(The following article by Virgil Shipley was posted on the Mount Vernon News website on December 1.)
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio — The CSX railroad line from Newark to Mount Vernon has a new owner. The Columbus and Ohio River Railroad has added the 20 miles of track to its already extensive holdings, giving 650 miles of track in Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to a company president Bill Strawn. The company headquarters are in Coshocton.
Called Short Line Railroads as opposed to the more traditional interstate carriers, the central Ohio segment of the line has branches from Columbus to Cambridge, Columbus to Coshocton and Columbus to Mount Vernon that total 117 miles. Strawn said the entire system has 85 diesel engines, 11 steam engines and a fleet of railroad cars. Employees to run the system total 200.
Two commodities that make up a substantial part of its business are coal and grain, and the company, which is privately held, has gone after new business aggressively. Strawn said that over a six-year period it has increased its coal haulage from 1,000 carloads per year to 35,000.
The C&O Railroad is going after the grain transportation market with equal vigor. Corn is of particular interest now with a new ethanol plant being planned in Coshocton. Huge amounts of corn will be required for the production of ethanol, most of which will be blended into gasoline for auto fuel.
Railroads are a service business, and Strawn said before railroad officials purchased the branch, they looked at business opportunities offered by the Mount Vernon line.
Strawn said “What can we do with the line?” was the question officials tried to answer.
Railroad officials hope two area businesses will provide increased traffic. The Weyerhaeuser Co. uses some rail service but has a fleet of trucks for most of its transportation. Strawn said the equivalent of four trucks can go into one rail car, thus saving on the cost of shipping. Railroad officials are also looking at Rolls-Royce for possible business.
Are excursion trains out of Mount Vernon, pulled by one of the steam engines, in the city’s future? Possibly. Strawn explained that increased security measures since 9/11 and liability insurance must be examined before officials can run an excursion line.
Strawn said the company has had inquiries about the rough crossings in town, and added it has made an inspection of all the crossing facilities. The railroad will work with the Ohio Department of Transportation and local officials to repair the crossings. However, because of freezing winter weather, the company may not be able to repair the crossings until spring.
Railroading get into your blood, Strawn said, and his 33 years in the business is the only job he has ever had.
As far as steam engines go, the largest steamer east of the Mississippi River is based at Coshocton. Completely rebuilt a couple of years ago, it is a 4-8-4 wheel configuration and was used to pull the train when former President Harry Truman made a whistle stop political campaign.