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OmniTRAX, Inc.  [est. 1986]
Shortline Railroad Operator

Spirit of America's Shortline Railroads Page shortline history links shortline railroads shortline operators shortlines by state books & other media

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OmniTRAX, Inc. [est. 1986] based in Denver, Colorado is the second-largest privately-owned shortline operator in the United States;
it operates 21 shortline railroads on ?? track miles in the U.S. and Canada.

OmniTRAX, Inc. [est. 1986] official website
OmniTRAX, Inc. entry at Wikipedia
OmniTRAX is a subsidiary of The Broe Group [est. 1972]

OmniTRAX  Rail  Services
OmniTRAX Rail Services official website

ATN: Alabama & Tennessee River Railway [purch 7/2018] in Alabama
120-mile shortline leased from C.S.X. in December 2004; route is a combination of remnants of Seaboard Air Line (SAL),
Louisville & Nashville Railroad (L&N), and Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway (NC&StL); purchased by H.G.S. in July 2018.
official Alabama & Tennessee River Railway homepage at OmniTRAX website
Alabama & Tennessee River Railway entry at Wikipedia

ATR: Alliance Terminal Railroad [BNSF lease 9/2004-4/2018] in Texas
24-mile switching shortline at the Alliance Intermodal Rail Hub facility in Haslet (Fort Worth), Texas; leased from BNSF in September 2004;
no business after Spring 2016, OmniTRAX filed for discontinuance in April 2018.
there is no longer an official Alliance Terminal Railroad homepage at OmniTRAX website
Alliance Terminal Railroad entry at Wikipedia

BRG: Brownsville & Rio Grande International Railroad [lease 6/2014] in Texas
45-mile terminal switching shortline owned by the Brownsville Navigation District since 1984 and operated since 6/2014 by OmniTRAX on a 30-year contract.
official Brownsville & Rio Grande International Railroad homepage at OmniTRAX website
Brownsville & Rio Grande International Railroad entry at Wikipedia

CTXR: Central Texas & Colorado River Railway LLC [purch 5/2016] in Texas
67½-mile shortline built in 1910 as part of the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway [GC&SF]; taken over by AT&SF in 1965; purchased by Gulf, Colorado & San Saba Railway
[GCSR] in 1993; sold to Heart of Texas Railroad [HTR] in December 2012; purchased by OmniTRAX in May 2016; traffic decreased sharply and the line fell into disrepair;
OmniTRAX filed to abandon the line in August 2019.
official Central Texas & Colorado River Railway homepage at OmniTRAX website
Central Texas & Colorado River Railway entry at Wikipedia

        
CRL: Chicago Rail Link [purch 1991] in Illinois
Began as the LaSalle & Bureau County Railway in 1890, the original L&BC route between LaSalle and Midway, Illinois has long been abandoned; acquired Chicago area trackage
from the Rock Island (CRI&P) around 1980; changed name in May 1985; purchased by OmniTRAX in 1991; merged with Chicago, West Pullman & Southern (CWP) in
August 1996; 72-mile shortline CRL is the surviving company, providing switching & terminal services for multiple railroads in the Chicago Terminal complex.
official Chicago Rail Link homepage at OmniTRAX website
Chicago Rail Link entry at Wikipedia
Chicago Rail Link fansite
Chicago Rail Link entry at Union Pacific RR Short Line Profiles Directory

                
CCRL/CHB: Cleveland & Cuyahoga Railway [purch 8/2019] in Ohio
The Cleveland & Mahoning Valley Railroad (C&MV) was built in 1854, changed owners several times until Norfolk Southern in 1999. The Connotton Valley Railway was built
in 1882 and ended up in the hands of the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway (WLE), and then the Norfolk Southern, which spun it off in 1990. Local investors founded the Cleveland Commercial Railroad Co. in 2004 to lease & operate the WLE, then created the wholly-owned subsidiary Cleveland Harbor Belt Railroad (CHB) in 2012 to manage rail
switching services. OmniTRAX purchased both railroads in August 2019 and changed the names.
official 35-mile Cleveland and Cuyahoga Railway homepage at OmniTRAX website
official Cleveland Port Railway homepage at OmniTRAX website
Cleveland Commercial Railroad entry at Wikipedia

DCC: Decatur Central Railroad LLC [Topflight Grain lease 1/2017] in Illinois
16-mile shortline formerly part of the Decatur Junction Railway (DT); trackage rights over Canadian National provide connection to the Midwest Inland Port
multi-modal transportation hub [open 9/2015]; lease deal with Topflight Grain Cooperative [est. 1998] in January 2017.
official Decatur Central Railroad homepage at OmniTRAX website
Decatur Central Railroad entry at Wikipedia

FCR: Fulton County Railway [H.G.S. purch 7/2018] in Atlanta, Georgia
Operates over 25 miles of trackage within the Fulton County Industrial Park leased from C.S.X. since 2004; purchased by H.G.S. in July 2018.
official Fulton County Railway homepage at OmniTRAX website
Fulton County Railway entry at Wikipedia

GFRR: Georgia & Florida Railway [purch 2005] in Georgia & Florida
Originally built circa 1905 & 1911; taken over by Southern Railway in the 1960s, then Norfolk Southern in 1990; leased to G&F in April 1995; sold to RailNet in January 1999; OmniTRAX acquired the shortline from RailNet in 2005 and renamed it. The now-222-mile shortline is in three segments, connected by trackage rights over Norfolk & Southern; the largest segment radiates in three directions from Albany, Georgia; the second runs south from Willacoochee to Valdosta to Clyattville; the third segment runs south from Adel, Georgia to Foley, Florida.
official Georgia & Florida Railway homepage at OmniTRAX website
Georgia & Florida Railway entry at Wikipedia

GWRC: Georgia Woodlands Railroad [purch 1992] in Wilkes County, Georgia
Built 1852, taken over by Seaboard System in 1983 and by C.S.X. in 1986; sold to Georgia Eastern Railroad in February 1987, then became
the Georgia Woodlands Railroad in June 1988; 17.3-mile shortline purchased by OmniTRAX in 1992.
official Georgia Woodlands Railroad homepage at OmniTRAX website
Georgia Woodlands Railroad entry at Wikipedia

GWR: Great Western Railway [purch 1986] of Colorado
80-mile shortline built in 1901 to serve the sugarbeet growers east of Denver, Colorado; purchased by Castle/Broe/OmniTRAX in 1986;
now also serving tenants at Great Western Industrial Park [est. 1999] in Windsor, Colorado
official Great Western Railway of Colorado homepage at OmniTRAX website
Great Western Railway of Colorado entry at Wikipedia
Great Western Railway entry at Union Pacific RR Short Line Profiles Directory

IR: Illinois Railway [purch 5/2005]
113-mile shortline made up of four formerly-BNSF segments, connected by trackage rights over BNSF & CSX; purchased from RailNet by OmniTRAX in May 2005.
official Illinois Railway homepage at OmniTRAX website
Illinois Railway entry at Wikipedia
'unofficial' Illinois Railway homepage at IlliniRail website

        
KFR/STPP: Kettle Falls International Railway [2004-2019] in Washington State & British Columbia, Canada
170-mile shortline formed in 2004 on former BNSF track, with main route from Chewela, Washington northward to Kettle Falls and across the border to Waneta and Columbia Gardens in British Columbia, Canada; the other arm of the Y-shaped route ran northward from Kettle Falls to Cascade, BC then southward to Grand Forks and back across the border to Danville, WA. Competitor Progressive Rail filed in December 2018 to have new St. Paul & Pacific Northwest Railroad take over the Chewela to Kettle Falls to Columbia Gardens, BC trackage and a second filing in May 2019 to take over the Kettle Falls to Grand Forks, BC portion. The OmniTRAX and Progressive Rail and Wikipedia pages are inaccurate (6/2020).
incorrect official Kettle Falls Intl. Railway homepage at OmniTRAX website
incorrect official St. Paul & Pacific Northwest Railroad homepage at Progressive Rail website
incorrect Kettle Falls Intl. Railway entry at Wikipedia
there is no St. Paul & Pacific Northwest Railroad entry at Wikipedia (6/2020)

MJ: Manufacturers' Junction Railway [1903-2009] in Cicero, Illinois
6-mile switching service shortline built 1903-1906 in Cicero, Illinois; purchased by OmniTRAX/Chicago West Pullman in 1986; effectively abandoned since 2009.
official Manufacturers' Junction Railway homepage at OmniTRAX website
Manufacturers' Junction Railway entry at Wikipedia

NKCR: Nebraska Kansas Colorado Railway [purch 2004]
559-mile shortline formed by RailNet in November 2004 from 88.6 miles of BNSF trackage; the line later expanded into Kansas and to Colorado, but details not found (6/2020).
official Nebraska Kansas Colorado Railway homepage at OmniTRAX website
Nebraska Kansas Colorado Railway entry at Wikipedia

        
NSR: Newburgh & South Shore Railroad [purch 1986] in Cleveland, Ohio
13-mile switching shortline built in 1904; nicknamed 'The Cleveland Belt'; absorbed Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad in 1951; steel plants closed,
traffic declined, shut down in June 1986; sold trackage to OmniTRAX/C.W.P. in July 1986.
official Newburgh & South Shore Railroad homepage at OmniTRAX website
Newburgh & South Shore Railroad entry at Wikipedia

NOW: Northern Ohio & Western Railway [CSX lease 1995] southeast of Toledo, Ohio
operates 20-25 miles of trackage extending from Woodville to Maple Grove to Tiffin.
official Northern Ohio & Western Railway homepage at OmniTRAX website
Northern Ohio & Western Railway entry at Wikipedia

ABS: Panhandle Northern Railroad [purch 1993] in Texas
31-mile shortline east of Amarillo; connects City of Borger and America's largest inland petrochemical industrial complex to the BNSF;
former AT&SF track sold off to OmniTRAX in 1993.
official Panhandle Northern Railroad homepage at OmniTRAX website
Panhandle Northern Railroad entry at Wikipedia

PIR: Peru Industrial Railroad [purch 2015] in Illinois
small but vital 3 miles of track providing switching services for the Peru Industrial Park.
official Peru Industrial Railroad homepage at OmniTRAX website
there is no Peru Industrial Railroad entry at Wikipedia

SS: Sand Springs Railway [purch 7/2014] in Oklahoma
32-mile shortline built as an electric interurban passenger line in 1911; freight traffic soon developed; passenger service and electric power ended in 1955;
owned by HMK, Inc. 1987-1993, Sheffield Steel 1993-2006, and Gerdau Ameristeel Corp. 2006-2009; purchased by OmniTRAX in July 2014.
official Sand Springs Railway homepage at OmniTRAX website
Sand Springs Railway entry at Wikipedia
Sand Springs Railway entry at Union Pacific RR Short Line Profiles Directory

STE: Stockton Terminal & Eastern Railroad [purch 2011] in California
25-mile shortline built in 1908 as a subsidiary of Southern Pacific; owned by Davis family 1919-26, unknown 1926-58, and Beard family
1958-2011; purchased by OmniTRAX in 2011.
official Stockton Terminal & Eastern Railroad homepage at OmniTRAX website
Stockton Terminal & Eastern Railroad entry at Wikipedia
Stockton Terminal & Eastern Railroad entry at Union Pacific RR Short Line Profiles Directory

WW: Winchester & Western Railroad [purch 2019] in four states
multi-part shortline purchased for $105 million by OmniTRAX in October 2019; built 1917-21 in VA & WV; the Virginia Division has 53 miles of track, taken over
by mining company Unimin [est. 1970] at some point; purchased the PRR/Penn Central/Conrail line from Winchester to Williamsport, Maryland in 1986; purchased
three shortlines in New Jersey in 1987 to create the 47-mile New Jersey Division.
official Winchester & Western Railroad homepage at OmniTRAX website
Winchester & Western Railroad entry at Wikipedia

G.E. Nordell's Canada Travel / Railroad Links Page
'list of Canadian railways' page at Wikipedia
'list of Canadian heritage railways' page at Wikipedia

CTRW: Carlton Trail Railway [purch 1997 & 2001] in Saskatchewan, Canada
103-mile Canadian shortline in Saskatchewan that runs from Saskatoon to Prince Albert, with branches to White Star, Pulp Mill, and Birch Hills;
the primary line was purchased from Canadian National in 1997 and the Birch Hills branch in 2001.
official Carlton Trail Railway homepage at OmniTRAX website
Carlton Trail Railway entry at Wikipedia

                
HBRY: Hudson Bay Railway [purch 1997] in Manitoba, Canada
KRC: Keewatin Railway [sold off 4/2006] in Manitoba, Canada
The Hudson Bay Railway was begun in the early 1900s by Canadian Northern Railway [CNoR], then taken over by the Canadian government and completed in 1929;
operated by Canadian National Railway from 1929-1997; sold to OmniTRAX in 1997 on a 32-year contract; OmniTRAX sold the route to Lynn Lake in April 2006 to
First Peoples business leaders, who named it the Keewatin Railway; OmniTRAX closed the line to Churchill in May 2017 due to global warming, permafrost melting, and
floods; the Canadian government sued, OmniTRAX claimed force majeure exemption; newly-formed Arctic Gateway Group purchased the line to Churchill in August 2018;
the first freight train in 18 months arrived in Churchill in December 2018 and the first VIA passenger train a month later.
there is no longer an official Hudson Bay Railway homepage at OmniTRAX website
Hudson Bay Railway entry at Wikipedia
official Keewatin Railway website
Keewatin Railway entry at Wikipedia
official Arctic Gateway Group website
Arctic Gateway Group entry at Wikipedia

OmniTRAX also took over the operation and marketing of the Port of Churchill from Transport Canada in 1997; the port was built in the 1920s and shipped by rail for the first time
in 1931 and by cargo ship for the first time in 1932. Arctic Gateway Group inherited OmniTRAX's contract to manage and maintain the facility with the 2018 purchase of HBR.
official Port of Churchill in Manitoba, Canada website
Port of Churchill in Manitoba, Canada entry at Wikipedia

OmniTRAX  Transload  Services
OmniTRAX Transload Services official homepage
OmniTRAX Logistics Services official website

OmniTRAX  Industrial  Development  Services
OmniTRAX Industrial Development Services official homepage

GEOTRAC Industrial Hub [announced 2/2017] = defunct ?
1,400-acre development adjacent to the Port of Brownsville, Texas; joint venture with Majestic Realty of Los Angeles, CA;
OmniTRAX planned to build warehouses on 200-acre site
official GEOTRAC Industrial Hub website {dead link 6/2020}
watch official promo [3/2017 upload; 7:38] online at Vimeo

The Great Western Industrial Park [est. 1999] in Windsor, Colorado
3,000-acre master-planned development; tenants include Carestream Health, Kodak Alaris, Cargill, Colorado National Guard, Front Range Energy,
Vestas Wind Systems, Schlumberger, Halliburton, Hexcel Corp., Musket Corp., Owens Illinois
official Great Western Industrial Park website
watch official promo [11/2016 upload; 2:19] online at Vimeo

Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub [est. 3/2016] in Effingham County, Georgia
2,700-acre master-planned development in partnership with Effingham County Industrial Development Authority; tenants include A&R Logistics (broke ground 11/2019)
official Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub website
watch official promo [5/2018 upload; 2:22] online at Vimeo

OmniTRAX  Energy  Solutions [est. 2016]
OmniTRAX Energy Solutions official website

        
ShaleTECH Transport [est. 10/2018]
joint venture with 1845 Oil Field Services [merger 2014] of Weatherford, Texas
official ShaleTECH website - requires login+password
official 1845 Oil Field Services website

OmniTRAX  Car  Storage  &  Repair
OmniTRAX Car Storage & Repair official homepage

Company  Executives
Gord Anutooshkin, promoted to OmniTrax COO 1/2020
Robbie Ballard, president of ShaleTECH Transport (new 10/2018) - from president/COO of 1845 Oil Field Services
Darcy Brede, OmniTrax president (2014)
Kiki Broe (oldest daughter of Pat Broe), board member (2020) - partner at Three Leaf Ventures
Pat Broe, board member (2020) - founded The Broe Group in 1972
Mike Brothers, board member (2020) - Fifth Third Securities
David Garin, board member (2020) - appointed Group VP of Industrial Products at BNSF in 1999
Edmond Harris, new board member May 2014, elected Chair 2/2016
Keith Lovetro, new board member 10/2015 - pres/CEO of TRAC Intermodal (2015)
Pierre-Luc Mathieu, OmniTrax Chief Strategy Officer (2020)
Justin Renfro, president of OmniTRAX Energy Solutions (promoted 1/2019)
Sergio A. Sabatini, promoted to OmniTrax president from COO 1/2020
Cameron Scott, board member (2020) - promoted to ExecVP & COO of Union Pacific in 2014
Reagan Shanley, Broe Real Estate Group ExecVP
Kevin Shuba, OmniTRAX CEO
Brad Skinner, board member (2016), past Chair 2/2016
Peter A. Touesnard, OmniTrax Chief Commercial Officer (2020)
Robert Y. Walker, OmniTrax CFO

Railroad  Links
OmniTRAX, Inc. official website
OmniTRAX, Inc. entry at Wikipedia
OmniTRAX is a subsidiary of The Broe Group [est. 1972]

U.S.A.  Shortline  Railroads  Links

American Short Line & Regional Railroad Database
Norfolk Southern Railroad directory of shortlines (by state)
U.P. Railroad Shortline Railroad Profiles for the USA

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