Rail supplier news from HollyFrontier, Bergmann, NRC, Siemens and Lewis (July 11)

HollyFrontier Corp. has agreed to acquire locomotive engine oil supplier Red Giant Oil Co. Based in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Red Giant has storage facilities in Idaho, Utah and Wyoming, along with a blending and packaging facility in Texas. The transaction is slated to close in the third quarter, HollyFrontier officials said in a press release. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) has chosen architecture, engineering and planning firm Bergmann as a preferred provider of grant application services. The company will assist ASLRRA members in applying for grants from federal and other sources. Bergmann's grant-writing capabilities cover the application process, including environmental support services, permitting, preliminary engineering, cost estimating, and cost-benefit analysis, company officials said in a press release.

The National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association (NRC) will accept applications for its scholarship program through Aug. 31. The association will award three individual scholarships: $12,000 for first place, $6,000 for second place and $3,000 for third place. To be eligible, an applicant must be a child or grandchild of a current employee at an NRC member company. Applicants also must be enrolled as a full-time student at an accredited two-year college offering an associate's degree or an accredited four-year college or university offering a bachelor's degree. Recently graduated high school seniors are eligible, too. For more information, visit NRC's website.

Czech Railways has placed a $135 million order for 50 Viaggio Comfort passenger cars from a consortium of Skoda Transportation and Siemens. Delivery of the first cars is expected in 32 months, according to a Siemens press release. Siemens will be responsible for engineering, production of car bodies, delivery of the bogies and dynamic commissioning. Skoda will handle the electric and mechanical final assembly, as well as static commissioning and delivery of auxiliary converters and control cabinets.

The Lewis family of companies has hired Josh Connell as vice president operations of Wilderness USA, a railway and highway vegetation control firm. Most recently, Connell was VP of industrial switching for Genesee & Wyoming Inc.'s coastal region. Before that, he served as general manager and safety director at the Puget Sound & Pacific Railway and held leadership roles at CSX, including trainmaster and operations manager, according to a company press release.