Interesting, indeed. I seem to recall the Grenada was sort of a collection point for some of the Iowa Pacific passenger equipment as some operations were shuttered in the east. I even saw a couple of F units come through Chattanooga on NS after one operation closed up shop (maybe the Piedmont Northern?) bound for Grenada. And of course, the E units and passenger equipment from the big excursion a couple of years ago should still be there, as well.

If so, any idea on whether Iowa Pacific plans to move it off the property? Gary Marino (co-founder of RailAmerica) is no amateur in the shortline business nor a fan in the business as a hobby, so I would fully expect he will charge Iowa Pacific for storage of the equipment, just as he would any customer storing cars on the line. Getting paid might be another story from what we've seen in various posts here over the past couple of years, though.

Also, the news story states International Rail Partners took over on August 2nd. Can anyone confirm if the new operator just assumed the lease on the GMTX GP38-2s that GRYR was using? With that quick of a start up, I am betting this is the case, but it would be nice to confirm either way.

I appreciate any info on what equipment is still down there and any potential moves.

Mike Derrick