Who Are These Guys Anyway?: Dedication, Hard Work, Traffic Diversification, and CEO Larry Parsons Make the W&LE a Success

This article, the fifth in a series on the Wheeling & Lake Erie (W&LE) Railway, provides an in-depth look at the history of the W&LE as well as the current business practices that keep the railroad successful. Chartered in 1871, the W&LE hauled mostly coal and later, manufactured goods. Even when the economy soured during the Great Depression, the W&LE remained profitable, through a skimpy maintenance budget that led to a high casualty rate. The railroad went through a succession of owners, beginning in 1949 when the Nickel Plate Road took out a 99-year lease on it. Then in 1990, the railroad was spun off by Norfolk Southern as a possible way of addressing antitrust concerns. This step ultimately allowed the W&LE to come back to life in mid-1990. After a rocky start that included layoffs and the sacking of the original top management, W&LE has become a success story with revenues of $76 million annually. It is now comparable in size to many pre-1970 Class 1s, and some speculate that it may be reabsorbed by one of the big railroads. Not so, according to W&LE president William Callison, who says the railroad is committed to remaining an independent regional railroad.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/6163876
• Authors:
  • Sanders, Craig
• Publication Date: 2008-7

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: pp 64-68
• Serial:
  • Trains
  • Volume: 68
  • Issue Number: 7
  • Publisher: Kalmbach Publishing Company
  • ISSN: 0041-0934
  • Serial URL: http://trainsmag.com

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Freight traffic; History; Regional railroads
• Identifier Terms: Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Freight Transportation; History; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01105529
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: UC Berkeley Transportation Library
• Files: BTRIS, TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 31 2008 3:24PM