R.J. Corman Railroad Group is adding to its locomotive fleet two GE Dash 8‑40CWs with a commemorative paint scheme “designed to celebrate 250 years of history, progress, and railroading” in honor of America’s anniversary. It released the rendering for locomotive Nos. 1776 and 2026 on April 9 via social media. Separately, the company has been selected by Bolingbrook, Ill.-based Wi-Tronix as its “preferred installation partner across short lines nationwide.”
According to R.J. Corman, the locomotives were purchased from Wabtec Corporation and formerly owned by CSX. They are receiving their new paint scheme as part of the delivery process prior to entering service.
Both units will operate in the Nashville, Tenn., market on R.J. Corman’s Nashville & Eastern Railroad, Railway Age’s 2026 Regional of the Year Honorable Mention. Unit 1776 is scheduled to arrive in July, followed by unit 2026 in September, according to the Nicholasville, Ky.-based company, whose services include owning and operating 19 small roads, providing emergency rail services associated with derailments and natural disasters, switching, track construction, track material distribution, signal design/construction, and operating a dinner train.
Other railroads and organizations have recently kicked off their own 250th anniversary celebrations. CN, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Lake State Railway Company, New Jersey Transit, Brightline, Sierra Northern Railway, and North Shore Railroad Company & Affiliates are among those that have rolled out locomotives with commemorative livery, and Union Pacific announced its first-ever coast-to-coast steam tour led by Big Boy No. 4014 and including its newest locomotive, No. 1776 – America250. Also, the B&O Railroad Museum has unveiled the restored American Freedom Train No. 1 (AFT No. 1), one of three locomotives that powered the 1975-76 American Freedom Train.
Meanwhile, R.J. Corman has also been selected by Wi-Tronix as its preferred installation partner for the short line affiliated services under the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) FY 2023-24 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program Grant, awarded to the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), in conjunction with project partner Wi-Tronix.
The $20 million grant is for a project that includes “the development of a national short line data survey process, and, by installing advanced digital on-board systems on more than 600 locomotives, will allow for the collection and analysis of information across short lines, including energy usage, idling, and emission data,” the ASLRRA reported in 2024, upon receiving the CRISI award. The results, it said, “will be used to support freight rail system operating efficiency, investment, and development.”
R.J. Corman will be “the primary field services partner supporting Wi-Tronix’s CRISI grant installations, a program that spans more than 75 short line railroad operations across 32 states and more than 600 locomotives,” Wi-Tronix reported April 9, 2026. “This partnership brings together R.J. Corman’s extensive field expertise and geographic reach across the short line railroad community with Wi-Tronix’s advanced connected technologies to support successful deployments for ASLRRA member railroads nationwide.”
The work, Wi-Tronix said, spans varied locomotive configurations and end-system requirements. “Depending on the grant recipient, installations may range from replacing a legacy event recorder to fully integrated deployments that incorporate fuel sensors, onboard cameras, and an Electronic Data Acquisition Processor (EDAP) alongside the core Wi-Tronix platform,” the supplier noted. “Each installation is engineered to the specific system diagram of the locomotive, requiring a high degree of electrical expertise and precision.”
Wi-Tronix will lead system design, technical specifications, and solution delivery throughout the program.
“Short line railroads are the backbone of the national freight network, and the CRISI program represents a significant opportunity to bring modern safety and monitoring technology to fleets that have historically lacked access to it,” said Larry Jordan, President and CEO of Wi-Tronix. “Executing this program at scale, across 32 states and hundreds of locomotives, requires a field partner with the geographic reach and technical discipline to match. We are confident R.J. Corman brings both.”
“Our teams bring deep mechanical experience in locomotive and railcar repair and maintenance, which enables us to troubleshoot quickly and execute clean installs to keep equipment safe and reliable,” said Adam Boyles, AVP of Commercial Development at R.J. Corman. “As the ‘One Source’ service provider to the railroad industry, we’re proud to support Wi-Tronix with hands-on component installation and hardware integration as this program rolls out across short lines nationwide.”
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