Commonwealth Railway

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Commonwealth Railway, Inc.
System Map (click to enlarge)
Reporting marks	CWRY
Locale	Suffolk, VA to Portsmouth, VA
Dates of operation	August 1989 – present
Track gauge	4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters	Wilroy, Suffolk, VA

The Commonwealth Railway, Inc. (AAR reporting marks CWRY) is a Class III short-line railroad operating 16.5 miles (26.5 km) of track of a former Norfolk, Franklin and Danville Railway line from Suffolk, Virginia, to Portsmouth, Virginia. The main office is in the Wilroy area of Suffolk.

The main industry on the line is the BASF Chemical plant in the West Norfolk area of Portsmouth. The plant is usually switched by locomotive #444, a GP16 class locomotive rebuilt by Seaboard Coast Line Railroad in the early 1980s. The main locomotive is #517, a CF7 rebuild of an EMD F7 performed by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in the 1970s.

Commonwealth Railway is owned by Rail Link, Inc. and is a part of Norfolk Southern's "Thoroughbred Shortline Program." They interchange with Norfolk Southern in Suffolk. Maersk is in the process of building a port on Craney Island and the Commonwealth Railway will be providing rail service to the facility. The Commonwealth Railway has been approved by the Commonwealth Transportation Board to construct 7,800 feet (2,377 m) of track, 6 switches, and grade crossing rehabilitation to Craney Island. They are also building a small yard in the Baileytown area of Suffolk. NS will use CWRY trackage to get to the Maersk port.

Rail Link, Inc. #444, a GP16 rebuild, is used for switching along the Commonwealth Railway in Suffolk, Virginia.

Commonwealth Railway #517 parked at Wilroy in Suffolk, Virginia on a wet day.

Locomotive #517 runs light back to Wilroy in Suffolk, Virginia after switching the BASF plant

Rail Link, Inc. #444 switches the BASF plant in the West Norfolk area of Portsmouth, Virginia.

Commonwealth Railway, Inc. 1136 Progress Road, Suffolk, VA, 23434; Phone: 757-539-6275

[edit] External links

• Pictures of CWRY Locomotives

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