A & O Railroad

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

How do I contact the Railroad Retirement Board?

The RRB’s District Office is located at:
New Federal Building - Room 112
640 4th Ave
Huntington, WV 25721-2153
Phone: (304) 529-5561

Or check out their Website at www.rrb.gov/retirement.html

How can I buy railroad ties?

The A&O does not have railroad ties for sale to the public.

Can I take photographs of trains?

Safety is of prime importance to the A&O. We do not allow anyone other than employees on railroad property without prior, written authorization. All trespassers will be prosecuted!

Can I ride on your trains?

The A&O is a FREIGHT railroad. We do NOT operate a passenger service.

How do I do business with your railroad?

Your “first line” of contact is the Marketing Department for the A&O’s sister company, the Paducah & Louisville Railway. Anyone in that department will readily assist you (phone 800-444-2580 - Option 2).

My business is not rail served. How can I take advantage of rail transportation to ship my products or receive raw material?

There are many industries not directly rail served which can still enjoy the benefits of rail transportation.

Team Tracks (available free of charge to the general public for loading and unloading of product to/from railcars) are located in at Buchanan, WV. Contact the Marketing Department for the A&O’s sister company, the Paducah & Louisville Railway. Anyone in that department will readily assist you (phone 800-444-2580 - Option 2).

How do I know what it will cost to transport my product by rail?

                Railroads offer services at prices that are competitive with other forms of surface transportation. Prices for most
                situations can be found on CSX Transportation’s web site (www.csxt.com – Click on the “CUSTOMERS” button) Web-
               based pricing may not suffice for every situation or be available for all commodities shipped, car types used, or locations
               where goods are transported to/from. In these situations, please contact our Marketing Department (CONTACTS
                button this website).

My company doesn’t own any rail cars? Can I still ship by rail?

Of course. The Marketing Department for the A&O’s sister company, the Paducah & Louisville Railway can assist you in determining the type and size of railcar you need and in securing that car for loading; they will also work with the A&O’s Mechanical Department regarding proven and official loading methods and specifics. (Phone 800-444-2580 - Extension 4337)

What type rail cars are available? How much can I ship in a rail car?

All rail cars in Mexico, the U.S.A. and Canada are listed in the “Equipment Register” and those operating on U.S. railroads must meet the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) and federal government construction standards for safety and interlining (movement between railroads), and must be maintained to those standards.

The common freight cars are: box, flat, covered hopper, open top hopper, tank, and gondola, each costing from $40,000 for a standard railcar ordered in quantity, to over $200,000 for a specialized tank car. Special cars include the heavy duty flat, refrigerated box, pneumatic and pressure differential covered hopper, auto rack flat, 90' pole flat, 80' high-cube boxcar, 24' open top ore hopper, and many others.

All railcars are 9.5 feet wide, give or take 10 inches, and range from 24' to 90' in length. Most are 10 to 12 feet high---except for flat cars which are, of course, flat, and gondolas usually have 3' to 4' high sides. Car height is measured from the floors of rail cars, which are 3.5' to 4.5' above the top of the rail.

Most rail cars’ load capacities range from 120,000 (some boxcars and special cars for lighter commodities) pounds to 200,000 pounds (most newer cars of all types). Some special tank cars and heavy duty flat cars for moving electrical transformers and equipment carry much more tonnage. The load capacity and empty tare weight is stenciled on the side of every railcar. Normal maximum gross weight (total weight of rail car and its contents) is 263,000 pounds.

I have heard many terms related to railroads which I do not understand? Could you tell me what some of them mean?

(CLICK HERE TO GO TO A BRIEF RAILROAD GLOSSARY)