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Today, Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (GWI) reported May carloads totaling 78,536, down 4.6 percent compared with May 2011. “Same-railroad” carloads declined 6.4 percent.

Farm and food products traffic decreased 15.8 percent to 9,893 units primarily because of reduced shipments in the Illinois and Australia regions. The year-over-year decline in the Illinois Region mostly was associated with elevated traffic in May 2011 as carloads were diverted around flooding in the Midwest, GWI officials said in a prepared statement.

Coal and coke traffic decreased 13.8 percent to 11,302 units primarily because of reduced shipments in the New York/Pennsylvania, Mountain West and Ohio regions. In addition, autos and auto parts traffic dipped 12.4 percent to 806 units.

Volume decreases were partially offset by an 18.8 percent climb in metals traffic to 8,749 units, which was driven mostly by increased steel and scrap shipments in the Southern Region, GWI officials said. Plus, metallic ores volume jumped 49.7 percent to 4,121 units and intermodal volume rose 12.6 percent to 6,150 units.

GWI owns and operates 65 regionals and short lines, and provides rail-car switching services in the United States, Canada, Netherlands, Australia and Belgium.

Meanwhile, another short-line holding company is marking the arrival of new motive power at one of its subsidiaries. Rio Grande Pacific Corp.’s Nebraska Central Railroad has acquired the first two of a planned eight-unit addition to its locomotive fleet, according to the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association’s latest Views & News newsletter.

The two SD40-2, six-axle locomotives were acquired from National Railway Equipment Co.

Nebraska Central operates 340 miles of track and interchanges with Union Pacific Railroad in Columbus, Central City and Grand Island, Neb., and with BNSF Railway Co. in David City, Neb.