(The following story by George Osgood appeared on the Star-Gazette website on January 4.)
WELLSBORO, N.Y. — The Wellsboro area’s freight and excursion railroads were reborn on Thursday, with the promise of increased activity, new jobs and even the possible expansion of the Tioga Central tourist train to Corning.
“My aspiration is to make this succeed,” said A.T. “Tom” Myles, president and chief executive officer of the Wellsboro and Corning Railroad. “That is the goal.”
Myles is chief executive officer of Myles Group, which operates a fleet of more than 230 rail cars and ships 6,000 carloads of bulk products annually. On Jan. 1, Myles Group, based in Exton, Pa., just outside Philadelphia, took over ownership and operation of the Wellsboro and Corning Railroad, which provides freight service to the area, and Tioga Central Railroad, which provides tourist excursions from Wellsboro Junction.
Railroader Richard Robey of Lewisburg notified Growth Resources of Wellsboro, which owns the railroad tracks and other infrastructure, a year ago that he did not plan to renew his contract to operate Wellsboro and Corning Railroad, and Myles Group stepped up to take over the operation.
The operators of Tioga Central Railroad folded their tents after the final trains ran last fall, citing an insufficient number of volunteers to keep up steam.
“Steam” is something the Myles Group has in good supply. Tom Myles has been railroading since 1963. Sons A.T. Myles IV, the group’s chief financial officer, and W.B. Myles, chief operating officer, have extensive backgrounds in railroad management, including field operations, marketing and sales.
About 20 elected officials, community development workers, railroaders and others gathered in frigid weather Thursday morning at the Osram-Sylvania plant and watched Tom Myles break “an environmentally friendly” bottle of champagne on the front of a Wellsboro and Corning engine.
“We intend to do a great job here,” he said. “I see good employment. I see good business coming. I see us succeeding. We have been approached by several (new) business customers recently.
“We are talking to these new customers,” he said. “We hope to bring them on board in the near future. I expect that at some point, we will employ 25 to 30 people in this area. We will bring success to companies that work with us.”
Among potential new customers: Ward-ACP Manufacturing, Dominion and Dietrich’s Milk Products.
Osram-Sylvania is the railroad’s biggest and most important freight customer, receiving about 300 carloads of raw materials at the Jackson Street plant each year. Keeping rail service is vital to plant operations, and keeping Osram- Sylvania up and running is vital to the Wellsboro area.
“We made a list of goals, and keeping the railroad running made the top five,” plant manager Matt Gontarz said. “The viability of the railroad is key. We could use trucks, but that’s not an attractive proposition for the community. The railroad is a good alternative to truck traffic.
“The railroad can generate business for the community,” he said. “It is an attractive selling point for the community to have rail service.”
The excursion train is attractive, too, Tom Myles and others said. The Tioga Central Railroad carried about 20,000 passengers last year. Myles Group has already lined up 75 excursion busloads of railroad-riders this year.
“We want this to be a destination spot for tourists,” Tom Myles said. “We want to have a significant impact on tourism. We want to develop some light rail service in Corning. We still have to talk to officials in Corning.
“The Tioga Central will have new cosmetics,” he said. “We will refurbish the interiors and exteriors (of rail cars). We will have music. We will have dinner trains. We will have a couple of new engines. We will run six months a year, beginning in May. More if business warrants it.”
The Myles Group may even expand excursion rides to the freight line — in a limited way.
“We may do caboose-hops,” he said. “We will put on a caboose, and people can ride up and down the line in it. People like that.”
The rail line connects with Norfolk Southern Railroad and Canadian Pacific Railway at Corning.
Robey ran the Wellsboro-Corning Railroad for 15 years.
“It has been a good business opportunity,” said Robey, who also operates Williamsport Lycoming Valley Railroad and others. “I got out for several reasons. Trying to put together a retirement, for one. We decided to focus on our operations in the Williamsport area. But this operation has been beneficial.”
The Myles Group’s experience should be beneficial to the freight and excursion lines.
“I am a fourth-generation railroader,” Tom Myles said. “My sons are fifth-generation railroaders. We have a strong lineage and a long lineage in railroading.
“We are looking forward to this,” he said of running the group’s new acquisitions. “I think this whole thing is fun. Life is a good time. We should enjoy it.”