County Line Rail acquires Sabine River and Northern Railroad

County Line Rail (CLR), a Houston-based rail yard operator, announced today it acquired the Sabine River and Northern Railroad (SRN), a 40-mile short line in east Texas.

The acquisition strengthens CLR's ability to support regional businesses, expand services and enhance local rail infrastructure, company officials said in a press release.

SRN offers freight service from Bessmay to Echo with a branch line to Evansdale, Texas, and interchanges with Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF Railway Co.

“CLR will revitalize this underutilized asset and offer first-rate rail service on the triple-served short line, said CLR CEO Ben Brousseau. "With our planned upgrades meeting Class II standards, the SRN will alleviate rail congestion around Beaumont and offer railcar services including storage, transloading, cleaning, and Class I access.”

Brent Hall, CEO of CLR Operations and a Federal Railroad Administration-certified engineer and conductor, will oversee daily operations for SRN.

As part of the acquisition, CLR also secured a storage yard and loop track in Orange known as the Mulford Yard; 100 acres of developable land adjacent to SRN that will be made available for sale or lease to businesses seeking direct rail service; and a connection to CLR’s Buna storage yard that now offers rail-car storage, transloading and outdoor industrial storage services.