R. J. Corman Railroad Celebrates 30th Anniversary

Guthrie, Kentucky
An engine from the Nicholasville, Ky., -based short line R.J. Corman sits idle outside the engine house in downtown Guthrie. (Photo by Todd DeFeo)

R. J. Corman Railroad Co. recently celebrated its 30th anniversary.

Rick Corman started the company in January 1987 when he acquired the 20-mile-long Bardstown Line. The company today operates 11 short line railroads with more than 905 miles of track in nine states.

Corman in August 1987 purchased his second short line, the 100-mile-long Memphis Line between Clarksville, Tenn., and Bowling Green, Ky.

“Clarksville-Montgomery County is fortunate to have a partner in Economic Development like R. J. Corman,” Mike Evans, executive director of the Clarksville-Montgomery County Industrial Development Board, said in a news release. “Having a rail provider that serves our industrial park has allowed us to continue recruiting new businesses in the region.”

In March, the company said it would discontinue its efforts to establish an intermodal port on the Cumberland River in Clarksville in partnership with Nyrstar Clarksville, a zinc production company located on the Memphis Line.

R. J. Corman Railroad Co. is a subsidiary of R. J. Corman Railroad Group.

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