The Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway (AAR reporting marks CIC), also
known as the Crandic is a Class III railroad operating in the US state of
Iowa.
The Crandic began operations in 1904, providing interurban service between
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Iowa City, Iowa. In 1914, a line extending to
Lisbon, Iowa, was completed, but abandoned in 1928. In 1939, the Crandic
purchased six high-speed interurban cars, leading to the popular saying
"Swing and Sway the Crandic Way.", referring to the motion
caused by the high-speed running. In 1953, the railroad ran its last
passenger train, a charter by railfans.
While freight was important to the Crandic in the early years, it was
better known for its passenger interurban operations. After passenger
operations were discontinued, freight became the primary source of traffic
for the Crandic. Eventually, the electric-powered locomotives were
replaced with diesel-electric models, starting in 1953. The customer base
in Cedar Rapids continued to expand with the population in the area. In
1980, with the demise of the Milwaukee Road, Crandic purchased the Cedar
Rapids to Homestead, Iowa, portion of the Milwaukee. Also in that year, an
Iowa City to Hills, Iowa portion of the former Rock Island Railroad was
acquired by the Crandic. In 1996, a large new locomotive and car shop was
built in the southwest side of Cedar Rapids as a replacement for the
original Rockford Road facility.
In late 2004, the Crandic chose to concentrate on its major focus,
switching customers along its rail lines. A daily road freight between
Cedar Rapids and Iowa City previously operated by the Crandic was turned
over to the Iowa Interstate Railroad in August 2004. In 2005, Railway Age
magazine named the Crandic its Short Line Railroad of the Year. Also in
2005, Crandic opened its third shop complex. The newest shops are located
on the site of the original Crandic shops. The previous shops complex was
sold to Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) for use as a railcar cleaning and
repair shop for ADM's large fleet of rolling stock.
The Crandic currently operates 60 miles of main line and 40+ miles of yard
trackage in four east central Iowa counties. The Cedar Rapids and Iowa
City Railway employs 90 individuals. 90,000 car loads of traffic are
handled each year on the Crandic. The largest customers include Alliant
Energy, Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill, Weyerhaeuser's Cedar River Paper,
and Penford Products.
While freight was important to the Crandic in the early years, it was
better known for its passenger interurban operations. After passenger
operations were discontinued, freight became the primary source of traffic
for the Crandic. Eventually, the electric-powered locomotives were
replaced with diesel-electric models, starting in 1953. The customer base
in Cedar Rapids continued to expand with the population in the area. In
1980, with the demise of the Milwaukee Road, Crandic purchased the Cedar
Rapids to Homestead, Iowa, portion of the Milwaukee. Also in that year, an
Iowa City to Hills, Iowa portion of the former Rock Island Railroad was
acquired by the Crandic. In 1996, a large new locomotive and car shop was
built in the southwest side of Cedar Rapids as a replacement for the
original Rockford Road facility.
In late 2004, the Crandic chose to concentrate on its major focus,
switching customers along its rail lines. A daily road freight between
Cedar Rapids and Iowa City previously operated by the Crandic was turned
over to the Iowa Interstate Railroad in August 2004. In 2005, Railway Age
magazine named the Crandic its Short Line Railroad of the Year. Also in
2005, Crandic opened its third shop complex. The newest shops are located
on the site of the original Crandic shops. The previous shops complex was
sold to Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) for use as a railcar cleaning and
repair shop for ADM's large fleet of rolling stock.
The Crandic currently operates 60 miles of main line and 40+ miles of yard
trackage in four east central Iowa counties. The Cedar Rapids and Iowa
City Railway employs 90 individuals. 90,000 car loads of traffic are
handled each year on the Crandic. The largest customers include Alliant
Energy, Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill, Weyerhaeuser's Cedar River Paper,
and Penford Products.