TXNW Railway wins BNSF award; Reading & Northern plays role in scrap material theft law

TXNW Railway recently received BNSF Railway Co.’s Special Recognition Award for 2014 during the Class's 18th annual short line conference in Fort Worth, Texas.

The award recognizes the quality of a short line's ongoing service to BNSF and overall excellence of its operations. Presented annually to one short line that BNSF considers to be the standard setter for the industry, the award reflects the winner’s ability to constantly exceed the Class I's expectations for innovation, determination, vision and entrepreneurial spirit.
 
TXNW Railway was selected from a field of more than 175 short lines across the nation. Based in Sunray in the Texas Panhandle, TXNW Railway operates 135 miles of track along a 10-mile mainline between Etter, Sunray and Machovec, Texas. The short line also operates a logistics yard that handles a variety of commodities for transload operations, in addition to energy, grain, fertilizer, chemicals, sand and other products. The yard features more than 8,000 car storage spots and regularly assembles unit trains for Class Is.
     
TXNW Railway was one of two short lines to receive BNSF awards this year. The Utah Railway won the Class I's Short Line of the Year Award for 2014.

TXNW Railway is owned by TNW Corp., which also owns the Texas Gonzales and Northern Railway and Texas Rock Crusher Railway, and is the parent company of Southwest Railway Services Co.

Meanwhile, Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad Co. (RBMN) Police Lieutenant Matthew Johnson attended a signing ceremony Nov. 17 for the Scrap Material Theft Prevention Act in Pennsylvania.

In 2012, Johnson reached out to a state senator to help combat a rise in the theft of railroad-related items. As a result, an existing bill was amended so that scrap facilities were put on notice not to accept railroad material from people attempting to sell such items, RBMN officials said in a press release.

"Reading & Northern is proud of the initiative and hard work of Lt. Johnson and the fact that his effort will lead to safer railroading in Pennsylvania," they said.

The largest privately owned railroad in Pennsylvania, RBMN operates about 320 miles of track in the eastern part of the state.