NEWSLETTER
CLNA NEWS – May, 2013
Editor – Kelly Bass
Quarterly Review
As we reach late spring and early summer, traffic usually begins to fall off. This year, however, we have gained some new business that should offset some of that decline. We have handled a considerable amount of crane mat traffic from two different producers in Plymouth, as well as outbound cottonseed business from the cotton gin at Terra Ceia. The auto shredder at RMR in Rocky Mount is finally on line and we are starting to handle increased scrap traffic there, as well as at a new trans-load in Middlesex. We also began handling inbound Stalite and outbound potash at Morehead City. Construction on a siding for Pencco at Middlesex should occur in the next few months and construction of the wood pellet plant at Sims should finally get underway this summer.
CLNA was featured in a small article in April’s Progressive Railroading. This article quoted directly from our newsletter (congratulations Kelly!). CLNA will also be the featured shortline in an upcoming issue of Norfolk Southern’s iNShort newsletter.
We have nearly finished with our rail replacement project at Rocky Mount. We continue to purchase relay ties for the Nashville and Belhaven Subs and for yards. In addition, we are now accepting bids for about 4,000 new ties for a state-supported project on the main line. Three bridges on the Belhaven line were converted to culverts and another one had bents replaced, as did one bridge on the Plymouth line. Our maintenance crews have also been at work tamping, regulating, and weed spraying.
Family Day at the lake is scheduled for Saturday, July 13. Mary and I look forward to seeing everyone there.
Meet Our Customer
Crop Production Services, Wilson NC
Crop Production Services is one of our customers located in Wilson NC. I sat down with Debbie Cale of Crop Production to talk about their facility and service. She is our main contact dealing with rail cars coming in and going out. Crop Pro is unique in their location because they have a connection with CSXT and CLNA though they have not directly received cars via CSX in a few years because of some track issues. Ms. Cale told me she was fine with that because she loves the relationship she has with Carolina Coastal. She went on to explain she could pick up the phone at any time and talk to someone about loads she was expecting or empties she was ready to release. CLNA even helps her locate cars that are showing on her system as being sent but haven’t showed up yet. After some investigating, CLNA is able find a location on the cars and figure out why they were held up or if they were diverted to another facility. Crop Production Services has thousands of facilities nationwide but not all of them are the same. The Wilson location we serve receives bulk fertilizer product in, mixes it to specifications on site, and then sells the finished product to retail and wholesale customers. Since this site is capable to mix product, they also mix product to distribute to other Crop Pro facilities and warehouses. Ms. Cale told me they had a sister company facility to burn down in South Carolina a year or two ago and they have been providing product for them until they can rebuild and get back to capacity. This added business has kept them busy year round making product. During the “in season”, they serve local customers and other obligations. During the “off season”, they are working to fill warehouses for other locations unable to mix their own product. The issue in South Carolina has kept them busy pretty much year round to cover the extra needed product being shipped out. She went on to tell me business is steady and thinks it will hold true to last years numbers. This season came early so she is unsure if that will continue into the regular busy time or taper off. They are expecting, though, to receive some extra product in the next week or two that will be unloaded and moved directly by their trucks to another site not served by rail. Crop Production has about 20 employees here in Wilson with a little more than half full time and the rest part time, seasonal drivers. Carolina Coastal Railway has several Crop Pro facilities on line that include Wilson, Greenville, Plymouth, Terra Ceia, and Belhaven. Ms. Cale said they have been there a long time and plan on staying there as long as people still need fertilizer to help their grass and crops grow.
Along the Rails
Middlesex, NC
Incorporated in 1908, shortly after the beginnings of the railroad coming through the area, Middlesex is located in the southwest part of Nash County. Named after a city in England, I had to dig a little deeper and find out where such a name came from. Long ago, southern England was occupied by saxon tribes and those areas were broken into regions; the Wessex (West Saxons), Essex (East Saxons), Sussex (South Saxons), and Middlesex (the central Saxons). Those areas became counties, towns and cities with their early descriptive names. As with many other towns in the Carolina’s, communities were named after familiar names of locations in England. So, there you go. A unique name that may sound funny, but dates back for centuries.
Middlesex is a small agriculture community. Go in any direction and you will find large, open farms with lots of crops and lots of big cows. The pace is slow but steady as you continue to pass large homesteads with old barns and new tractors. Even though things are the same as they were years ago outside the city limits, within the town things are moving forward. Along the CLNA mainline are numerous industry locations with new business coming in or being added to existing ones. As noted in the summary, Carolina Coastal is working with several customers in Middlesex and we are hoping to be able to provide service to a few more in the future. They have also opened a new Corporate Centre for business and manufacturing to grow the town more. Of course, Carolina Coastal would love to provide some sort of rail service, if possible, to those manufacturing businesses that locate in there. The Free Will Baptist Children’s Home is also located in Middlesex. Since 1920, The Home has helped children in need by giving them purpose, guidance, and hope in life. It has taught children, many abandoned or from single parent homes, how to stand own their own when it was their time to step into adulthood. Chores around the property taught discipline and work ethic while they also received an education from staff and local area schools. The town has some deep roots firmly planted and is investing in new things to insure those roots continue to grow and flourish. On a side note, at the edge of town is a cemetery called Hollywood Cemetery. It may be a small farm community, but you can be buried like the rich and famous!
Meet Our Employees
Derrick Hedgepeth- Engineer/Conductor
Derrick Hedgepeth comes to us with just over 14 years experience with CSX. He started out as a contract worker and joined the team as a full time employee in July of last year. Derrick and his wife, Tiffany, have 3 kids. D’Marko and Bryce, the two oldest, are into football, basketball and track, while the youngest, Lauryn, still hasn’t quite figured out her direction yet. Derrick told me he loves spending time with his family. They take trips to Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee sightseeing and visiting relatives. In his spare time, he works on motorcycles and other small engines in his garage. Mr. Hedgepeth tells me it’s relaxing just to get out and tinker with things. Then our conversation turned serious, I found out he loves to cook. He loves cooking all kinds of things; he has gotten pretty good at baking cakes for his family and friends. Sometimes on weekends, he bakes extra to bring to work to share with his coworkers. As a big smile came across his face, Derrick informed me that if you love cooking, you have to love eating. Derrick is not a small fellow, so apparently his cooking has got to be pretty good. We also talked about a new diet he is on and has lost a good bit of weight. He told me he feels a lot better and will continue to look for the right balance to maintain better health and lifestyle so he can have a long healthy life with his family.
Mr. Hedgepeth told me he likes having a regular schedule of Monday through Friday. And also added, most days you can have a pretty good idea of what time you would be getting off. Having an idea of what time he will get back home lets him be able to make some plans to spend time with family. Derrick shared with me how he liked the flexibility of being able to take off if needed. His daughter had some health issues when she was smaller and Derrick needed to be able to make doctor appointments with her. They have everything under control now other than everyone’s favorite health issue, allergies. He said, “even though she better now, it is still nice to know that if he needed to take time for family, he could.” Mr. Hedgepeth told me he hopes to be able to retire with Carolina Coastal. I asked him about the company itself and he said things are good. He is hoping we get the business that is being predicted so things will stay steady and continue to grow.
