Short liner of another sort

摘要

THE PROVERBIAL SAYING "Different strokes for different folks" might best describe Rio Grande Pacific Corp's. (RGPC) mission statement. The short-line holding company based in Fort Worth, Texas, aims to operate and grow in ways that differ from most other owners of multiple short lines. RGPC was formed in 1986 by current Chief Executive Officer Richard Bertel, his late father Don Bertel and Gilbert Gillette. Richard Bertel helped co-found Trax Engineering & Associates Inc. and was president and chief operating officer of a regional railroad track rehabilitation and construction firm; Don Bertel was a chief engineer of maintenance for Union Pacific Railroad; and Gillette was COO of the Soo Line Railroad Co. RGPC's first short line - the Wichita, Tillman & Jackson Railway Co. - was formed in 1990 after a branch line in Texas and Oklahoma was acquired from UP. The company now owns four short lines that operate about 700 miles of track in six states, including the Nebraska Central Railroad, New Orleans & Gulf Coast Railway Co., and Idaho Northern and Pacific Railroad. RGPC also manages the following subsidiaries: Rio Grande Pacific Dispatch and Rio Grande Pacific Transit Group, which provide various services to short lines and commuter railroads; Rio Grande Pacific Technology, which offers signal systems engineering services, and technology software and solutions; and Precision Railway Equipment Co., which provides surfacing equipment.