The president of the Chadron-based Nebraska Northwestern Railroad doesn’t think its operations would be affected if the Canadian Pacific Railroad sells the eastern half of the Dakota, Minnesota, and Eastern Railroad…including its lines from Rapid City to Crawford and from Colony, Wyoming, to Rapid City.

Nebraska Northwestern purchased the Chadron rail yard and the track from Chadron to the DM&E’s Crawford line at Dakota Junction from the CP about 4 years ago and leases the line from Dakota Junction to Crawford…an arrangement president Jack Nielsen doesn’t believe would change with a sale.

Canadian Pacific spokesman Ed Greenberg says the railroad has made no decision on selling the 600 miles of the DM&E west of Tracy, Minnesota, and is simply trying to gauge interest from potential buyers.

Nielsen says it would take the right set of circumstances for the Nebraska Northwestern to get involved since the total package would be much larger than it could afford. Still, if a buyer wanted to sell off parts…such as the Dakota Junction to Crawford stretch…Nielsen and the railroad would be interested.

Canadian Pacific spent $1.5-billion dollars five years ago to buy the DM&E, its subsidiaries, their equipment, and 2,500 miles of track and announced Monday it would “suspend indefinitely” a proposed $6-billion dollar, 260-mile new line into Wyoming’s Powder River basin coal fields first unveiled more than 15 years ago.