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Two short-line holding companies posted fair to middling July carload totals — particularly with respect to North American freight.

Genesee & Wyoming Inc.’s (GWI) North American and Australian operations moved 75,323 carloads, a 12 percent increase compared with July 2005’s 8,067 carloads. However, excluding 9,808 carloads moved by Genesee & Wyoming Australia — which GWI began operating June 1 — “same railroad” traffic decreased 2.6 percent. And in the company’s Mexico Region, where a portion of track has been inoperable since it was damaged by Hurricane Stan in October 2005, the company reported an 806-carload decrease.

Meanwhile, RailAmerica Inc.’s July carloads totaled 100,540, down 1.6 percent compared with July 2005’s 102,157. The company attributes the decrease in part to the sale of the San Luis and Rio Grande Railroad, E&N Railway and three Alberta, Canada, properties.

On a same-railroad basis, RailAmerica’s July carloads (97,587) were nearly identical to last year’s total (97,581) for the same period. Metal products traffic increased, but lumber and forest, and paper products, as well as coal shipments, decreased.

For the seven months ended July 31, RailAmerica’s total carloads decreased 2.6 percent to 739,472 compared with the 759,105 carloads posted during the same 2005 period. On a same-railroad basis, carloads totaled 714,842, down 1.5 percent compared with 2005’s first seven months.