The future of the largest railroad expansion plan since the Civil War goes before a Federal Appeals court today (WED) in St. Paul. The Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad's 2-billion dollar project includes hundreds of miles of new and rehabilitated track. It's all part of a plan to haul coal from Wyoming's Powder River Basin through South Dakota and Minnesota. The federal government has endorsed the expansion. But that approval faces a challenge from a handful of communities and environmental groups. They argue the project should not proceed in its current form. We have two reports this morning on the legal proceedings and their effect on the railroad. Mainstreet Radio's Erin Galbally has the first installment: