The Corpus Christi Terminal Railroad was a

terminal railroad A switching and terminal railroad is a freight railroad company whose primary purpose is to perform local switching services or to own and operate a terminal facility. Switching is a type of operation done within the limits of a yard. It gener ...

originally created in 1924 to facilitate heavy bulk freight cargo traffic flow from the recently completed deep water port channel of the new Corpus Christi Port. Wishing to maximize freight handling potential while holding down rates, the Port Authority decided to allow traffic to all of its docks and facilities by no less than three competing railroads, the

Southern Pacific The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the names ...

, the

Missouri Pacific The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad ...

and the Tex Mex railroads. To accomplish this the Port of Corpus Christi Authority built its own trackage along the channel and to the docks, and allowed all three carriers access to it. While the Authority's scheme at first heightened tensions among the three railroads, they eventually began to cooperate, assuring a good flow of bulk freight and the eventual success of the Port facilities. On August 3, 1997, Rail Link, a wholly owned subsidiary of

Genesee & Wyoming Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) is an American short line railroad holding company, that owns or maintains an interest in 122 railroads in the United States, Canada, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, and the United Kingdom; and formerly in Australia. ...

., leased the lines and took over day-to-day operation of the railroad, though the of physical trackage is still owned by the Port of Corpus Christi Authority. As of 2007 railroad connections existed with the

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad is a Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF, ...

BNSF BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that provide ...

and Texas Mexican railroads.

Motive power

Table informationCorpus Christi Locomotives Terminal
/ref> Note: The company's general manager has confirmed that CF7s are no longer on the company roster. No. 475 and No. 547 remained in the local area after being sold to ADM Grain, 2122 Navigation Boulevard, Corpus Christi, TX 78402 and repainted in silver with black tops. They can be easily seen from Navigation Boulevard. Additionally, EMD GP locomotives with G&W paint schemes have been added to the CCPN roster.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corpus Christi Terminal Railroad Switching and terminal railroads Texas railroads Genesee & Wyoming Transportation in Corpus Christi, Texas