Red River Stony Creek Rail Yard Receives First 100-Unit Train -- Huge Milestone -- December 26, 2015

From a press release: 

This week the first 100 Railcar Unit Train of Sand arrived at the Red River Stony Creek Rail Yard in Williston, ND delivered by the BNSF Railway.

This marks a turning point for Red River’s operations and allows them to better utilize the 5+ miles of track that have been constructed and are currently in place as well as offering a competitive advantage to their customers and thereby generating more jobs in Williston, ND, instead of other possible terminal locations in the Bakken.

“This is a Game Changer for Red River” said Curtis Shuck, Vice President of Business Development.

“It is a good example of how we are continually reviewing and modifying our business model to respond to the needs of our customers in a rapidly changing Oil and Gas Market where at the end of the day, maintaining the lowest landed cost of materials is what our customers are requiring.”

Red River is family owned and has been doing business in Williston, ND since 1978. 

This is really quite a story. This is a family-owned business that has been in Williston since 1978 as the press release indicates. What the press release does not say is that the rail yard was pretty much laid down by a small group of men working day-in / day-out without taking any breaks a couple of years ago, and I assume since then, continuing to add on.

This rail yard is just a miles east of downtown Williston and can easily be seen from the bridge across from the old salt mine.

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Other Bakken News From The Williston Wire

New Williams County Highway Complex:

Christmas arrived a little early for three groups waiting for the new $22 million Williams County Highway Complex to open. Construction began to wind down in late December, allowing the Williams County Highway and Weed Control Departments and the Williston Vector Control District to begin moving into their new modern and spacious headquarters.  

State population growth leads the nation:

North Dakota is once again leading the nation in population growth, and the number of residents in the state is at an all-time high, according to figures released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The bureau's most recent estimate put the state population at 756,927 in July, an increase of 16,887 residents - or about 2.3 percent - compared to July 2014.

That percentage, far higher than the national average, is largely driven by people in search of jobs in oil-rich western North Dakota.

The state has been the nation's fastest-growing for the past four years, and was followed this year by Colorado, the District of Columbia, Nevada, Florida and Texas, according to the new census data.

Seven states lost population over the same time period, including West Virginia, Illinois and Vermont. [From a google search: Seven states lost population between July 1, 2014, and July 1, 2015: Illinois (22,194 or -0.17 percent), West Virginia (4,623 or -0.25 percent), Connecticut (3,876 or -0.11 percent), Mississippi (1,110 or -0.04 percent), Maine (928 or -0.07 percent), Vermont (725 or -0.12 percent) and New Mexico (458 or -0.02 percent).]