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New man at the helm of local shortline

Those interested in the area's railway happenings will notice Nobles-Rock Railroad is changing - first of all by name and operator.

New operator Brent Polanchek renamed it Minnesota Southern Railway, and he has been operating the line for more than two weeks.

Polanchek said the new name will "try to erase some negative feelings." The biggest change Polanchek looks forward to is increasing traffic on the line.

"We have to increase the car loadings," he said. "Obviously our goal is to get more cars moving. It's a big challenge, and I foresee it taking work."

The shortline runs from Worthington to Manley, and generally hauls ethanol, fertilizer, corn and soybeans, but Polanchek said the line is always willing to take on more projects. In fact, just last week, it started running a second engine on the line.

Ethanol will play a major part in the success of the line because it produces year-round and can keep the lines busy when crops aren't being hauled.

Polanchek signed a 20-year lease in November and took over the business when former operators Cascade Railcorp fell far behind in payments. The railroad business is not an easy one - Polanchek is the fourth operator in 10 years to lease from Buffalo Ridge Regional Rail Authority.

Polanchek doesn't claim to be a business expert, although he and his wife, Kathy, own a gun shop in their permanent home of Kallispell, Mont., near Flathead Lake.

"I'm still on the learning curve," he said.

Even though learning the trade is slow and paperwork isn't his favorite duty, Polanchek revels in his time as an engineer - or the train driver.

"My dad worked for the railroad and I remember riding on trains when I was a pup. It's a lifelong habit," Polanchek said.

His own career in railroads was hampered in 1989 when he lost his legs in a train accident. But engineering the train from the driver's seat is a task his disability more than allows for. Railroad employees Herb Tollefson and his son, J.R., are both experienced and do much of the work on the ground.

Polanchek is planning to buy a home here to split his time between Luverne and Montana. He said his experiences in the area have been "pleasurable," and he looks forward to a thriving local shortline.

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