner: Operation Lifesaver of the Dakotas
For 50 years, Operation Lifesaver (OL) has been the leading national non-profit public education program for rail safety education, committed to preventing collisions, injuries, and fatalities on and around railroad tracks and highway-rail grade crossings for pedestrians and vehicles of
Northern Plains Rail Services Opens New Grand Forks Office
In November, NPRS proudly opened its new office in downtown Grand Forks, ND. “This is a great step in the continued growth of our Complete Track Works division, and our rail services companies,” said Gregg F. Haug, Chairman, at the
Northern Plains Railroad Service Awards 2023
/*! elementor - v3.14.0 - 18-06-2023 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} 2022 Robert F. Irwin Award Congratulations to KELSEY SLAAMOD Kelsey Slaamod, of the accounting and administrative departments, is the very deserving recipient of our company’s Robert F. Irwin Award for
Winkler Wellness: Skin Cancer Prevention for Rail Workers
With so much to do, 2022 has seemed to fly by. While winter conditions bring ice and snow, which we are all used to talking about regularly when it comes to preventing injury, summertime has some equally concerning, but at
Introducing Our New Safety Leadership Team
At NPRC, we have learned over the past 25 years that enthusiastic safety leadership at all levels of the organization is a fundamental key to success. That’s why we need safety, today and tomorrow, to be at the core of
25 Years in the Making
From overcoming early challenges to establishing a wide range of successful rail services, NPR has much to celebrate.It hardly seems believable that a quarter century has passed since a dozen souls fought everything imaginable to start this enterprise. The current
Mileposts: Harvest Edition 2022
A short line railway. Historically, the term “short line” conjured up images of an independent railroad, perhaps stabling a few tiny steam locomotives or diesel switchers, serving a terminal district or several small factories. Looking back in the north American
Winkler Wellness
by Cheryl Harlow This year, Northern Plains offered a wellness campaign called How to Bulletproof your Immune System, created by Dr. E. Berg, DC, that was offered to all U.S.-based employees. Those who participated learned, among other things: How to bullet-proof the
Northern Plains Rail Training: Exceeding Expectations in Handling HAZMAT Railcars
Learn about Northern Plains Rail Services’ Hazardous Material Railcar Training, including track and tank car anatomy, taught to Helena Agri-Enterprises workers.
Employee Spotlight: Riley Ferguson
Learn about NPRS Manager of Car Repair Riley Ferguson, what his work is like, what he looks forward to, and how he spends his time when not at the job.
On the Road and Rail: A Business Update from Northern Plains Rail Services
Learn about projects by NPRS Complete Track Works, certification for rail car repair, Susan Thompson’s role in company culture, and a switching contract for ADM.
The Maple Leaf
Learn about the growth of Northern Plains Rail Services’ transloading partnerships with Alberta Midland Railway Terminal and Weyburn Industrial Transload.
Growing Together: Partners in the Rail Freight Supply Chain for a Quarter Century
CHS is a diversified global agribusiness cooperative owned by farmers and local cooperatives across the United States. First organized in 1929, CHS employs more than 10,000 dedicated people around the globe who provide its owners and customers with a strong,
NPRS History Made in Honeyford
The first week in November 2021 marked two milestones in the history of Northern Plains Railroad. On November 1st, Farmers Elevator of Honeyford became the first U.S. shipper on the Canadian Pacific Railway to load and ship an 8,500-foot grain
Railroading – A Family Business
If you’ve done business with us or spent time reading our Railroader magazine over the years, you know that the Northern Plains group of companies is certainly “a family business.” Over the years, it’s been a goal of NPR Founder and