Western Rail Switching
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Western Rail Switching (reporting mark WRS) was a switching and terminal railroad, operating a line west of Spokane, Washington.
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Airway Heights, Washington |
| Reporting mark | WRS |
| Locale | Spokane County, Washington |
| Dates of operation | 2004–2009 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
Ownership
It was owned by Western Rail, Inc., a leasing company.
In 2004, Spokane County bought the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway's Geiger Spur,[1] and designated WRS to operate it, beginning in October.[2]
Following the takeover of the nearby Palouse River and Coulee City Railroad by the Eastern Washington Gateway Railroad (EWG), the Washington Department of Transportation financed a newly constructed connection to the new short line operator.
Opening
This realignment was opened on January 2, 2009, bypassing Fairchild Air Force Base, through which the spur had run.[3]
The west end of the spur is now at the Eastern Washington Gateway Railroad, near Medical Lake.[4]
Operator
Not long after beginning operations, EWG filed with the Surface Transportation Board to replace WRS as operator, and now[when?] runs the Geiger Spur an exclusive operator.[needs update][5]
Cargo Traffic
Traffic carried on the Geiger Spur consists primarily of inbound steel loads.
