Colorado’s San Luis Central shut down by washout

Collapsed irrigation canal

MONTE VISTA, Colo. — Short line San Luis Central Railroad embargoed its entire 13-mile line May 28 after its crossing of the Empire Irrigation Canal, one mile north of Monte Vista, collapsed. According to local farmers, the crossing, a series of culverts surrounded by cement walls, had been seeping water between the pipes for a […]

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Pinsly short lines join EPA’s SmartWay program

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two of Pinsly Railroad Co. short lines – Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad and the Grenada Railroad – have joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Transport Partnership. Developed by the EPA, SmartWay is a collaborative framework involving industry stakeholders and environmental groups to track and reduce emissions and fuel use in […]

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Watco welcomes new Oklahoma short line into its stable

Watco logo, new version as of 2022

Watco recently began operating its 46th short line, the 3-mile Verdigris Southern Railroad (VESO) that serves the Port of Inola in Oklahoma. VESO serves one customer at the inland port, paper products company Sofidel America. Sofidel’s paper mill received its first seven boxcars of compressed wood pulp in mid-April, Watco reports in its June newsletter. […]

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C&IM caboose

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One of the Chicago & Illinois Midland’s distinctive green-and-red cabooses trails 85 empty coal hoppers heading south at Atterbury, Ill., in May 1952. Edward Theisinger photo […]

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Record number of short lines earn Jake Safety Awards

Red and white locomotive brings freight cars over bridge

A record number of short lines qualified for the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association’s Jake Safety Award this year, with 340 railroads earning the “with distinction” honor for having zero reportable injuries for 2023. Overall, 385 railroads qualified for the safety award program, the industry group said yesterday. Nineteen member railroads will be […]

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Norfolk Southern short line project leads to carload volume growth

Train with two black locomotives on spur

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern and 40 of its shortline connections have produced outsized growth in carload traffic this year through a program that aims to improve interchange consistency and reliability. The Short Line Performance Project, which began as a pilot with a handful of railroads last July, has seen interchange volume grow 9% since March […]

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