West Michigan Railroad
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | standard gauge |
| Length | 4.23 miles |
The West Michigan Railroad (
Traffic on the West Michigan Railroad consists of canola pellets,
.The railroad has been owned by Hamilton Hartford Group, LLC since 2015.
History
The
Pioneer Railcorp subsidiary West Jersey Railroad Co. operated a
Pioneer Railcorp sold the capital stock of West Michigan Railroad Co., effective at the close of business November 3, 2015, to an unaffiliated non-carrier entity, Hamilton Hartford Group, LLC, and PRC, therefore, is no longer in control of WMI.[5] The new owners have identified a dozen potential customers who have expressed interest in hauling freight along the line.[6]
Since the purchase of the railroad by Hamilton Hartford Group, traffic has increased immensely, with the vast majority of the growth coming from a transload facility which opened in 2019. In 2022, the railroad received an $8.7 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration. This grant will allow the railroad to completely rebuild the existing track, as well as relay 5.6 miles of track along the abandoned right of way, returning rail service to the town of Lawrence.[7]
Locomotives
| Number | Type | Build Date | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | EMD SW9 | 11/1951 | Out of service | Ex-Leelanau Scenic Railroad. Exx-Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. Named "Village of Suttons Bay". |
| 850 | ALCO C420 | 7/1966 | Out of service | Ex- Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad .
|
| 921 | EMD GP18 | 12/1959 | In service | Ex- Norfolk and Western
|
| 1017 | ALCO T6 | 1/1969 | Out of service | Ex- ALCO locomotive built in the United States.
|
| 1512 | EMD SW1200 | 3/1960 | In service | Ex- Coe Rail. Exxx-Grand Trunk Western Railroad
|
| 2480 | EMD CF7
|
6/1956 | Out of service | Ex-Clinton Terminal Railroad. Exx-Waccamaw Coast Line Railroad. Exxx-Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Originally built as an EMD F9. |
References
- ^ George Woodman Hilton, American Narrow Gauge Railroads, Stanford University Press, 1990, pp. 427-428
- ^ Kalmbach Publishing, 1996, pp. 330, 362
- ^ Interstate Commerce Commission, Washington, D.C. (1995-10-10). "JP Rail, Inc., d/b/a Southern Railroad Company of New Jersey--Notice of Exemption--Operation of Salem Branch Rail Line in Salem County, New Jersey." Finance Docket No. 32700. Federal Register, 60 FR 52689.
- ^ http://www.stb.dot.gov/filings/all.nsf/ba7f93537688b8e5852573210004b318/99c4d0a60eb3b60685257ad9007a9764?OpenDocument [dead link]
- ^ Daniel A. LaKemper (November 5, 2015). "West Michigan Railroad Co. -Abandonment Exemption - Van Buren County, MichiganSTB Docket No. AB-1107X" (PDF). Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- ^ Garrod, Paul (14 December 2015). "Paw Paw-to-Lawrence rail line purchased for freight hauling". The Courier-Leader. Vineyard Press, Inc. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
- ^ Federal Railroad Administration (June 2, 2022). "Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program: FY2021 Selections". Retrieved 13 July 2022.
External links
Railways portal
