PORT CLINTON, Pa. — Reading & Northern took delivery of its first unit train of frac sand on May 15. Norfolk Southern delivered the 75-car train to R&N’s North Reading Yard, where R&N crews were on hand with a five-unit set of SD40-2s to bring the train 120 miles north to R&N’s Sand Storage facility in Pittston, near Wilkes-Barre. R&N local freights will move cuts of sand cars to the railroad’s new transload terminal at Tunkhannock, 20 miles north of Pittston.
Last year R&N identified a regional need for a transload terminal, and built the Tunkhannock Transload Terminal, which opened in early 2022. It handles material for Marcellus natural gas projects and other transload business. Frac sand is an anchor commodity of the terminal, and R&N expects to move significant tonnage through Tunkhannock.
Origin? Route? Private or RR equipment? Estimated annual volume? Shipper?
Consignee? Five motors to handle 7,500 trailing tons?
EXACTLY…although I think the railroad and its customer prefer to keep that private.
Another good entrepeneurial effort by Reading and Northern. Best wishes for success.
Let the new nat gas flow quickly and plentifully!