The RJ Corman Railroad Group, Shortline Railroading And Railroad Services
Although RJ Corman has been in the railroad business since 1973 it has only been in the short line business since early 1987 when it acquired the ex-Louisville & Nashville Railroad’s Bardstown Branch in Kentucky. In just twenty years in the shortline business the railroad company has amassed over 700 miles of rail lines, its newest acquisition an ex-Chesapeake & Ohio Railway branch line southwest of Thurmond, West Virginia. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, of course, was one of several Appalachian coal haulers and is perhaps best remembered for its buyout of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in the early 1960s and its excellent management through much of the second-half of the 20th century, which earned the company substantial profits, especially during the waning years of the railroad industry in the 1960s and 1970s. It thrived on West Virginia and Kentucky coal and was a gateway between Chicago and the ports of Virginia. More so than its ownership of the B&O the C&O is best remembered for the legendary publicity campaign it created in the early 1930s; Chessie the sleeping kitten. An icon even outside the rail industry, many people today still recognize the kitten and its association with railroading in some way. To date, the RJ Corman Railroad Group family of shortlines includes its Kentucky Lines (RJCC), Cleveland Lines (RJCL), Memphis Lines (RJCM), Allentown Lines (RJCN), Pennsylvania Lines (RJCP) and Western Ohio Lines (RJCW) (these lines come from several fallen flag systems, that if not purchased by RJ Corman would likely have been abandoned). Few other railroad operations work like RJ Corman, which has the look and feel much more like a large Class I than a moderately sized shortline railroad. Because the company operates a very large and success derailment and emergency service it has the right-of-way equipment available to maintain its lines at or near Class I standards, something most shortline operations can only dream of. Corman also takes pride in its locomotive and equipment fleet. Nary do you find a locomotive not spic-n-span clean, looking like it just came out of the paint shop! Its locomotive roster may consist of first and second-generation diesel power but they all look just like new.
What’s more, we, the general public can get an up close and personal view of RJ Corman ourselves! The railroad also operates the very successful My Old Kentucky Dinner Train excursion train based out of Bardstown, Kentucky. Led by former Southern Railway FP7s the train is adorned in a beautiful variation of the railroad’s red, white and silver livery with a matching consist of dining cars. Below is a current roster of RJ Corman's shortline railroads courtesy of The Diesel Shop: Diesel Locomotives #209 - EMD GP9 #1601-1608, #1731, #1737, #1739, #1804-1806, #1824, #1826-1829, #1831, #1832, #1856, #1858 and #1859 - EMD GP16: Ex-CSX #1940 and #1941 - EMD FP7: Ex-Southern #6141 and #6138 #2754, #2756, #2761, #2781, and #2792 - EMD GP38: Ex-Norfolk Southern, ex-Southern #3438, #3478, and #3944 - EMD SD40-2: Ex-Union Pacific, ex-Missouri Pacific Railroad #3501 - EMD GP35M: Ex-Wisconsin Southern Railroad #3801 and #3802 - EMD GP38-2: Ex-Norfolk Southern #2942 and #2817 #4119 and #4121 - EMD GP20E: Ex-Southern Pacific #5353, #5361, #5372 and #5409 - EMD SD40T-2: Ex-Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad #7681, #7697, #7709, #7908 and #7918 - EMD GP38: Ex-Conrail, ex-Penn Central #8307, #8336, #8569 and #8718 - EMD SD40T-2: Ex-Union Pacific, ex-Southern Pacific Railroad #9001-9010 - EMD GP9: Ex-Baltimore & Ohio Railroad/Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Steam Locomotives #2008 - Class QJ 2-10-2: A Chinese-built steam locomotive that was purchased by RJ Corman in 2007. It is fully operational and is used by the railroad for special occasions. RJ Corman was recently featured in the June 2007 issue of Trains Magazine and with the way Mr. Corman runs his now-very prosperous company the future of the railroading unit looks bright and very encouraging.
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