Keokuk Junction Railway

Infobox SG rail
railroad_name=Keokuk Junction Railway Company
logo_filename=
logo_size=
old_gauge=
marks=KJRY
locale=Iowa Illinois
start_year=1857
end_year=present
hq_city=Keokuk, Iowa; Peoria, Illinois

The Keokuk Junction Railway Company Reporting mark|KJRY, is a Class III railroad terminal railroad in the US state of Illinois and Iowa

KJRY started service as a terminal railroad operating over tracks built in 1857 as part of the Keokuk & Des Moines Valley Railroad (the earliest railroad in Iowa). The K&DMVR was leased and later purchased by the Rock Island Railroad.

In August 1981, KNRECO, Inc., an Iowa corporation d/b/a Keokuk Junction Railway (KJRY) purchased the Keokuk Union Depot building, along with surrounding real estate and convert|4.5|mi|km of yard trackage at Keokuk, this was part of the bankruptcy court decisions for the Rock Island railroad in 1980. Service on the KJRY started in September 1981.

In December 1986, KJRY purchased convert|33.5|mi|km of TP&W trackage (then managed by Santa Fe railroad) extending from Keokuk and Warsaw to LaHarpe, IL.

On March 12, 1996, Pioneer Railcorp purchased 93% of the common stock of KNRECO, Inc., an Iowa corporation d/b/a Keokuk Junction Railway (KJRY) from the shareholders, and purchased all of the remaining common shares of KJRY in April 1996. KJRY operates a common carrier railroad line within the City of Keokuk, Iowa, from Keokuk to LaHarpe, Illinois, and a branch line from Hamilton to Warsaw, Illinois, a total of approximately convert|38|mi|km. KNRECO, Inc. changed its corporate name to Keokuk Junction Railway Co. (KJRY) effective April 10, 1996.

On December 19, 2001, the KJRY purchased convert|12.1|mi|km of track from LaHarpe to Lomax, Illinois and was assigned trackage rights from Lomax, Illinois to Ft. Madison, Iowa, a distance of approximately convert|15.5|mi|km over the BNSF, allowing the KJRY to interchange traffic with the UP. The KJRY also interchanges with the BNSF at Keokuk. The railroad's principal commodities are corn, corn germ, corn syrup, meal, gluten feed, and railroad wheels.

On October 28, 2004, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) granted KJRY's feeder line application to acquire the assets of the old Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway (TPW) western main line (LaHarpe to Peoria, Illinois).

February 11, 2005, the company completed the acquisition of the convert|76|mi|km from LaHarpe to Peoria, Illinois. Tripling the length of the KJRY's trackage.

Interchange Services

* Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (Keokuk, IA and Peoria, IL)
* Union Pacific Railroad (Fort Madison, IA and Peoria, IL)
* Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway (Hollis, IL)
* Tazewell and Peoria Railroad (Peoria, IL)
* Canadian National Railway (Peoria, IL)
* Northfolk Southern Railroad (Peoria, IL)
* Iowa Interstate Railroad (Peoria, IL)
* Illinois and Midland Railroad (Peoria, IL)
* Pioneer Industrial Railway (Peoria, IL)

External links

* [http://www.trainweb.org/kjry/ Keokuk Junction Railway to 1996]
* [http://www.pioneer-railcorp.com/Subsidiaries/KJRY/kjry.html Pioneer Rail Corp. KJRY]