Photo courtesy of Jim Mackey.

Feature from the President
Welcome Spring!

As we finally say goodbye to winter, and the first flowers emerge - proving spring is actually here - it is hard not to be grateful. Not only did we make it through the darkest, coldest months, we have persevered through 13 months of a pandemic, and, as you will learn from our marketing department, we are thriving.

We are truly grateful!

• We are grateful to our employees, for your hard work and dedication - each day.

• We are grateful to our partners - Class I’s, fellow short lines, elected officials, economic/industrial development organizations, chambers of commerce, local law enforcement agencies, and property owners - for our strong relationships and can-do attitudes.

• We are grateful to our communities - who support us so strongly.

Thank you, all. We will strive to do our very best to honor all of your efforts as this year continues.

Please stay tuned, as we will be making some exciting personnel and business development announcements in the coming months.

Stay healthy and safe!

Notes from Marketing
Much on the Horizon

Working like the pandemic is already over!

Last issue we talked about persevering in a pandemic. That article from Marketing was looking backward at the challenging year that 2020 was and how the North Shore Railroads continued to thrive in spite of it all. Now, as always, we are looking forward - especially to the end of the pandemic and a better year for all- and continued growth and service to our customers.

Many business development projects take a considerable amount of time to come to fruition. In fact, some of the projects we are working on now started in 2020, and some started long before 2020. We are excited to announce that some projects are nearly complete and will be unveiled in 2021. Please monitor this newsletter for some future, exciting announcements as we continue to welcome new customers and partners.

Speaking of partners, we would like to thank our connecting partners - Norfolk Southern and Canadian Pacific Railway; both companies have undergone tremendous changes and challenges during the pandemic, but our connections with them are as strong as ever, and we continue to work with them daily on ideas and opportunities.

Some Like It Hot!!!

To say that our market is hot is an understatement. Because many of the sites in our market are occupied, there are very few commercial and industrial properties for sale. This, along with a surging economy, has made available properties even hotter. Smart real estate brokers and agents are capitalizing on these facts.

When you know the value of rail, as a real estate broker, you know how to market your property - with the added value of rail. Even if a listed property does not have direct access to rail, knowing about your closest transload centers is very important to more and more businesses.

Trucking prices are soaring as truck drivers become more difficult to find, and gas prices surge. The time to utilize safe, reliable rail transportation is now. Knowing your local short line will make you a more effective real estate broker. There are fewer than a dozen available properties on our rail network, and we know that there are currently five sales in the works. These attractive properties won't last long.

Give our marketing team a call if you'd like to know more about: available properties with rail access, one of our convenient transload facilities, or what rail can do for you and your company!

Thank you to the Tiadaghton Valley Regional Police who very quickly located and served justice to the people who vandalized and stole from one of our signal systems on the LVRR.

Because of their quick reaction and solid investigation skills, the culprits were apprehended and charged before any further damage could be done.

The proper function of railroad signals is important to public safety. If issues of signals that have been tampered with are not found and corrected in a timely fashion, the results could be catastrophic.

We are thankful to have great police forces in our area - one of the finest being Tiadaghton Valley Regional Police. THANK YOU!!!

In the Community

Fulfilling our Mission

Part of our company’s mission is: “To be responsible civic partners with the communities we serve.”

Our region is fortunate to have a lot of businesses that are active within their community. We are proud to be one of them. Some of the events that we take part in are: the Marine Corps Toys for Tots drive (last year collecting over $3,000 in cash donations and 1100 toys), last year’s Veteran's parade at the Susquehanna Valley Mall, the Sunbury YMCA coat drive (collecting nearly 75 coats and a box of hats and gloves last year), Union County’s 4th of July Veterans Parade, WNEP’s Trail of Treats, and many more. We are also active with Chambers of Commerce and other industrial and economic development groups. On average, we donate $12,000 to local Chambers of Commerce, Economic/Industrial Development groups, and other nonprofit organizations. Additional hundreds of thousands of dollars have been donated to passenger rides over the years as well - benefiting various nonprofit organizations. We believe in this region and put our money where our heart is.

Further, we take pride in not just spending money in the U.S., but also with a focus on supporting businesses in Pennsylvania. In 2020, we spent $7,500,000.00, within PA, on goods and services.

Most people take for granted how railroads are helping take congestion off of the roadways by keeping heavy loads off the public roads, to minimize highway maintenance. As a freight transportation provider, we have been the premier mover of high and wide loads that are moving into Central PA. In fact, in the past five years, we have delivered nearly 100 high and wide loads like transformers and other large and very heavy components. Other than the added impact on highway maintenance, these oversize loads often create road traffic inconveniences, cause local detours, and can slow down daily commutes.

A community is only as good as the people who live there. The community we serve is large and we are honored to do our part to not only provide service to companies who provide family sustaining jobs, but also to roll up our sleeves and help make this a better place to raise a family. Together, with our elected officials, community volunteers, faith communities, civic organizations, and citizens, we will continue to make Central PA the best place to live, work and play.

Hi-Rail Upfitting Services

Tartaglia Railroad Services is an established railroad contractor built on a strong history of reliable railroad services. Based in Syracuse, New York, Tartaglia has developed into a nationally known hi-rail equipment company - building, repairing, upfitting, and selling quality hi-rail trucks and equipment.

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Learn more about Tartaglia Railroad Services, and how to order your hi-rail application, by visiting TartagliaRail.com.