ROCHESTER, Ind. — It was spring 2023 when Eric Thurlow received an unexpecting phone call asking him if he’d want to become part owner in an Indiana short line. At the time, Thurlow was assistant vice president of sales and marketing at Genesee & Wyoming. On the other end of the phone was Corey Tumpane, a former colleague of Thurlow’s, and a seasoned general manager at Chicago Transit Authority. Tumpane also called James Reiner, a financial professional who left railroading a few years ago.
Tumpane was reaching out because of a meeting he had with Jason Grube, owner of the Fulton County Railroad and president of Rochester Iron & Metal, one of two customers on the short line. Grube has overseen the growth of the scrapyard from a local yard into a facility with a regional footprint. Rail is an important part of that growth, but Grube needed a new operator to help make repairs and keep carloads moving. Grube needed railroaders to bring a fresh perspective and handle day-to-day operations.
Tumpane’s efforts didn’t take much convincing. Thurlow, Reiner, and Tumpane — all former Norfolk Southern railroaders — quit their established jobs and became partners with Grube. They submitted their paperwork to the Surface Transportation Board and established the Rochester & Erie Railway in April 2023. They rented an apartment near the railroad and set up shop.
Today, they are each partners in the Rochester & Erie — operators of 13 miles of former Nickel Plate and Erie lines between Rochester and Argos, where it interchanges with NS. It was formerly known as Patriot Rail’s Elkhart & Western Railroad. It serves Grube’s scrapyard and Prairie Mills Products, providing Monday through Friday service as needed.
Grube serves as president and Tumpane, Reiner, and Thurlow wear many hats. Tumpane is chief engineer, conductor, and track inspector. Reiner is chief operating officer, engineer, and track inspector. And Thurlow is chief commercial officer, road foreman, and conductor. The three work well together, spending virtually all of their time together both on the right-of-way and the apartment. At the end of each week, they go home to their families. Tumpane lives in Chicago, Reiner is in Fulton, Mo., and Thurlow lives in Toledo, Ohio.
The unconventional decision to leave their established jobs and embark on an entirely new experience has paid dividends both for the railroaders and the line’s two customers.
Carload business increased 127% from 302 carloads in 2022 to 687 carloads in 2023. As of October, they have already moved 715 carloads, breaking last year’s record with three months remaining. Their customers are grateful for the communication, teamwork, and willingness to do what it takes to service their businesses.
“Rochester & Erie has become an integral piece of the Rochester & Iron logistics strategy. Through car management and timely service they have assisted [Rochester] in improving shipping efficiencies, says Kelly Eaton, vice president of sales at Rochester Iron & Metal.
In between spotting and pulling freight, the three men spend time repairing track. The railroad purchased a tie crane, scarifier, and ballast regulator, and rented a tamper. The three immediately went to work installing more than 100 crossties, tamping tracks, and changing broken joint bars to address immediate safety concerns in the railroad’s early days.
They submitted grant applications to the Indiana Department of Transportation for widespread crosstie replacement and were awarded two grants. The first phase replaced 5,000 crossties across 6 miles of track in the railroad’s first nine months. Another grant will replace 2,500 crossties across 4 miles.
Thurlow — who may be the industry’s only chief commercial officer and road foreman of engines — says the railroad is looking to add a transload customer in the months ahead and is actively promoting the railroad online and through word of mouth. The railroad also works closely with the city and county economic groups to promote the railroad’s economic offerings.
The close-knit team is modest, attributing its success to the customers it serves and NS’s same-day service between its yard at Fort Wayne, Ind., and the Argos interchange.
What are the plans for the former Elkhart & Western from Argos to Walkerton? The rails continue on to Kingsbury and meets the CSSB but are weed covered and rusty.
Elkhart & Western still shows as the operator from Argos to Walkerton. It has customers in Walkerton and Plymouth, at least, and interchanges with NS at Argos. AAR crossing data shows two trains (probably turns) per week. The line between Walkerton and the Kankakee River south of Stilllwell is out of service. CSS operates from there north.
Object lesson to any Class 1 on how to “grow”. Maybe, just maybe each Class 1 has a “sales camp” where they have to go intern at a shortline and watch how they serve their customers. And then after a year bring them back to work a small named account or area.
Not a complete report. The article refers to two customers, but is the growth solely due to the scrapyard business? Have any other shippers been attracted to begin using or increase their use of the railroad?
The report noted that it was the scrapyard business that grew due to the ability to work with NS to Ft Wayne.
The Article also mentions Prarie Mills Products as the other customer who was shipping and receiving on the line. The produce grain and corn based products and focuses on unique, high quality food products and industrial materials for customers around the globe. Having more than 120 years of experience in Grain Milling, Prairie Mills has established itself in the industry is a leading innovator for unique and hard to make products. Items for which there is always a market.
The article also mentions Prairie Mills Products as the other customer who was shipping and receiving on the line. The produce grain and corn based products and focuses on unique, high quality food products and industrial materials for customers around the globe. Having more than 120 years of experience in grain milling, Prairie Mills has established itself in the industry as a leading innovator for unique and hard to make products. Items for which there is always a market as well as potential for growth.
Sorry for the double post…
Kudos to these three gentlemen for making this a success and heres hoping it continues to grow and prosper.