Ontario Southland concludes Guelph Junction operations; Goderich-Exeter to take over
Ontario Southland’s 22 years as operator of Canada’s Guelph Junction Railway will conclude today, ending an era that included frequent use of Alco and MLW power. Beginning Monday, the Goderich-Exeter Railway, a Genesee & Wyoming operation based in Stratford, Ont., will assume operation of the 24-mile railroad from Guelph to Guelph Junction. About a half-dozen Ontario Southland employees will join the ranks of unionized Goderich-Exeter workers to operate the railroad’s second outpost. Ontario Southland will continue to operate its busy lines out of Salford, Ont., to Woodstock, St. Thomas, and Tillsonburg. — Stephen C. Host
UP main line shut down by hurricane damage
Union Pacific’s main line in the Lake Charles, La., area suffered heavy damage as a result of Hurricane Laura and is out of service, leading the railroad to issue service embargoes. As of Thursday evening, traffic through New Orleans was still disrupted because of closure of the city’s floodgates; elsewhere, intermodal terminals in Houston and Avondale, La., were to slated to reopen today, while Houston yards were set to resume operation Thursday night.
NRC scholarship deadline approaches
A Sept. 15 deadline is approaching for applications for the National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association’s scholarship program, which offers tuition assistance to children or grandchildren of employees of NRC member companies. Three scholarships, in the amount of $12,000, $6,000, and $3,000 will be awarded. More information is available here.
