Yes, though it has gone through two changes of managment since then. The operator at the time of the explosion, Sloan Cornell, moved his opertations and equipment to the Konx, Kane and Kinzua. The explosion effectively marked the end of his tenure on the Gettysburg. Last year the (damanged, but still repairable) 1278 herself went to Ohio Central.
A new operator ran the line as a diesel-powered frieght and tourist road until this past winter, when the line changed hands again, passing into the Pioneer Railcorp. group.
Here's Pioneer's press release:
Pioneer Railcorp Announces 16th Railroad Acquisition
PEORIA, Ill., Feb. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Pioneer Railcorp (Nasdaq: PRRR - news) announced today that it commenced operations at 12:01AM on February 20, 2001 of its 16th shortline railroad. The Gettysburg & Northern Railroad Co. (GET), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pioneer Railcorp, purchased the railroad assets of the former Gettysburg Railway, Inc. (GBRY) and the Gettysburg Scenic Railway (GSRX) from various corporate entities owned by John H. Marino of Manassas, Virginia.
The Gettysburg & Northern Railroad Co. is a 25-mile line running from Gettysburg, Pa. from a connection with CSX Transportation, to Mount Holly Springs, Pa. to a connection with the Norfolk Southern Railroad. Among the line's primary customers are Inland Container, Knouse Foods Cooperative, Cadbury-Motts and Ziegler Brothers. The 130-pound rail line expects to handle approximately 2,000 cars per year, utilizing the Company's fleet of food grade insulated boxcars along with other railcar types.
The purchase also included the Gettysburg Scenic Railway, a twenty-plus year tourist operation. This is Pioneer's first major scenic operation and an opportunity the Company intends to vigorously pursue. An estimated 1.5 million tourists visit Gettysburg each season and the Gettysburg & Northern Railroad Co. runs through part of the first day battlefield of the famous Civil War ``Battle of Gettysburg''.
Guy L. Brenkman, Chairman & CEO of Pioneer Railcorp stated: ``We are extremely pleased to be in Southeast Pennsylvania and serving Inland Container and Knouse Foods, two present customers served by other Pioneer railroads. We are also looking forward to developing transportation partnerships with the line's other customers and we are particularly encouraged by the opportunities with the Gettysburg Scenic Railway operation.''
Pioneer Railcorp is a shortline railroad holding company with 16 freight railroads and one tourist railroad operating in ten states with over 465 miles of track. For more information, visit the Company's web site
[www.pioneer-railcorp.com] .
