Southern Ontario Railway

The Southern Ontario Railway (reporting mark RLHH)[1] is a shortline railroad in the province of Ontario, owned and operated by Genesee & Wyoming Canada Inc., the Canadian subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc.. It operates 69 miles (111 km) of track from Brantford to Nanticoke, Ontario.[2] The railroad began operations in 1998, and was acquired by RailAmerica two years later.[3] It has interchanges with the Canadian National Railway at Hamilton via trackage rights, Brantford and Paris, and interchanges with the Canadian Pacific Railway at Hamilton.[2]

Southern Ontario Railway

Southern Ontario Railway #2211 in RailAmerica paint at London, ON in May 2011.
Overview
Headquarters	Hamilton, Ontario
Reporting mark	RLHH[1]
Locale	Southern Ontario
Dates of operation	1998–Present
Predecessor	Canadian National Railway
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length	69 miles (111 km)
Other
Website	Official website

Southern Ontario Railway Hagersville Subdivision
CN Brantford 35.1 Simpson 33.5 ECP Spur 31.5 Blastech Spur 31.0 Rembos Spur 27.3 Onondaga Wesont Lumber Spur 18.7 Caledonia Nestle Purina Spur 13.0 CGC spur 9.0 Hagersville old CN CASO Sub 4.7 Garnet 4.4 old CN Cayuga Sub 0.0 Nanticoke Lake Erie Works Spur 3.17-mile (5.10 km) Hydro Spur

Logo Pre-G&W

On July 23, 2012, Genesee & Wyoming Inc. announced that it intended to purchase RailAmerica in a deal valued at $1.39 billion.[4][5] Approval of the purchase was granted by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board on December 19, 2012.[6]

The railroad's traffic comes mainly from steel, agricultural products, petroleum products, and chemicals. The SOR carries more than 44,000 carloads a year.[2]

Hagersville Subdivision

The SOR Hagersville Subdivision extends from Nanticoke (Mile 0.0) to Simpson (Mile 35.0). Rail movements on this subdivision are governed by the Occupancy Control System of the Canadian Rail Operating Rules (CROR) and supervised by a rail traffic controller in North Bay, Ontario. The maximum authorized speed on this line is 30 miles per hour (48 km/h). Two or more trains operate daily on the Subdivision. The Hydro Spur (Mile 0.0) extends south off of the Hagersville Subdivision and descends southward to Lake Erie at a 1% grade. An Imperial Oil refinery is located just south and east of Mile 0.0 and an Ontario Hydro facility is located at the southern extremity of the spur (Mile 3.17). Train movements on the spur are governed by CROR Rule 105 and have a maximum authorized speed of 10 mph.[7]

Future return of CN

CN says they are going to take over SOR's Hagersville sub on September 18, 2018. The Hamilton operations will be taken on December 13, 2018

Locomotive Roster

Model	Maker	Numbers	Build Date	Remarks
EMD GP38-2	EMD	2081	11-1966 (Rebuilt 2016)	Ex. MEC 258
EMD GP38-2	EMD	2111	12-1972	Ex. SOU 5058, NS 5058
GMD GP40-2W	GMD	3049	03-1975	Ex. CN 9554
GMD SD40-2	GMD	3403	09-1966	Ex. CP 5516
EMD SD40-2	EMD	3404	12-1970	Ex. PC 6260
EMD GP9	EMD	4001	08-1959	Ex. SP 5872
EMD GP9	EMD	4003	09-1959	Ex. SP 5888

References

1. "AAR Railroad Reporting Marks". RailServe. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
2. "Southern Ontario Railway". Genesee & Wyoming Canada Inc. 2014-08-04. Retrieved 2014-09-10.
3. "RailAmerica's Empire". Trains Magazine. Kalmbach Publishing. June 2010.
4. Associated Press (July 23, 2012). "Genesee & Wyoming to pay $1.39B for RailAmerica". STL Today.com. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
5. "UPDATE 4-Genesee & Wyoming to buy RailAmerica for $1.4 billion". Reuters. July 23, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
6. Surface Transportation Board, Decision, Case No. 42772, December 19, 2012
7. "RAILWAY INVESTIGATION REPORT R09T0057" (PDF). The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB). 2010-08-04. Retrieved 2014-09-10.

External links

• Southern Ontario Railway

Media related to Southern Ontario Railway at Wikimedia Commons