Western Rail Switching
Western Rail Switching (reporting mark WRS) was a switching and terminal railroad, operating a line west of Spokane, Washington.
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Airway Heights, Washington |
| Reporting mark | WRS |
| Locale | Spokane County, Washington |
| Dates of operation | 2004–2009 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
Ownership
It was owned by Western Rail, Inc., a leasing company.
In 2004, Spokane County bought the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway's Geiger Spur,[1] and designated WRS to operate it, beginning in October.[2]
Following the takeover of the nearby Palouse River and Coulee City Railroad by the Eastern Washington Gateway Railroad (EWG), the Washington Department of Transportation financed a newly constructed connection to the new short line operator.
Opening
This realignment was opened on January 2, 2009, bypassing Fairchild Air Force Base, through which the spur had run.[3]
The west end of the spur is now at the Eastern Washington Gateway Railroad, near Medical Lake.[4]
Operator
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.[5]
Cargo Traffic
Traffic carried on the Geiger Spur consists primarily of inbound steel loads.
References
- "STB Finance Docket No. 34541". October 1, 2004.
- Railroad Retirement Board (December 2, 2004). "Employer Status Determination: Western Rail Switching, Inc".
- "Spur Rail Opens Next Week". Spokane Spokesman-Review. December 25, 2008.
- Washington State Department of Transportation. "Rail - Geiger Spur/Airway Heights - New Rail Connection". Retrieved February 2009. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - "STB Finance Docket No. 35201". December 5, 2008.