Farmrail sells interest in Marquette Rail to RailAmerica
July 3, 2012 / Updated August 29, 2012
Short Line Railroads
Farmrail recently sold its interest in Marquette Rail to RailAmerica. – Courtesy Ron Roman
Oklahoma-based Farmrail and the six other owners sold their interests in Marquette Rail to RailAmerica in May. RailAmerica, which owns and operates 45 short-line and regional freight railroads in North America and Canada, reportedly paid $40 million for MQT.
MQT serves West Michigan and operates approximately 126 miles of railroad. The primary rail route extends from connections with CSX and Norfolk Southern/Grand Elk at Grand Rapids northward to Ludington and Manistee. These lines, formerly part of the Pere Marquette Railroad network that covered most of the state’s Lower Peninsula, have been in continuous operation since 1874.
Marquette Rail serves about two dozen online customers in six West Michigan counties, transporting chemicals, paperboard, grain, salt, petroleum products and other commodities.
Marquette Rail also serves as a storage agent for fleet owners requiring convenient accommodations for seasonally inactive or off-lease rolling stock. Capacity is in excess of 500 railcars. Connections with both major Eastern trunk lines make Marquette a preferred source for box car, hopper and tank storage accessible to the upper Mid-West. All car types are routinely received and delivered on short notice, and inspection, running repairs and testing services can be provided upon request.
In other Farmrail news, the Federal Railroad Administration issued in June a temporary waiver allowing Farmrail movements of 10-car blocks of crude oil and up to 20 empties over excepted FMRC track between Sayre and Elk City, OK.
An operating session on the Splitrock Mining Co. Railroad is pretty straightforward. A three-person crew works the freelance HO-scale railroad with the sole purpose of transporting iron ore mined in Northern Minnesota to a freighter on Lake Superior. Instructions for the operators can be communicated in a few words before the shift begins. Pull all loads at the mine. Take them to the boat. Take all empties from the boat back to the mines. Rinse and repeat. There are no car cards or manifests. Switching is done by colors, and, yes, there is a rhyme and reason on this Alco-driven layout based on railroading on the Iron Range in Minnesota.
A new generation of freelance railroads is taking model railroading by storm, gaining prominence through online videos and social media. The ages-old modeling technique is attracting young modelers and unlocking creative license in veteran hobbyists.
In Southern Wyoming, OmniTRAX is handling switching for two mines in a region known for its prolific coal mining operations. The mines deliver about 17 million tons of trona, a sodium carbonate compound that is processed into soda ash or bicarbonate of soda, and OmniTRAX is increasing safety and managing efficiencies in moving inbound and outbound cars.
G&G Model Shop in Southwest Houston credits flexibility and personalized service for its 80 years serving the model railroad community. Rapido Trains delivers an N-scale replica of the Santa Fe Railway’s storied SFRD RR-56 refrigerator car, reviewed in this issue. Also, the romance of the circus and railroads united in the circus train, which endured as the greatest shows on earth’s sideshow. And more!
