(The following story by Jon Rutter appeared on the Sunday News website on June 28, 2009.)
STRASBURG, Pa. — The Strasburg Rail Road is going green and expanding its freight operation at the same time.
No, the tourist line won’t be burning soybean-based biofuel in its coal-fired steam locomotives.
But it’s expecting to handle a tank car of the stuff sometime this week.
The Norfolk Southern shipment of about 27,000 gallons of Amerigreen fuel from the Midwest is expected to arrive at Leaman Place, the Strasburg Rail Road’s eastern terminus and junction with the main track.
A Strasburg engine will then couple to the car and haul it about four miles to the railroad’s freight transfer area, northeast of the station, said Linn Moedinger, president and chief mechanical officer.
Next, the liquid will be transferred to trucks and delivered to area refiners to be blended with regular diesel fuel, according to Fred Thomas, Amerigreen’s operations manager .
“This is our test case,” said Thomas, who added that a mandate to gradually increase biodiesel fuel blends in Pennsylvania will likely stimulate the market.
He said he anticipates future shipments over the Strasburg spur, particularly in the warmer months when the fuel does not have to be heated.
One tank car equals about four tractor-trailer loads, Thomas explained. “This keeps a few trucks off the road.”
He added that the arrangement is convenient because the railroad is near the 904 Strasburg Pike headquarters of Rineer Transport Services, an Amerigreen fuel hauler.
The Worley & Obetz/Amerigreen Renewable Energy Center is at 55 Doe Run Road in Penn Township.
“I thought bringing bio in by rail was a pretty environmentally friendly way to transport it,” Thomas said.
Moedinger said he’s excited by the Amerigreen shipment.
“To my knowledge, this is going to be the first tank car we’ve gotten in here since 1958. … So this is going to be a fairly historical event.”
Moedinger is also hoping more business leaders start seeing things Thomas’ way.
Chartered in 1832, the Strasburg Rail Road is best known for its steam-powered tourist operation and historic coaches.
But freight has always been part of the formula — during past decades, in fact, the railroad scheduled mixed passenger and freight trains.
According to Moedinger, the Strasburg line has long received occasional shipments for the adjacent Pennsylvania Railroad Museum and other customers, such as the G.R. Mitchell Inc. lumber company.
Now, though, the railroad is actively trying to beef up its freight business.
The company connected to public sewer recently, freeing up a chunk of former septic system land for use as a freight siding, Moedinger said.
“We never had the facilities to aggressively market freight and now we do.”
Steve Weaver, the Strasburg’s freight procurement agent, is pitching the railroad to potential shippers, Moedinger added.
The Strasburg line is looking to boost lumber shipments and explore rail transportation markets for local farm products, Moedinger said.
He also expects liquid manure transport to heat up as farm runoff into the Chesapeake Bay becomes more tightly controlled.
Lancaster County has an abundance of the waste, Moedinger noted. Other communities want it for fertilizer or fuel.
The Strasburg line doesn’t presently shuttle outbound goods, Moedinger added, but it could if it obtains cars from shippers or Norfolk Southern.
Railroad shop workers traditionally fix any borrowed cars needing repairs, Moedinger said.
“I’m sure we’ll end up using steam” to haul freight on some occasions, he noted.
But the railroad employs diesel power for freight runs “more often than not.”
To that end, he said, the Strasburg line recently obtained a 1952-vintage switch engine formerly operated by the New York Central Railroad.
The “new” engine replaces Strasburg’s Pennsylvania Railroad diesel.
What’s staying the same, according to Moedinger, is the company’s flexibility in dealing with customers and its location central to area farms, quarries, factories and other businesses.
“We’re in a very good position to handle the freight,” he said.
“Any time we can get trucks off the road it’s going to save fuel. If we’re serious as a country about going green, this is part of the solution.”