Georges Creek Railway
| Reporting mark | GCK |
|---|---|
| Locale | Western Maryland |
| Dates of operation | July 10, 2006–Present |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Length | 14 miles (23 km) |
| Headquarters | Luke, Maryland |
| Website | http://www.wmwestsub.com/connellsvillesub/gckrail.html |
The Georges Creek Railway (reporting mark GCK) is a shortline railroad in Western Maryland that performs contract switching and owns a 14-mile line between Westernport and Carlos. The railroad is headquartered at 119 Pratt St. in Luke in the former Luke Post Office. Gerald Altizer and Pat Stakem are the primary partners in the company.
Operating since December 2007 on CSX Transportation and plant trackage, the firm does contract switching services for the Verso (formerly NewPage) Paper Mill in Luke.
The acquisition of track for the Georges Creek Railway began 2005, the year CSX had begun the process of abandoning their Georges Creek Subdivision due to two washouts along the right of way and few customers. In December 2005, the deed for the northern 8.54 miles of track from Morrison, Maryland to Carlos, Maryland was transferred to WMS, LLC which would go bankrupt a year later due to investor difficulties. The following year, the Eighteen Thirty Group, LLC and Georges Creek Railway, LLC, filed to acquire and operate the line as Class III common carriers, having purchased the line out of bankruptcy court.
On May 15, 2015, Eighteen Thirty Group with the Georges Creek Railway, LLC filed a notice of intent to acquire 5.4 miles of rail line from CSX: 4.8 miles of the Georges Creek Subdivision between Barton and Westernport, and 0.6 miles of the Thomas Subdivision. The GCK entered an agreement with Eighteen Thirty Group to operate on these lines. This acquisition brought the entirety of the former Georges Creek Subdivision under the control of GCK.
As of March 2016, several right of way improvement projects have been undertaken, but the washouts have not been repaired keeping the line north of the village of Moscow inoperable.
The Georges Creek Railway currently owns 11 diesel engines, two ex-MPA/WM hoppers, and one bay window caboose. The GCK's engine roster is enumerated in the table below.
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Wikipedia