Carl P. Belke - WNY & PA Railway

When my son was a young man he loved trains, and I have no doubt he would have wanted to grow up to be like Carl P. Belke.  Mr. Belke is the definition of a railroad man.  His 42 year career in railroad includes all aspects of the industry, executive management, operations, engineering, finance, marketing, strategic planning, government advocacy and public relations.  He possesses a thorough understanding of the railroad industry from both a domestic and international standpoint through involvement in northeast US ports development and intermodalism.  He has worked for the Delaware & Hudson Railway Company, Guilford Transportation, Canadian Pacific, Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, Genesee & Wyoming System, the Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad, Livonia, Avon & Lakeville, B&H Corp Railroad and the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad.  In addition he holds several positions in railroad affiliated organizations.

 

Most people think that railroad use is on the decline, but according to Mr. Belke, it is just the opposite, the railroad industry is in its second Hay Day.  More goods move by railroad today than ever before.  Railroad service the entire country but are concentrated in the mid-west and the northeast.  They are environmentally friendly, moving 1 ton of goods 485 miles on 1 gallon of diesel fuel which is much more efficient than the use of semi-trucks.  There are 570 railways, 200,000 miles of track and 225,000 employees. There are three categories of trains; Class 1 (cross country), regional and short line.

 

After a brief overview of the railroad industry Mr. Belke spoke specifically on the Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad.  Olean, NY is their Hub and they branch out from their.  Their main products are natural gas, salt mines, food products and coal.  They have only a few customers in the Jamestown area; RHI Monofrax (sand), Bush Industries (press board), and Cargill (fertilizer and grain).  There biggest customer is in Smethport PA and makes wax.  The WNY & PA Railroad isn't the railroad of old, they are very modern with locomotives, GPS and camera systems, remote control, trucks and equipment and even solar energy.  There haven't been cabooses for 20 years and gone is the clickity clack of the old rail lines.

 

As a side note Mr. Belke doesn't believe that high speed passenger trains will catch on in the US like they have in Europe because there aren't dedicated tracks. The question and answer session could have gone on for hours but time was not our fiend.  Mr. Belke gave a thorough account of what the railroad industry is today and a positive forecast for its future.  Thank you Mr. Belke.