Western Rail Switching
Encyclopedia
Western Rail Switching was a switching and terminal railroad
operating a line west of Spokane, Washington
. It was owned by Western Rail, Inc., a used locomotive seller located on the line.
In 2004, Spokane County bought the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway's Geiger Spur, and designated WRS to operate it, beginning in October.
Following the takeover of the nearby Palouse River and Coulee City Railroad by the Eastern Washington Gateway Railroad, the Washington Department of Transportation financed a newly constructed connection to the new short line operator. This realignment was opened on January 2, 2009, bypassing Fairchild Air Force Base
, through which the spur had run. The west end of the spur is now at the Eastern Washington Gateway Railroad near Medical Lake.
Not long after beginning operations, EWG filed with the Surface Transportation Board
to replace WRS as operator and now runs the Geiger Spur an exclusive operator.
Traffic carried on the Geiger Spur consist primarily of inbound steel loads.
Switching and terminal railroad
A switching and terminal railroad is a freight railroad company whose primary purpose is to perform local switching services or to own and operate a terminal facility. Switching is a type of operation done within the limits of a yard...
operating a line west of Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
. It was owned by Western Rail, Inc., a used locomotive seller located on the line.
In 2004, Spokane County bought the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway's Geiger Spur, and designated WRS to operate it, beginning in October.
Following the takeover of the nearby Palouse River and Coulee City Railroad by the Eastern Washington Gateway Railroad, the Washington Department of Transportation financed a newly constructed connection to the new short line operator. This realignment was opened on January 2, 2009, bypassing Fairchild Air Force Base
Fairchild Air Force Base
Fairchild Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately southwest of Spokane, Washington.The host unit at Fairchild is the 92d Air Refueling Wing assigned to the Air Mobility Command's 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force...
, through which the spur had run. The west end of the spur is now at the Eastern Washington Gateway Railroad near Medical Lake.
Not long after beginning operations, EWG filed with the Surface Transportation Board
Surface Transportation Board
The Surface Transportation Board of the United States is a bipartisan, decisionally-independent adjudicatory body organizationally housed within the U.S. Department of Transportation. The STB was established in 1996 to assume some of the regulatory functions that had been administered by the...
to replace WRS as operator and now runs the Geiger Spur an exclusive operator.
Traffic carried on the Geiger Spur consist primarily of inbound steel loads.