Arkansas Missouri Railroad News | Train Headlines

New Year Brings Fleet Updates

A&M welcomed the arrival of 25 new open-top gondola railcars in December. The purchase process, through Greenbriar-Concarril, LLC, began in March.

Headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, Greenbriar is a leading supplier of transportation equipment and services in the railroad industry. A&M's new gondolas were manufactured in the company's Tlaxcala, Mexico facility. The 25 cars rolled off the production line the first week of November before journeying 1,500 miles to Northwest Arkansas, where they were put into immediate service.

Newly painted Grain Express car AM 2345

At 52 feet, 6 inches in length, the 6-foot-tall gondolas can carry a maximum load of 217,500 pounds, or 3,045 cubic feet of material. Made for heavy-duty applications, gondolas of this type are typically used for carting iron or steel plates, scrap steel or other related products. The new cars will allow A&M to phase out 29 older gondolas slated for retirement in 2020.

In addition to the new gondolas, 25 covered hopper railcars joined thefleet in August. The newly added cars expand A&M's covered hopper fleet to New A&M gondola, pictured in the A&M's Springdale yard
a total of 66 cars. This will allow for uninterrupted service while the current fleet is cycled out for new paint jobs and stenciling. The "A&M Grain Express" cars service several customers along A&M's line. The fleet expansion will give the A&M and its customers much needed capacity for future growth.

McCARREN RECEIVES RAIL INDUSTRY HONORS

Reilly McCarren, A&M Chairman, was this year's recipient of the Norman W. Seip Award for Excellence.

The award was presented at the Rail Equipment Finance Conference on March 3, 2015 in LaQuinta, California in recognition of Reilly's long standing service to the railroad industry, his status as a pioneer in safety related industry initiatives and his relationships throughout the industry.

In bestowing the honor, David Nahass, President of Railroad Financial Corporation noted "Reilly was a great friend to the founder of RFC, Tony Kruglinski. He is a great innovator for the industry. Through his health related struggles in recent years, Reilly has displayed courage and strength and I am proud to be associated with him and to have the opportunity to present this award to him."

The award is named for Norman W. Seip, who served the rail equipment industry for more than 65 years in both locomotive manufacturing and equipment appraisal prior to his retirement in 2006. During his career, Norman worked with virtually every significant element in our industry and is well known not only for his equipment expertise, but for his honesty and ability to communicate. Previous winners include Lawrence Beal, founder of the National Railway Equipment Company; Desmond P. Hayes, President of CAI Rail; and Jack Thomas, President of First Union Rail.

A&M Wins ASLRRA Marketing Award

On March 29, 2015, the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad was named as a recipient of the

2015 ASLRRA Marketing Award for the construction of the Butterfield Transload Facility. Opened in August of 2014, the facility represents a joint venture between the A&M, sister company Allied Enterprises, dba Ozark Transmodal (OTI) and grain brokerage firm, The Scoular Company. Located on the north end of the A&M's line, Butterfield is OTI's fourth transload facility and extends the company's reach into markets that were not previously attainable.

The Butterfield facility represents the culmination of two years of planning, negotiating and old-fashioned hard work. The facility features: two unloading tracks for quick turnaround times on sand, certified truck and rail scales, and a shared office building—all situated on 30 acres, giving both companies room to grow.

At opening, the facility was primarily handling construction sand and grain products. In December 2014, A&M and OTI began accepting loads of scrap metal from Springfield, Mo., which are being backhauled to Butterfield by truck and loaded into railcars for delivery to Ft. Smith, Ark. Previously, all of this material was trucked approximately 200 miles from Springfield directly to Ft. Smith for processing.

There are already track expansions planned for the facility in 2015. With additional space available for other new commodities, growth is expected to continue. For additional information on transload opportunities at the Butterfield facility, please contact the A&M Marketing team at sales@amrailroad.com.

Spring Brings New Customer to OTI/A&M in Ft. Smith

As of March 1, 2015, A&M Railroad and Ozark Transmodal have a new customer online in Ft. Smith, Ark. The new customer, a quarry and mining company, relocated their transload services to the OTI facility in Ft. Smith. Bulk materials are brought in by covered hopper railcars and transloaded from rail to truck on a newly built spur located in the A&M's rail yard by OTI workers. OTI has also invested in a new conveyor system for unloading, and is off to a strong start--the new business has already brought in close to a dozen carloads in just the first two weeks. "We are always excited about new business, and this one is no exception. Our services are convenient and cost-effective for the customer, and provide new business for both A&M and OTI," says Tracie Loredo, Customer Accounts Manager.

The new business is expected to bring approximately 100 carloads per year to the facility.

OTI's new conveyor system is placed for unloading (top, middle). As the railcar is unloaded, the material is loaded directly into waiting hopper trucks (right).

New Position Opens

The A&M is searching for a Chief Engineer to add to the Maintenance of Way Department. Although it's relatively unusual for a Class III railroad, such as the A&M, to employ its own engineer, the A&M is no ordinary short line! Interchanging with three Class I railroads, and maintaining not only the river bridge in Van Buren, but also several bridges, culverts and 150 miles of track is no small feat. "With several track projects planned for the upcoming year, this is the right move for the A&M. We will benefit greatly from having our own on-staff engineer as we work our way through this year's budgeted repairs and improvements," says President, Brent M^cCready. Once hired, the new Chief Engineer will play an integral part in the planning and oversight of the 2015 Track Program.

Arkansas & Missouri Railroad

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