Updated on May 1, 2024 at 4:48 p.m. CDT to add more information about Gulf & Atlantic Railways’ other railroads.
Gulf & Atlantic Railways LLC announced on Wednesday that it is rebranding as Pinsly Railroad Co. The name change comes after the October 2023 acquisition of Pioneer Valley Railroad, the final railroad company owned by Pinsly.
Pinsly Railroad Co. is the second-oldest short-line railway holding company in North America, dating back to 1938. In a press release from Pinsly Railroad Co., CEO Ryan Ratledge said the renaming will not change operations at any of the railroads.
“It is under this iconic name that we are excited to run and grow our portfolio of railroad, warehousing, transloading and trucking businesses,” Ratledge said in the emailed release. “Our team is committed to continuing the admirable Pinsly track record for safety and service.”
Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, the renamed Pinsly Railroad Co. operates six short-line regional railroads spanning over 700 miles of track in Massachusetts, the panhandle of Florida and the Midwest. The company also operates Railroad Distribution Services, which provides warehousing, storage and trucking for non-rail-served accounts via transload.
The company’s Florida Gulf & Atlantic (FGA) regional railroad operates on 430 route miles of track running east-west along the Interstate 10 corridor between Baldwin and Pensacola, Florida, with a branch line that extends from Tallahassee, Florida, to Attapulgus, Georgia. FGA interchanges with Class 1 railroad CSX at Baldwin and Pensacola, as well as with AN Railway at Chattahoochee, Florida.
The Grenada Railroad operates on 220 miles of track in central Mississippi, running north to south along the Interstate 55 corridor between Canton, Mississippi, and Memphis, Tennessee. Its strategic location allows access to five Class 1 carriers.
The Camp Chase, Chesapeake & Indiana, and Vermilion Valley railroads were all acquired by Gulf & Atlantic Railways (now Pinsly Railroad Co.) in March 2023.
The Camp Chase Railroad operates 15 miles in the Columbus, Ohio, area and has two Class 1 interchanges: Norfolk Southern and CSX. The Chesapeake & Indiana Railroad (CKIN) operates and maintains over 28 miles of track in northwest Indiana, close to the Chicago region. CKIN can interchange with both Norfolk Southern and CSX.
The Vermilion Valley Railroad operates and maintains approximately 10 miles of track between Danville, Illinois, and Olin, Indiana. The primary interchange point to the nationwide rail network is with CSX at Danville.