Pinsly acquires Texas Short Line

By Michael T. Burkhart

Pinsly Railroad Co. plans to acquire Hondo Railway, a short line in Texas west of San Antonio. Founded in 2006, Hondo Railway serves customers shipping a range of items, including flour, corn syrup, ethanol and plastic, Pinsly said in a news release. Hondo has interchanges with BNSF Railway and Union Pacific, as well as 80,000 feet of industrial track for car reloading and storage.

“Hondo Railway is a high-quality asset developed by world-class business leaders,” said Ryan Ratledge, Chief Executive Officer of Pinsly Railroad. “This railroad and its team are a great addition to the Pinsly road family and will further diversify our commodity mix and geographic location.”

Hondo Railway founders Don Lee and Mark Holland said: “We are proud of Hondo Railway and grateful for our many wonderful employees and loyal customers over the years.” It has been a pleasure building this company together and it makes “It gives us great pleasure to become part of the Pinsly Rail Group.”

Over the past two years, Pinsly (formerly known as Gulf & Atlantic before purchasing the iconic short-line operator’s brand in 2023) has purchased four railroads, increasing its total holdings in six railroads, including Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad, Grenada Railroad and Camp Chase Rail , Chesapeake and Indiana Railroad, Vermilion Valley Railroad and Pioneer Valley Railroad.