Western Rail Switching

Western Rail Switching

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

Western Rail Switching (reporting mark WRS) was a switching and terminal railroad, operating a line west of Spokane, Washington.

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^[when?] runs the Geiger Spur an exclusive operator.^[needs update][5]

Cargo Traffic

Traffic carried on the Geiger Spur consists primarily of inbound steel loads.

References

1. "STB Finance Docket No. 34541". October 1, 2004.
2. Railroad Retirement Board (December 2, 2004). "Employer Status Determination: Western Rail Switching, Inc".
3. "Spur Rail Opens Next Week". Spokane Spokesman-Review. December 25, 2008.
4. Washington State Department of Transportation. "Rail - Geiger Spur/Airway Heights - New Rail Connection". Retrieved February 12, 2009.
5. "STB Finance Docket No. 35201". December 5, 2008.

External links

• Eastern Washington Gateway Railroad (official site)