Last year, Stillwater Central Railroad tailored a granite-ballast move for the U.S. Army's Fort Sill, Okla., field artillery facility, which was building a rail yard. Now, the 232-mile short line is obtaining military-equipment business from the army installation because of its timely service, according to Stillwater Central parent The Watco Cos.' June newsletter.
The short line established a mini unit train and equipped cars to move ballast from Martin Marietta Materials Inc.'s nearby aggregate plant to Fort Sill. The specialized service enabled Stillwater Central officials to convince the army earlier this year to ship the fort's military equipment via rail.
"When the time came for our troops to deploy for war, the groundwork we laid with decision makers at Fort Sill paid off, and we have been favored with nearly all of [their] recent military-equipment trains," said Marketing Manager Scott Davis, adding that the short line expects to move 1,800 carloads annually for the fort that previously had been trucked.
Source: Progressive Railroading Daily News
