Chicago-area short line builds loading facility to land shipper's outbound business (1/20/2004)
1/20/2022The Chicago SouthShore & South Bend Railroad and GAF Materials Corp. L.L.C. recently opened a loading facility designed to accommodate outbound roofing-product moves by rail.
The 129-mile short line built the $600,000 facility — designed to enable GAF to simultaneously load 14 box cars — adjacent to the shipper's roofing-product plant in Michigan City, Ind. The railroad and GAF negotiated a long-term lease for the facility, which the shipper will use to load and move roofing shingles by rail to nationwide distribution centers.
"This is an example of how we go the extra mile to develop additional rail business for our company," said Chicago SouthShore President H. Terry Hearst in a prepared statement. "We have handled inbound raw materials by rail for GAF for several years, [but] to secure the outbound movement of finished product by rail, a significant infrastructure investment was needed."
GAF is considered the largest roofing-material producer in the United States, according to Chicago SouthShore officials. Operating between Chicago and South Bend, Ind., and interchanging with all Class Is, Chicago SouthShore is owned and operated by Anacostia & Pacific Co. Inc.
Source: Progressive Railroading Daily News