Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 9 / Friday, January 13, 2006 / Notices 2301

Street, NW., Suite 225, Washington, DC Railroad, Inc. (PSWR), Great Northwest Docket No. 34766, must be filed with 20005. Railroad, Inc. (GNR), Kaw River the Surface Transportation Board, 1925 Board decisions and notices are Railroad, Inc. (KRR), Mission Mountain K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20423– available on our Web site at http:// Railroad, Inc. (MMT), Appalachian & 0001. In addition, a copy of each www.stb.dot.gov. Ohio Railroad, Inc. (AO), Mississippi pleading must be served on Karl Morell, Decided: January 5, 2006. Southern Railroad, Inc. (MSRR), Of Counsel, Ball Janik LLP, 1455 F By the Board, David M. Konschnik, Yellowstone Valley Railroad, Inc. Street, NW., Suite 225, Washington, DC Director, Office of Proceedings. (YVRR), Louisiana Southern Railroad, 20005. Vernon A. Williams, Inc. (LSRR), Arkansas Southern Board decisions and notices are Secretary. Railroad, Inc. (ARSR), and Alabama available on our Web site at http// Southern Railroad, Inc. (ABS).2 www.stb.dot.gov. [FR Doc. 06–236 Filed 1–12–06; 8:45 am] Applicant states that: (1) The rail lines Decided: January 5, 2006. BILLING CODE 4915–01–P operated by SKO, PRCC, TIBR, SLWC, EIRR, K&O, PSWR, GNR, KRR, MMT, By the Board, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of Proceedings. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AO, MSRR, YVRR, LSRR, ARSR, and ABS do not connect with the rail lines Vernon A. Williams, Secretary. Surface Transportation Board being leased by VSOR; (2) the continuance in control is not part of a [FR Doc. 06–237 Filed 1–12–06; 8:45 am] [STB Finance Docket No. 34766] series of anticipated transactions that BILLING CODE 4915–01–P would connect the rail lines being Companies, Inc.—Continuance leased by VSOR with any railroad in the in Control Exemption—Vicksburg Watco corporate family; and (3) neither DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Southern Railroad, Inc. VSOR nor any of the carriers controlled Surface Transportation Board Watco Companies, Inc. (Watco), has by Watco are Class I rail carriers. filed a verified notice of exemption to Therefore, the transaction is exempt [STB Docket No. AB–1067 (Sub-No. 1X)] continue in control of Vicksburg from the prior approval requirements of Southern Railroad, Inc. (VSOR), upon 49 U.S.C. 11323. See 49 CFR Iowa Northwestern Railroad— VSOR’s becoming a Class III rail 1180.2(d)(2). The purpose of the Abandonment Exemption—in Osceola carrier.1 transaction is to reduce overhead and Dickinson Counties, IA The transaction is expected to be expenses, coordinate billing, consummated on or shortly after maintenance, mechanical and personnel On December 27, 2005, General January 8, 2006. policies and practices of applicant’s rail Railway Corporation, d/b/a Iowa This transaction is related to a carrier subsidiaries, thereby improving Northwestern Railroad (IANW) filed concurrently filed verified notice of the overall efficiency of rail service with the Board a petition under 49 exemption in STB Finance Docket No. provided by the 17 railroads. U.S.C. 10502 for exemption from the 34765, Vicksburg Southern Railroad, Under 49 U.S.C. 10502(g), the Board provisions of 49 U.S.C. 10903 to Inc.—Lease and Operation Exemption— may not use its exemption authority to abandon a line of railroad known as the The Kansas City Southern Railway relieve a rail carrier of its statutory Iowa Northwestern Railroad, extending Company. In that proceeding, VSOR obligation to protect the interests of its from milepost 235.25 near Lake Park, seeks to acquire by lease from The employees. Section 11326(c), however, IA, to the end of the line at milepost Kansas City Southern Railway Company does not provide for labor protection for 252.3 near Allendorf, IA, a distance of and operate approximately 21.5 miles of transactions under sections 11324 and 17.05 miles in Osceola and Dickinson rail line consisting of the following lines 11325 that involve only Class III rail Counties, IA (the line). The stations of located in Mississippi: (1) KCS’s carriers. Accordingly, the Board may not Harris (MP 240.5), Ocheyedan (MP Redwood Branch, which is located impose labor protective conditions here, 246.0) and Allendorf (MP 251.8) are between milepost 21.9, at the end of the because all of the carriers involved are located on the line. The line traverses line near Redwood, MS, and milepost Class III carriers. United States Postal Service Zip Codes 218.0, north of KCS’s Vicksburg Yard, at If the verified notice contains false or 51249, 51347, 51345, and 51354. Vicksburg, MS, and includes track misleading information, the exemption The line does not contain federally numbers 418, 419, 429, 430, 431, 432, is void ab initio. Petitions to revoke the granted rights-of-way. Any and 433, and the locomotive facility exemption under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d) documentation in IANW’s possession buildings within the Vicksburg Yard; may be filed at any time. The filing of will be made available promptly to and (2) the branch line located between a petition to revoke will not those requesting it. milepost 223.0, south of the connection automatically stay the transaction. IANW states that no railroad with the KCS main line, and milepost An original and 10 copies of all employees will be affected by this 229.85, near Cedars, MS. pleadings, referring to STB Finance action. Nevertheless, to ensure that is Watco, a Kansas corporation, is a the case, the interest of railroad noncarrier that currently controls 16 2 SKO’s lines are located in Missouri, Kansas, and employees will be protected by the Oklahoma; PRCC’s lines are located in Washington, conditions set forth in Oregon Short Class III rail carriers: South Kansas and Oregon, and ; TIBR’s lines are located in Oklahoma Railroad Company (SKO), Texas and Louisiana; SLWC’s lines are located in Line R. Co.—Abandonment—Goshen, Palouse River & Coulee City Railroad, Oklahoma; EIRR’s lines are located in Idaho; K&O’s 360 I.C.C. 91 (1979). Inc. (PRCC), Timber Rock Railroad, Inc. lines are located in Kansas and Colorado; PSWR’s By issuance of this notice, the Board line is located in Pennsylvania; GNR’s lines are is instituting an exemption proceeding (TIBR), Stillwater Central Railroad, Inc. located in Idaho and Washington; KRR’s lines are (SLWC), Eastern Idaho Railroad, Inc. located in Kansas and Missouri; MMT’s lines are pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 10502(b). A final (EIRR), Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad, located in Montana; AO’s lines are located in West decision will be issued by April 14, Virginia; MSRR’s line is located in Mississippi; 2006. Inc. (K&O), Pennsylvania Southwestern YVRR’s lines are located in Montana; LSRR’s lines are located in Louisiana; ARSR’s lines are located Any offer of financial assistance 1 Watco owns 100% of the issued and outstanding in Arkansas; and ABS’s lines are located in (OFA) under 49 CFR 1152.27(b)(2) will stock of VSOR. Mississippi and Alabama. be due no later than 10 days after

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