Seaview at Seafreeze
Rhode Island's own railroad
In the late 1970s Rhode Island was known for having a handful of tiny independent shortlines including the Narragansett Pier Railroad, the Moshassuck Valley Railroad, and the Warwick Railroad. The former was abandoned in its entirety and the two latter were bought by the reborn Providence and Worcester as it grew into a New England regional. And for most railfans when they think freight railroading in the Ocean State the P&W is what comes to mind.
But my home state has another little known railroad. A bit longer than those historic roads, the Seaview Transportation Company is Rhode Island's own. It operates entirely within the confines of the former Quonset Point Naval Air Station and adjacent Naval Construction Battalion Center Davisville. The former closed in 1974 and the latter in 1994. A decade later the Quonset Development Corporation was formed by the state and growth was strategically planned to bring industry back to RI.
The Seaview was a big part of that growth with over 14 miles of rail on the park comprising much of the former naval railroad infrastructure and new build trackage to support customer needs. The Seaview was formed in 1978 and operates as basically a contract switching company for the park. Technically the P&W is the billing party (the Seaview is not an interline settlement carrier) and the Seaview handles switching services for all customers on the park. They also operate a small contract repair shop that has been used recently to support the MBTA's PTC fleet upgrades.
An interesting personal connection for me is that the owner and President of the Seaview is Eric Moffett who gave me my start in the rail industry more than 20 years ago. In 1998 he was head of marketing for Railtex's three year old New England Central and hired me as a summer intern in Palmer, MA in 1998 between my Junior and Senior year.
Fast forward to 2012 and he purchased the little used Seaview and has since grown it into an Industrial powerhouse and by far the largest originator of rail traffic in the state of Rhode Island.
GP10 1855 came to the Seaview in 2006 and is the main "road" power. She was built as a GP9 for the B&O in 1956. On this hazy and humid late summer day while home from Alaska visiting I stopped by for a visit and Eric took me on a tour of the line running light engine down both branches. The Seaview is shaped like a Y with the south leg reaching to Quonset Point and the north leg reaching to the Port of Davisville. Here we are nearly at the end of the north leg. We have run the geep out past the NORAD auto lots and are by the gate where the rails continue on to the dock extending out into Narragansett Bay. Note: the UP reefer spotted on the Seafreeze Ltd. spur. They are the largest producer and trader of frozen seafood on the US east coast.
North Kingstown, RI
Tuesday September 18, 2012
Seaview at Seafreeze
Rhode Island's own railroad
In the late 1970s Rhode Island was known for having a handful of tiny independent shortlines including the Narragansett Pier Railroad, the Moshassuck Valley Railroad, and the Warwick Railroad. The former was abandoned in its entirety and the two latter were bought by the reborn Providence and Worcester as it grew into a New England regional. And for most railfans when they think freight railroading in the Ocean State the P&W is what comes to mind.
But my home state has another little known railroad. A bit longer than those historic roads, the Seaview Transportation Company is Rhode Island's own. It operates entirely within the confines of the former Quonset Point Naval Air Station and adjacent Naval Construction Battalion Center Davisville. The former closed in 1974 and the latter in 1994. A decade later the Quonset Development Corporation was formed by the state and growth was strategically planned to bring industry back to RI.
The Seaview was a big part of that growth with over 14 miles of rail on the park comprising much of the former naval railroad infrastructure and new build trackage to support customer needs. The Seaview was formed in 1978 and operates as basically a contract switching company for the park. Technically the P&W is the billing party (the Seaview is not an interline settlement carrier) and the Seaview handles switching services for all customers on the park. They also operate a small contract repair shop that has been used recently to support the MBTA's PTC fleet upgrades.
An interesting personal connection for me is that the owner and President of the Seaview is Eric Moffett who gave me my start in the rail industry more than 20 years ago. In 1998 he was head of marketing for Railtex's three year old New England Central and hired me as a summer intern in Palmer, MA in 1998 between my Junior and Senior year.
Fast forward to 2012 and he purchased the little used Seaview and has since grown it into an Industrial powerhouse and by far the largest originator of rail traffic in the state of Rhode Island.
GP10 1855 came to the Seaview in 2006 and is the main "road" power. She was built as a GP9 for the B&O in 1956. On this hazy and humid late summer day while home from Alaska visiting I stopped by for a visit and Eric took me on a tour of the line running light engine down both branches. The Seaview is shaped like a Y with the south leg reaching to Quonset Point and the north leg reaching to the Port of Davisville. Here we are nearly at the end of the north leg. We have run the geep out past the NORAD auto lots and are by the gate where the rails continue on to the dock extending out into Narragansett Bay. Note: the UP reefer spotted on the Seafreeze Ltd. spur. They are the largest producer and trader of frozen seafood on the US east coast.
North Kingstown, RI
Tuesday September 18, 2012