Contents
- 4 AERC Mainline Customers
- 5 AERC Mill City Branch Customers
- 6 AERC Sweet Home Branch Customers
- 7 AERC Corvallis Branch Customers
Albany & Eastern Overview
The Albany and Eastern Railroad (under it’s current ownership) is privately and locally owned. The current owners acquired the railroad in 2007 and quickly set about re-vamping the company and its aging infrastructure. The goal of our ownership is to revitalize the railroad business to offer a faster more efficient means for our customers to move their goods to and from markets.
The AERC began its long history in 1880 as the Albany-Lebanon Railroad, connecting the communities of Albany and Lebanon, OR with approximately 11 miles of track. Within just a few months of it’s completion, ownership was transferred to the Oregon and California Railroad. Much as it is today, the line served the timber and agriculture industries, moving logs, lumber and Ag goods to communities throughout the Willamette Valley and beyond. The railroad again changed hands in 1887 when the Southern Pacific Railroad took over the O&C. The SP would later expand the reach of the line by constructing a series of branch lines. Though much of the original hardware has been replaced over the years, the AERC still operates on the original Albany-Lebanon line to it’s interchange point at the Albany, OR. rail yard.
As demand for lumber grew, the Southern Pacific began construction of a new branch line connecting Lebanon, OR. with the booming lumber town of Mill City, OR. The line was completed in 1910 and shipments of finished lumber and logs began to flow out of Mill City destined for Albany and on to the rest of the developing west. The line is 36 miles long winding through rural Linn county running through the towns of Crabtree, Scio, Lyons and Mill City. Control of this line shifted to the Union Pacific after their takeover of the Southern Pacific in the mid 1990’s before becoming part of the AERC network.
The Sweet Home branch line was originally constructed in 1930 by the Oregon Electric Company. This line was constructed to connect the communities of Foster and Sweet Home with the then SP Railroad to Albany. The line was subsequently acquired by the BNSF Railway before becoming part of the AERC. The Sweet Home branch too carried predominantly forest products as it still does today. The line is approximately 17 miles long.
Since the 2007 purchase of the AERC, the owners have invested heavily in the refurbishment and upgrades of all of the lines. Work on the Mill City branch was completed in 2010 which incorporated crossing improvements, tie replacement, ballast replacement as well as up sizing much of the existing rail to larger welded rail. This project was completed on time and under budget.
The Lebanon to Albany mainline and the Sweet Home branch line will be rebuilt beginning in 2011. Funding from the Connect Oregon III program will help upgrade these sections. Upgrades will include new ties, ballast and some rail improvements. The long term goal of the AERC with respect to these improvements is to improve safety while reducing travel times which will help move our customers’ freight more efficiently.
AERC also operates a tourist train named Santiam Excursion Trains, which offers themed train rides along AERC's Sweet Home Branch.
AERC interchanges with UP and BNSF in Albany. Along with PNWR in Albany and Corvallis.
Albany & Eastern Locomotives
| Number | Model | Built | History | Notes |
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AERC 1750 | GP9 | 1959 | Ex-AERC 3859/WVR 3859/SP 3859/TNO 456. | Operational. | AERC 1807 | B40-8 | 1987 | Ex-WRIX 1807/UP 1807/UP 5616/SP 8007. | Operational. | AERC 1841 | B40-8 | 1988 | Ex-WRIX 1841/UP 1841/UP 5650/SSW 8041. | Operational. | AERC 1866 | SW1200 | 1953 | Ex-AERC 1201:PNWR 1201/WPRR 1201/PS 1866/PS 232. | Operational. Renumbered from 1201 | AERC 2501 | GP35E | 1963 | Ex-WVR 2501/SP 6303/SP 6524/SP 7412. | Operational. | AERC 5399 | SD9 | 1955 | Ex-LLW 5399/LLW 4364/SP 4364/SP 5399. | Operational. | AERC 5931 | B40-8 | 1988 | Ex-CSX 5931/NYSW 4012. | Operational. | AERC 5935 | B40-8 | 1988 | Ex-CSX 5935/NYSW 4022. | Operational. | AERC 5957 | B40-8 | 1988 | Ex-CSX 5957/CR 5075. | Operational. | AERC 9252 | C40-8 | 1988 | Ex-UP 9252. | Operational. |
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Former Albany & Eastern Locomotives
| Number | Model | Built | History | Notes |
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AERC 2001 | GP38-3 | 1970 | Ex-UP 1785/UP 1984/MKT 327/ICG 9502/IC 9502. | Traded to WRIX. Now AGPX 2001. | AERC 2002 | GP38-3 | 1970 | Ex-UP 1792/UP 1992/MKT 335/ICG 9511/IC 9511. | Traded to WRIX. Now AGPX 2002. | AERC 4201 | B23-7 | 1978 | Ex-RFRX 4201/OHCR 4201/RFRX 4201/BNSF 4201/MNCW 802/MNCR 1904/CR 1904. | Traded to WRIX. Now NIWX 4201. | AERC 4202 | B23-7 | 1978 | Ex-RFRX 4202/OHCR 4202/BNSF 4202/MNCW 803/MNCR 1905/CR 1905. | Traded to WRIX. Now NIWX 4202. |
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AERC Mainline Customers
- Runs from Albany to Lebanon.
| Customer | Location | Company Description | Type of Railcar | Notes |
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Arauco | Albany | Treating and Lamination Facility | Boxcars | | ATI | Albany | Specialty Alloys and Components | Tank Cars | Active shipper? | Allied Seed | Albany | Seed Supplier | Boxcars/Covered Hoppers | Active shipper? | SnoTemp Cold Storage | Albany | Cold Storage Warehouse | Refrigerated Boxcars | | Miller Elevator | Albany | Agricultural Warehouse | Boxcars | | Gene Hayes Farm | Lebanon | Agricultural Transload & Warehouse | Covered Hoppers/Boxcars | | Full Ahead Transport | Lebanon | Agricultural Transload & Warehouse | Covered Hoppers | | AERC Lebanon Reload | Lebanon | Transload Terminal | Centerbeam Flatcars/Covered Hoppers | | Entek | Lebanon | Battery Separator Manufacturer | Covered Hoppers/Tank Cars | | Rick Franklin Corporation | Lebanon | Metal Recycling & Railroad Materials | Gondolas/Flatcars | |
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AERC Mill City Branch Customers
- Runs from Lebanon to Mill City.
| Customer | Location | Company Description | Type of Railcar | Notes |
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Teevin Brothers | Crabtree | Log Yard | Log Flatcars | | Lumber Transload | Lyons | Lumber Loading | Centerbeam Flatcars | Active shipper? | Freres Lumber | Fox Valley | Plywood and Engineered Wood Manufacturer | Boxcars/Centerbeam Flatcars | | Freres Lumber | Mill City | Plywood Lumber Mill | Boxcars/Centerbeam Flatcars | |
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AERC Sweet Home Branch Customers
- Runs from Lebanon to Sweet Home.
| Customer | Location | Company Description | Type of Railcar | Notes |
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Weyerhaeuser | Lebanon | Lumber Mill | Centerbeam Flatcars | | WPK | Sweet Home | Woodchip Mill | Woodchip Hoppers | | Lumber Transload | Sweet Home | Lumber Loading | Centerbeam Flatcars | Active shipper? | Weyerhaeuser | Foster | Engineered Wood Products | Centerbeam Flatcars/Boxcars | |
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AERC Corvallis Branch Customers
- Runs from South Corvallis to Corvallis.
| Customer | Location | Company Description | Type of Railcar | Notes |
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Venell Farms | Corvallis | Agricultural Transload & Warehouse | Covered Hoppers/Boxcars | |
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