JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Gulf & Atlantic Railways has changed its name to Pinsley Railroad Co. following its October 2023 acquisition of Pioneer Valley Railroad, the last Pinsly-owned short line.
The company announced it was adopting the name of the second-oldest shortline holding company in North America, dating to 1938, on Wednesday, May 1.
“It is under this iconic name that we are excited to run and grow our portfolio of railroad, warehousing, transloading, and trucking businesses,” CEO Ryan Ratledge said in a press release. “Our team is committed to continuing the admirable Pinsly track record for safety and service.”
The new iteration of Pinsly includes six railroads: Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts; Grenada Railroad in central Mississippi; Florida Gulf & Atlantic in the Florida panhandle; and three Midwestern railroads: the Chesapeake & Indiana Railroad; Vermilion Valley Railroad, and Camp Chase Railway. In total, the railroads operate more than 720 miles in seven states. The company also operates Railroad Distribution Services, providing warehousing, storage, and trucking for firms served via transloading.
The company remains headquartered in downtown Jacksonville.
The earlier iteration of Pinsly had been reduced to a single railroad, the Pioneer Valley, following the 2014 sale of three Arkansas railroads to Genesee & Wyoming and the sale of three Florida properties in 2019 [see “Regional Rail to acquire Pinsly’s Florida railroads,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 29, 2019].
Genesee & Wyoming operations office is also in Jacksonville.
Looks like Pinsly is over on the riverfront in Jacksonville’s Brooklyn neighborhood.