R.J. Corman Railroad Group
Private | |
Industry | Rail transport |
Founded | 1973 |
Founder | Richard J. Corman |
Headquarters | Nicholasville, Kentucky, United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Craig King (President) |
Services |
Aircraft Maintenance Track Construction/Maintenance Signaling Emergency Services Dinner Trains Distribution Services Equipment Rental Material Sales Locomotive Shortline Railroads Storm Team Switching |
Revenue | US$ 300 million (FY 2011)[1] |
Number of employees | Approx. 1400+ |
Website |
www |
R.J. Corman Railroad Group, LLC is a privately held railroad holding company with its corporate headquarters located in Nicholasville, KY. It was owned by Richard J. Corman, who established the company in 1973, and ran it until his death on August 23, 2013. The company owns short-line railroad lines in Nine states (Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia) and offers other railroad, warehousing and aviation services throughout the United States.
History
R.J. Corman Railroad Group was founded in 1973 by Richard J. Corman.
R.J. Corman's passenger train depot was built in 1860, and is located in Bardstown, Kentucky. By 1953, the depot shut down due to the end of the passenger train era. In 1992, the depot was refurnished and reopened for the R.J. Corman dinner train, and once again serves many passengers each year.
Some of R.J. Corman's lines have undergone major rehabilitation with the help of local and state governments. R.J. Corman began its operations on the original lines in Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania in 1987, and acquired/rehabilitated many lines in the 1990s. They've reopened many Railbanked lines, and in Pennsylvania, they began an attempt in 2008 to reopen a fully abandoned non-railbanked corridor, though no decision has yet been made. It is to serve a new industrial park, landfill, and quarry.[2][3]
R.J. Corman Railroad Group announced on June 18, 2009, that it had acquired the assets of Railpower Technologies Corp, and its U.S. subsidiary, Railpower Hybrid Technologies.[4]
On April 1, 2013, R.J. Corman Signaling was formed and began operations. Corporate headquarters, engineering, shop wiring & assembly and construction are located in Nicholasville, KY, with an additional engineering office located in Jacksonville, FL.
Lines Owned
R.J. Corman operates the following subsidiaries:[5]
- R.J. Corman Railroad/Allentown Lines (Pennsylvania)
- R.J. Corman Railroad/Bardstown Line (Kentucky)
- R.J. Corman Railroad/Central Kentucky Lines (Kentucky)
- R.J. Corman Railroad/Cleveland Line (Ohio)
- R.J. Corman Railroad/Carolina Lines (North and South Carolina)
- R.J. Corman Railroad/Memphis Line (Kentucky and Tennessee)
- R.J. Corman Railroad/Pennsylvania Lines (Pennsylvania)
- R.J. Corman Railroad/Tennessee Terminal (Mississippi and Tennessee)
- R.J. Corman Railroad/Western Ohio Line (Indiana and Ohio)
- R.J. Corman Railroad/West Virginia Line (West Virginia)
Until his death, Richard Corman also owned R.J. Corman Railroad Property and a controlling interest in the Clearfield and Mahoning Railway, both non-operating subsidiaries.
Services and Operations
In addition to operating rail lines, R.J. Corman also offers services to the rail industry including track construction and maintenance, signaling, emergency services (derailment/storm/emergency remediation & cleanup), material sales, distribution services, train loading and aviation maintenance.
R.J. Corman also operates the My Old Kentucky Dinner Train, which includes a monthly murder mystery train, The Lexington Dinner Train, and special holiday trains such as the North Pole Express (a Christmas themed train) and the Wizard express (a Halloween themed train), which are geared more towards young kids. These passenger trains operate respectively on the Bardstown Line and the Central Kentucky Line, both located in Kentucky.
Aviation Maintenance
R.J. Corman Aircraft Maintenance provides FAA certified aircraft maintenance and repair from three locations. They are based at R.J. Corman Railroad Group's private airport, Lucas Field.
Track Construction and Maintenance
R.J. Corman Railroad Construction builds and maintains track infrastructure with a focus on the U.S. freight rail market.
Signaling
R.J. Corman Signaling provides signal design, systems wiring/assembly, material warehousing and logistics and construction with a focus on the US freight rail market.
Emergency Services
R.J. Corman Derailment Services provides derailment/storm/emergency remediation & cleanup services with a focus on the US freight rail market.
Locomotive
R. J. Corman Railpower Locomotives division offers Railpower GenSet Locomotives. They are low to medium horsepower locomotives that serve both yard and switching functions.
References
- ↑ "The ballad of Richard Jay Corman". Fortune Magazine.
- ↑ "STB Finance Docket No. 35116: R.J. Corman Railroad Company/Pennsylvania Lines Inc. - Construction and Operation Exemption--In Clearfield County, PA". United States Surface Transportation Board. July 31, 2009.
- ↑ United States Surface Transportation Board (July 31, 2009). "Construction and Operation Exemption: R.J. Corman Railroad Company/Pennsylvania Lines Inc., Clearfield County, PA". vlex.
- ↑ "RJ Corman Railroad Group acquires Railpower Corporation assets" (PDF). Retrieved June 25, 2009.
- ↑ R.J. Corman Railroad Group. "Shortline Operations".
- Surface Transportation Board, Finance Docket No. 34775, February 3, 2006
- RJ Corman Official Website, May 27, 2009