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New Power for Ohio’s Grand River Railway
Age of Steam Roundhouse has repainted and leased two SW1200s to the Grand River Railway. The units were delivered at the beginning of November. The new railroad began operations this past July on 2.5 miles of former CSX track that runs from the junction at Painesville, Ohio. GRR No. 1202 (ex-Aliquippa & Southern) switches cars at Morton Salt in Grand River on November 9, 2015. The new operation expects to reach 1,000 carloads this year.
PHOTO BY ROGER DURFEE
tral Belt Industrial Lead from its connec- tion with the West Belt Industrial Lead at mile 9.54 to the end of the line at mile 10.73. All the trackage is within the City of St. Louis. West Belt is owned by Devco Holdings, which is owned by SteelRiver Infrastructure Fund North America LP. Through a number of other companies, SteelRiver controls Patriot Rail Compa- ny, which controls 13 shortlines.
REGIONALS/SHORTLINES EAST STEPHEN KOENIG
Grand River Railway Ohio’s newest railroad was officially
in business by July 2015 and was al- ready working toward moving more than 1,000 cars in the calendar year. The line, which was previously owned by CSX, was dormant since 2000 but was left in- tact to serve a large Morton Salt facility. A new loader was built in 2015 and oper- ations were in full swing by fall. Winter salt production played a key role in this facility and the high number of carloads it produced in the fall. GRRY uses a pair of SW1200s wearing a B&O-like paint scheme to serve the route.
Pan Am Railways Maine Central SD40-2s 3400-3404
were spotted on CSX Train Q410-30 at the end of October 2015. They were to be interchanged with Pan Am Railways at Rotterdam Junction, New York. These units are all ex-QNSL, NRE, and PRLX units transferred to GMTX and are part of the GMTX/PAR deal that involved re- builds to Paducah or swaps. These units carry sub-lettering that indicate they are still GATX-owned.
Arcade & Attica Western New York short line Arcade
& Attica was able to use its recently pur- chased GE 80-tonner for the first time on November 11, 2015. The unit pow- ered its first freight by itself with both engines in full working order. In a rare change, the A&A decided for its Santa trips in November 2015 to run two trains at a time on its line in an effort to handle increased ridership.
Georgia Northeastern Railroad
By the time you read this brief, 22-mile Georgia Northeastern may have a new owner. At press time, a sale of the rail- road to Patriot Rail Corp. was pending, and the transaction includes Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad. Pending STB approval, the sale was to conclude on November 15, 2015. Formed in 1987, the line runs between Elizabeth and Blue Ridge, Ga.
to North Creek in 2015 According to a December 2 report by
No Snow Train
the Glens Falls Post Star, Saratoga & North Creek’s Snow Train trips have been cancelled for 2015 and regular excursions are expected to resume in March. The Snow Train was a tradition revived by Iowa Pacific’s S&NC in 2012 to transport skiers to Gore Mountain from Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Ed Ellis, president of Iowa Pacific Holdings, said that ridership did not meet expectations last year. Meanwhile, Polar Express res- ervations were strong, with more than 19,000 riders through December 27.
Ellis met with county officials to dis-
cuss renewing the railroad’s operating contract, which expires this June. S&NC began operations in July 2011 over the former Delaware & Hudson Adirondack Branch between Saratoga Springs and North Creek, N.Y., on tracks owned by Warren County. Additional access was acquired from North Creek to Tahawus to encourage outbound shipments of mine tailings. —O.M.V.
Piedmont & Northern A ceremony was held in Ranlo, N.C.,
on November 10, 2015, to mark the be- ginning of this state-owned railroad’s new operator, Iowa Pacific subsidiary Piedmont Railway. The railroad intends to establish its freight business in time, but meanwhile is offering “The Train to Christmas Town” excursions on selected dates between November 27 and De- cember 27, 2015. Iowa Pacific assumed operation of the line this past August. An electric interurban that began opera- tions in 1912, the company was acquired by Seaboard Coast Line in 1969. The trackage in Gaston County was sold to NCDOT in 1991. PNRW interchanges with CSX in Mount Holly, and with NS in Gastonia.
Edward A. Lewis “Mr. Shortline” Ed Lewis passed away
at age 73 on November 11. A highly-re- spected industry leader, noted historian, and author, Lewis’ long career included positions at the Long Island Rail Road, Arcade & Attica, Providence & Worces- ter, Strasburg Rail Road, and Lamoille Valley, to name a few. —O.M.V.
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