Otter Tail Valley Railroad

Otter Tail Valley Railroad

Reporting mark	OTVR
Locale	Minnesota
Dates of operation	1986–present
Track gauge	4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length	64 miles (103 km)

The Otter Tail Valley Railroad (reporting mark OTVR) is a Class III railroad operating 64 miles (103 km)^[1] of track between Moorhead, Minnesota and Fergus Falls, Minnesota, and short branch lines from Fergus Falls to French and from Fergus Falls to Hoot Lake.

The railroad began operations in 1986^[1] on former Burlington Northern, ex Great Northern Railway track between Moorhead and Avon, Minnesota, interchanging with Burlington Northern. The railroad abandoned the 96 miles (154 km) of track between Avon and Fergus Falls in February 1991.^[2] Below right is a chart of all of OTVR's line past and present.

In 2008, the railroad handled approximately 10,000 carloads, principally outbound grain and inbound coal.^[1]

Otter Tail Valley Railroad is owned by Genesee and Wyoming, Inc., having been acquired in 1996.^[1]

Otter Tail Valley Railroad
Legend to Hillsbro Subdivision Red River spur to Georgetown Fargo Sub to Minneapolis South to Breckenridge Sabin Baker To Downer Barnesville Rothsay UNDER I-94 Fergus Falls Dalton Ashby Evansville Brandon Garfield Alexandria Soo Line Osakis West Union Sauk Centre Melrose Freeport Soo Line Albany Avon Collegeville St. Joseph Now Northern Lines to St. Cloud Sauk River Waite Park to St Cloud

References

1. "RailAmerica's Empire". Trains Magazine. Kalmbach Publishing. June 2010.
2. Lewis, Edward (1996). American Shortline Railway Guide, 5th Edition. Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing. p. 240. ISBN 0-89024-290-9. Retrieved December 4, 2014.

• http://www.minnesotarailroads.com/MNRRs2005A.pdf
• http://www.railamerica.com/railmaps/OTVR.htm