Railcar Service

RAILCAR SERVICE OWNER RISKS IT ALL TO OPEN BUSINESS

An odd little stretch of railroad, 1.75 miles long, runs by the Emory River in Harriman. Railcars of all types sit upon its tracks, each waiting to be cleaned and prepped for the next load it will carry. Cleaning out railcars is a niche job, and there are few companies that do it. Railcar Service, owned by Brian Cook, is one of those businesses.

Brian opened shop in 2008. He was so eager to run his own business that he took out a mortgage on his house, even though he’d owned his house outright for years. Brian had been planning the business for years, and his opportunity came when a particular site went up for sale. The site–which was formerly owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority–was previously taken over by another company, which also used the site to load coal into barges on the river. It was shut down in the 1980s, but remained useable.

The site in Harriman is a perfect location for cleaning railcars since the train tracks on the site connect to the main lines, making it easy to divert railcars from the main line to Railcar Service’s line. Brian had already learned the skills to run a railcar cleaning business at his previous job; all he needed was the property. Once he had that, he was ready for business.

“Either I was really smart or really stupid to quit a good job to do this. My biggest regret is that I didn’t do it 10 years earlier,” Brian said. “It took me about five years to put a business plan together and buy the property, and here it is, growing every year.”

FINDING SUCCESS

He says there’s a demand for what his business does, and his crews work diligently to stay on top of the constant influx of railcars. He employs about 15 people at any given time, including employees who man high-pressure pumps for cleaning, and welders who perform maintenance or make modifications to cars.

When a railcar comes into the yard, what it carried before and what it will carry next determine how it will be cleaned. Brian’s ultra high-pressure pumps shoot out 10,000-15,000 psi at 50 gallons per minute through a nozzle the size of pencil lead that spins both vertically and horizontally. This fine, intense stream cuts into anything that gets in its way. It can remove hardened cement that has been dry for 35 years from a railcar in two hours.

Sometimes, Brian is asked to make railcars completely waterproof so the cars can carry certain materials. Other times, he has to ensure a high sanitation standard so cars can transport food items such as grain. His crews also seal roofs, paint the inside of cars, caulk joints and perform other maintenance tasks.

One of the initial challenges Brian had was figuring out how to move cars around the tracks without using a railcar mover. A mover would have to be lifted on and off the tracks, which posed a problem for Brian. So he settled on a Cat® 420E backhoe loader to do the heavy lifting. Now, his crews can move as many as 20 employees who man high-pressure pumps for cleaning, and welders who perform maintenance or make modifications to cars.

One of the initial challenges Brian had was figuring out how to move cars around the tracks without using a railcar mover. A mover would have to be lifted on and off the tracks, which posed a problem for Brian. So he settled on a Cat® 420E backhoe loader to do the heavy lifting.

Now, his crews can move as many as 20 railcars at a time by placing a rail tie in the bucket of the loader and pushing the cars with the tie. Brian said the machine is great because he can use it for other jobs besides moving railcars.

MAINTAINING RELATIONSHIPS FOR SUCCESS

The first piece of Cat equipment Cook bought was a 272C skid steer loader, and when he bought it, he formed a long-lasting relationship with Jared Ross, the Stowers Machinery sales representative who sold it to him.

“It’s the Stowers people who make my business successful. Jared always returns my calls and we’ve developed a friendship over the years,” Brian said. “It’s the Stowers people who can make or break a company, and Stowers has never failed me.”

Brian said he appreciates the customer service Stowers gives him, such as picking up and servicing his equipment. He likes knowing he can walk up to the Stowers parts counter and the people there know who he is, and always charge a fair price. He also appreciates that he can call the accounting department to ask any questions he may have regarding invoices.

“The service I get out of Stowers, and the relationships that are built, that’s what makes me want to keep doing business with Stowers,” Brian said.

He has also bought a Cat generator and an air compressor from Stowers Machinery, both of which have multiple uses around his jobsite. He uses the generator to provide electricity for other machines being used along the track, such as a plasma cutter. The air compressor powers his pneumatic air tools as well as an ice blaster used to blast material out of railcars.

As much as he loves his business, Brian says he does look forward to the day when he’ll retire and travel with his wife.

For now, he spends his spare time indulging in one of his passions: fast cars. He proudly pulls up a picture on his phone of his current treasure, a 2012 Audi R-8 GT, and talks about how it’s just one of 333 of its kind.

But it’s not time to retire, yet. Brian said his next step is to lease property in Kentucky and start doing boxcar work there. Overall he says, he’s very happy he took the plunge and started his own business.
“It was a dream of mine to work for myself, and it’s been good to me,” Brian said.

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

This story first appeared in the Winter 2015/2016 issue of On The Job magazine, a national magazine for those who own or rent building construction products and compact construction equipment. Download the story as it appeared in the magazine.