Kyle Railroad

Kyle Railroad

Kyle engine 1757 undergoes repair at the Eastern Alabama Railway in Sylacauga, Alabama.
Reporting mark	KYLE
Locale	Kansas
Dates of operation	1982–
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length	561 miles (903 km)
Headquarters	Phillipsburg, Kansas

The Kyle Railroad (reporting mark KYLE) is a regional railroad line that runs from North Central Kansas into Eastern Colorado. It is based in Phillipsburg, Kansas and runs on 561 miles (903 km) track, mostly the former Rock Island Railroad Chicago to Denver main line. The Kyle was owned by Rail America from 2002 to 2012.Genesee & Wyoming Inc. bought RailAmerica in late 2012.

The Kyle Railroad was formed for the 1982 Northern Kansas Harvest season by the Willis B. Kyle Organization, which consisted of several railroad properties, including the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway, the Oregon, Pacific and Eastern Railway, the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad and the Pend Oreille Valley Railroad. Included was about 243 miles (391 km) of trackage from Belleville, KS to Limon, CO, with trackage rights over the Cadillac and Lake City Railroad from Limon, CO to Colorado Springs, CO. Officially, on September 16, 1980, The Kyle Railroad signed with the MSPA (Mid-States Port Authority) a contract for the Hallam, NE to Limon, CO and Belleville, KS to Clay Center, KS line, as well as 90 miles (140 km) of trackage rights over the Union Pacific Railroad from Limon, CO to Denver, CO, totalling 455 miles (732 km). The Kyle Railroad acted as the MSPA's operator of these lines.