DARIEN, Conn. – Genesee & Wyoming on Sunday marked the 125th anniversary of the company’s founding with a flag-raising ceremony at its headquarters and the release of a trailer for a full-length video.
The original 14-mile Genesee and Wyoming Railroad was incorporated on March 24, 1899, when Edward Layton Fuller and his financial partners purchased the short line out of bankruptcy to transport salt from their mine at Retsof, N.Y.
Today’s Genesee & Wyoming Industries, the holding company for more than 100 short lines in North America, dates to 1977, when Fuller’s great-grandson, Mortimer B. Fuller III, bought a controlling interest in the G&W. He established the holding company to diversify the business, first with a focus on railcar leasing and management.
The Staggers Act of 1980 spawned Class I railroad spinoffs, which allowed GWI to launch 11 short line railroads between 1985 and 1996. It has expanded ever since, including operations in Europe, Mexico, and, at one time, Australia.
“We have a lot to be proud of in our 125 year history, but more importantly we have a legacy to continue,” Michael Miller, CEO of G&W North America, wrote on LinkedIn. “Thank you to all that came before us and thank you to those that will move our company forward over the next 125 years.”
The railroad holding company will host an invitation-only anniversary ceremony on May 9 at Rochester & Southern’s Brooks Avenue depot in Rochester, N.Y. The original Genesee and Wyoming was folded into the R&S in 2003 but remains a non-operating subsidiary of G&W Industries.
The flag-raising video and history trailer can be viewed on G&W’s Facebook page.
A brief early GWI history for those interested from someone who grew up in Rochester. The Rochester & Southern was the third railroad in the GWI family added in 1986. The R&S is the old B&O/BR&P and connects the original G&W to present day CSX in Rochester and NS in Silver Spring. At one time the G&W originally connected to the BR&P, DL&W, Erie, LV, NYC, and PRR. The second railroad in the GWI family was the Dansville & Mt. Morris in 1985. The D&MM connected to the original G&W along a remnant of the former DL&W mainline acquired from Conrail in 1982 and allows the G&W (now R&S) to serve a salt mine adjacent to I-390 just north of the Mt. Morris exit. From those humble beginnings in Western NY, GWI now owns/operates ~105 railroads today.
Congrats to the G&W! From someone who adopted Rochester NY as their hometown and resides just down Brooks Avenue from the yard and depot.