Pinsly Railroad Company
 | |
| Industry | Rail transport |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1938 |
| Founder | Samuel M. Pinsly |
| Headquarters | Westfield, Massachusetts |
| Subsidiaries | |
| Website |
www |
Pinsly Railroad Company, based in Westfield, Massachusetts, is a holding company of several short line railroads. It is one of the oldest such companies in the United States, having been founded in 1938 and owned railroads ever since. As of 2017 Pinsly owns four railroads: the Florida Central Railroad, Florida Midland Railroad, Florida Northern Railroad, and Pioneer Valley Railroad.[1]
History
Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1899, Samuel A. Pinsly received degrees in engineering and law from Northwestern University before briefly serving in the U.S. Army during World War I. Pinsly founded his shortline operating company in 1938 with the purchase of the Hoosac Tunnel and Wilmington Railroad from his father-in-law, fellow shortline operator H.E. Salzberg. While the line was rebuilt and turned a profit, extensive line relocations due to a new dam forced the railroad to be abandoned in 1971.[2] Pinsly went on to acquire a number of lines throughout New England and the Southeast until his death in 1977. Currently the company operates four railroads, including the Pioneer Valley Railroad in Massachusetts, and the Florida Northern, Florida Central, and Florida Midland lines in Florida.
Historic List of Pinsly Railroads
These are the railroads that were once under the common ownership of Pinsly, listed in order of acquisition.
- Hoosac Tunnel and Wilmington Railroad - (1938-1971)
- Saratoga and Schuylerville Railroad - (1945-1956)
- Sanford and Eastern Railroad - (1949-1961)
- Suncook Valley Railroad - (October 1952 - December 1952)
- Claremont and Concord Railroad - (1954-1988)
- Montpelier and Barre Railroad - (1957-1980)
- Greenville and Northern Railway - (1957-1997)
- Frankfort and Cincinnati Railroad - (1961-1985)
- St. Johnsbury and Lamoille County Railroad - (1968-1973)
- Arkansas Midland Railroad - (1992-2014)
- Warren and Saline River Railroad - (1992-2014)
- Prescott and Northwestern Railroad - (2010-2014) Founded in 1992, the Arkansas Midland Railroad was formed to operate a number of disconnected branches, including the Prescott and Northwestern Railroad and the Warren & Saline River Railroad. The Arkansas lines were sold to Genesee & Wyoming Industries in 2014.[3]
Current List of Pinsly Railroads
- Pioneer Valley Railroad - (1982-present) Formed in 1992 to operate former New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad branchlines acquired from Conrail serving Westfield and Holyoke, Massachusetts.
- Florida Central Railroad - (1986-present)
- Florida Midland Railroad - (1987-present)
- Florida Northern Railroad - (1988-present)
Notes
- ↑ Hartley 2017, p. 43
- ↑ Hartley 2017, p. 44
- ↑ "Genesee & Wyoming Completes Acquisition of Pinsly Arkansas Railroads". Genesee & Wyoming Inc. January 5, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) (NYSE:GWR) announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Pinsly Railroad Company’s Arkansas Division (“Pinsly Arkansas”) for approximately $40 million in cash, subject to adjustment for final working capital.