Questions about shipping, service, rates, railcars, or railroad access?

Rail deserves a closer look when freight is moving in meaningful volume, when the product is dense or bulky, when trucking capacity is tight, or when the customer can benefit from larger shipment sizes and more controlled loading or unloading windows. Common rail-fit examples include grain, feed ingredients, minerals, plastic pellets, steel, paper, construction materials, fertilizer, and other bulk or industrial commodities.

Transload, sometimes called multimodal service, uses rail for the long-haul move and truck for local pickup or final delivery. A railcar is loaded or unloaded at a transload location, then the product moves by truck to or from the customer. B&H’s Coopers Plains facility can provide this connection for approved commodities and projects when a customer is not directly rail-served or needs off-site storage, inventory staging, or a larger-volume supply chain.

No. Direct rail service is one option, but customers can also use transload locations, rail-served properties, or storage options depending on the commodity, lane, handling requirements, and truck delivery radius.

In many cases, rail movements are quoted on a through-rate basis that includes the short line portion of the move. The short line performs local pickup, delivery, customer service, switching, and related first-mile or last-mile work that would otherwise need to be handled within the broader rail move. The right answer depends on the lane, commodity, interchange, equipment, and commercial arrangement.

Start by contacting B&H with the commodity, origin, destination, estimated annual volume, railcar type if known, current truck payload, facility location, and timing. B&H can review the lane and coordinate with Norfolk Southern through the Painted Post interchange when needed. Some movements may be quoted as spot moves, while repeat traffic may be handled under a tariff, price authority, or contract.

Helpful information includes the product or STCC, origin and destination, annual tons or truckloads, current truck payload, expected start date, loading and unloading method, facility address, whether the site has rail access, storage needs, and any special handling or safety requirements.

Yes. Public tariff information, common charges, and fuel surcharge information should be reviewed on the B&H tariff page. The governing documents are maintained centrally through the LA&L railroad family. For project-specific questions, contact the commercial team before assuming a tariff fully answers the operating or commercial requirements of a move.

Contact the appropriate customer service office or your B&H representative. Customer instructions generally need to be transmitted in writing. If your account uses RVP+ or another customer tool, B&H can help confirm the correct process for ordering, releasing, tracing, or managing railcars.

Railcar tracing data may come from B&H, a connecting carrier, or customer-facing rail systems. B&H can often help interpret car movement information, especially when a shipment involves interchange, local switching, or multiple railroad systems.

B&H offers railcar storage options when capacity, location, car type, commodity status, and operating conditions allow. B&H planning capacity is approximately 250 railcars, subject to current commitments and railroad approval. Storage needs should be reviewed with the railroad, including loaded or empty status, car count, expected duration, access needs, and any special requirements.

Yes. Railroad property is private property and active railroad property can be hazardous. Visitors, contractors, photographers, vendors, and customers should not enter B&H yards, tracks, or railroad property without permission and proper escort or approval from the railroad.

Yes. B&H can review site location, track access, railcar capacity, truck circulation, utility needs, Coopers Plains transload requirements, storage, and the general operating fit. The Industrial Development page is a good starting point, but every site still requires project-specific review.

No. B&H is a freight railroad. Its work is focused on freight service, Norfolk Southern interchange at Painted Post, railcar storage, Coopers Plains transload, and industrial rail support.

For new freight, storage, transload, industrial development, or rail-served property questions, contact the B&H commercial team through the contact page. Include the commodity, location, volume, timing, and what problem you are trying to solve.