St. Maries River

Company History: The St. Maries River Railroad began service on May 23, 1980, over trackage that previously had been owned by the bankrupt (and now-defunct) Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, also known as the Milwaukee Road. The St. Maries River operates between Plummer, Idaho and St. Maries, Idaho on what was the Milwaukee Road's Pacific Northwest main line across the Rockies. The railroad also operates on the Milwaukee Road's former Elk River branch line between St. Maries and Bovill, Idaho. For several years from 1980 until the mid-1980s, Potlatch also owned and operated 45 miles of adjoining former Milwaukee Road trackage, between St. Maries and Avery, Idaho, as a private logging railroad that connected with the St. Maries River Railroad. However, the federal government condemned the logging line between St. Maries and Avery in the mid-1980s, prompting its shutdown.

In 2010, Potlatch sold the St. Maries River Railroad for $1.6 million to Mike Williams of the Missouri-based Williams Group, which owns other short line railroads in Idaho, Missouri and South Dakota, including the BG&CM Railroad. The St. Maries River Railroad connects with the Union Pacific Railroad at Plummer and with the BNSF Railway at Bovill.

Successor/Parent History: MidWest Pacific Rail Net & Logistics was created from the Mike Williams Family of companies. Mike Williams formed Railroad Materials Salvage, Inc. in 1984 based in Richmond, Missouri. Mike has over 30 years experience in the railroad industry, and is still involved with RMSI sales and management operations. His experience and reputation in the industry allows Railroad Materials Salvage, Inc. to work closely with Class I railroads such as BNSF Railway, Canadian National Railway, Union Pacific Railroad, and Kansas City Southern on both service projects and asset disposition projects. Mike has also been successful in securing a large client base of railroad contractors, short line railroads, steel mills, government entities, etc. which RMSI has worked with and supplied material to for several years.

Through the years, Mike Williams has acquired shortline railroads and created the holding company now known as MidWest Pacific Rail Net & Logistics (MPR&L). MPR&L currently owns or leases 9 operating railways in the states of California, Nevada, South Dakota, Washington, Idaho, Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri. The shortlines ship a variety of products while interchanging with BNSF, UPRR, KCS, CP, CN and numerous other shortline companies.

In addition to the shortline railroads, MPR&L also offers rail construction, rail car repair, transload services, real estate, industrial development, switching, MOW repair/manufacturing, and consulting services and rail line valuations.

Midwest Pacific Rail Net & Logistics consists of over 900 miles of shortline railroads moving thousands of rail cars per year in manifest and unit train service. MPR&L is based in Kansas City, Missouri.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.