Barbara W. Wilson is succeeding Marc Walraven as CEO of Eastland, Tex.-based Eagle Railcar Services, which provides railcar repair and maintenance services at 13 facilities across the United States.
Walraven, who co-founded Eagle Railcar Services in 2021, will continue to serve on its Board of Directors, “providing continuity and strategic counsel as the company enters its next phase of growth,” according to the May 21 announcement.
Eagle Railcar Services, a portfolio company of EQT Infrastructure VI since April 2025, operates in Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas, performing federally mandated inspections, M-1002/M-1003 tank car qualifications, and complex repairs. It serves shippers and lessors across the chemicals, agriculture, energy, and industrial manufacturing sectors, supported by approximately 1,500 employees and 24/7 mobile repair capabilities. In 2019, the company reached an agreement to acquire the assets and personnel of Rescar Companies’ Plant Services Division.
Since last year, Wilson has served on the Eagle Railcar Services’ Board as Audit Committee Chair. She brings more than three decades of senior leadership experience in the rail, transportation, and equipment leasing industries. Wilson served most recently as Senior Advisor for Railroad Financial Corporation. Previously, she was President and CEO of RailUSA, a private equity-backed short line holding company operating more than 650 miles of track across Mississippi and Florida; she led the company’s operational and financial turnaround. (RailUSA became Gulf & Atlantic Railways in 2022 and rebranded as Pinsly Railroad Company in 2024.) Prior to joining RailUSA in 2019, Wilson was President of Wells Fargo Rail, building the largest railcar leasing business in North America. She grew the platform from $2 billion to $8 billion in assets in three years by acquiring three industry competitors: Helm Financial, Macquarie Rail, and GE Railcar. (GATX Corp. and Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. earlier this year acquired Wells Fargo’s rail operating lease portfolio of approximately 105,000 railcars for $4.4 billion.)
Wilson is a member of the Northwestern University Transportation Center Business Advisory Council and a longtime judge of Railway Age’s Women in Rail awards program. She holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Boston College and an MBA from Babson College.
Wilson will be supported by Eagle Railcar Services Chief Operating Officer Ronnie Graves and Chief Production Officer Aubrey Lawrence, who have been senior executives with the business prior to EQT’s acquisition in 2025. Together, they have decades of combined experience across railcar maintenance operations, commercial strategy, and customer service.
“Eagle has built an outstanding reputation across its 13 facilities and a loyal customer base in a market with significant tailwinds and consolidation opportunities,” Wilson said. “I have the highest respect for what Marc and the team have built, and I look forward to continuing to work with him as a member of the Board. I am energized to partner with the management team, our employees, customers, and EQT. Our strategy is straightforward: Deliver the highest-quality service in the market, build enduring partnerships with our customers, and expand Eagle’s platform to meet the evolving needs of the industry.”
“Building Eagle over the past 25 years has been the privilege of a lifetime,” Marc Walraven said. “I am incredibly proud of what our team has accomplished and the reputation we’ve built with our customers. As we look to the future, I am confident Barbara and the team are the right leaders to take Eagle into its next phase of growth. Their industry experience, strategic vision, and familiarity with the business make them exceptionally well positioned to build on our strong foundation. I look forward to continuing to support Eagle as a member of the Board.”