OK, Tom, I believe I now understand better what you're after. And you're quite welcome !
The Reading & Northern move involves/ involved NS as well as W&W. Here's an excerpt from the "Reading & Northern Railroad History" webpage - :
"Evidence of our customer focus became clear to all when, in 2002, rail industry publication Railway Age chose the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad as Regional Railroad of the Year. We won the award by creating an innovative sand/stone backhaul move that involved three railroads. With Norfolk Southern in the middle we worked with another shortline, the Winchester & Western, to put together a truck competitive move that took thousands of trucks off the highway."
Maybe more later.
- Paul North.
P.S. (about 1 hour later): Probably the Sept. 2002 issue. Here are links to an article about it, and an excerpt:
<ahref="">Railway Age Announces Short Line And Regional Railroads Of The Year.</a>
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 9, 2002
Railway Age magazine has named Bridgeton, N.J.-based Winchester & Western Railroad, as Short Line Railroad of the Year and Port Clinton, Pa.-based Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad as Regional Railroad of the Year. The Regional Railroad of the Year is an annual award given to exemplary North American Class II railroads by rail transport industry publication Railway Age. The award recognizes the railroads' commitments to customer service and innovation in the industry.
A connecting Class I railroad, Norfolk Southern, nominated both for the honor.
"This year's awards are unusual in that they recognize a single marketing strategy that has benefited the short line, the regional, and the nominating Class I railroad," said Railway Age Publisher Robert P. DeMarco. "It has also benefited the public by diverting truck traffic from congested highways to rail."
The winning entry was submitted by Paul Heymann, Product Manager-Construction Aggregates, Norfolk Southern Marketing Department, Roanoke, Va. It involves a two-way move of construction aggregates between southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey--stone in one direction, and sand in the other. The smaller railroads serve the origin and destination points. NS handles the line-haul portion. Also involved in the move is the Conrail Shared Asset Corporation.
These are the salient points of the story, as related by Heymann:
"The geology of the Philadelphia region consists of natural stone in southeastern Pennsylvania. A lack of natural stone but plenty of sand deposits characterize southern New Jersey. This provides for a healthy interstate flow of construction aggregates, but one that has become increasingly costly due to roadway congestion--raising the cost of shipping.
"Construction sand for concrete and hot-mix asphalt is shipped from Better Materials Company, Newport, N.J., on the Winchester & Western in southern New Jersey to Berks Products, Leesport, Pa., on the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern. The sand is unloaded and used by Berks to produce highway-quality concrete. The railcars are then reloaded at the same siding with crushed limestone, produced on-site by Berks' Ontelaunee Quarry. The loaded stone cars return to Bridgeton, N.J., on the W&W. At the Bridgeton stone depot, the cars are unloaded, and the stone is distributed by Better Materials to local asphalt and ready-mix plants. After unloading, the empty cars proceed to the sand plant at Newport, and the cycle begins again."
"This is a unique move in several respects," said Heymann. "First, the cars are loaded both ways. Second, both the origin and destination of each leg are located on the smaller railroads. Third, this represents business that traditionally has moved by truck."
"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)
