The Seaview
I swung by the Seaview after running an errand in hopes of getting some new angles but alas didn't have much luck so grabbed just one spot before heading home.
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. Rostering an eclectic fleet including a pair of vintage EMD switchers, a pair of centercab GE 80 tonners of US military provenance and a dimutive two axle 25 tonner it's this unit that is the real work horse. Seaview 1855 was built as a GP9 in Aug. 1956 for the Baltimore and Ohio as their #6467. Later rebuilt by ICG's Paducah Shop she bounced around different shortlines until coming to Rhode Island in 2006 where she was given this snappy paint job.
Here they are doing a bit of switching on the Davisville Branch side in this view looking west off the Romano Vineyard Way overpass.
North Kingstown, Rhode Island
Thursday December 1, 2022
The Seaview
I swung by the Seaview after running an errand in hopes of getting some new angles but alas didn't have much luck so grabbed just one spot before heading home.
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. Rostering an eclectic fleet including a pair of vintage EMD switchers, a pair of centercab GE 80 tonners of US military provenance and a dimutive two axle 25 tonner it's this unit that is the real work horse. Seaview 1855 was built as a GP9 in Aug. 1956 for the Baltimore and Ohio as their #6467. Later rebuilt by ICG's Paducah Shop she bounced around different shortlines until coming to Rhode Island in 2006 where she was given this snappy paint job.
Here they are doing a bit of switching on the Davisville Branch side in this view looking west off the Romano Vineyard Way overpass.
North Kingstown, Rhode Island
Thursday December 1, 2022