G&W Canada Acquires BMS Locomotive Service Group
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
(G&W Photograph)
Alberta, Canada-based BMS Locomotive Service Group is now part of Genesee & Wyoming Canada Inc., a subsidiary of short line holding company Genesee & Wyoming (G&W) Inc. Acquisition terms were not disclosed.
G&W on July 27 reported completing the purchase of BMS, which includes a shop, warehouse and office headquartered in Edmonton. For more than 20 years, the company has offered locomotive inspection, maintenance, and refurbishment and repair services to freight railroads across Western Canada. Specifically, it performs running repairs, refurbishing and modernizing, and cleaning and painting of locomotives, including engine change, remote control work, electrical troubleshooting, modification and re-writing, mechanical troubleshooting, and traction control installation and re-wiring. According to RR Mergers and Acquisitions, an advisor to the sale, BMS has completed more than 8,500 locomotive service field calls. Founder and President Brad Rae will remain with the company, which has 10 employees.
G&W’s Canadian operations include 10 railroads, railcar loading and switching services, and a railcar maintenance and repair facility in Ontario.
“The addition of BMS enhances G&W Canada’s suite of services for customers throughout Canada and expands its footprint into a geography that has potential for tremendous industrial growth,” said Rocky Hartline, General Manager of G&W Canada’s western operations. “The BMS team’s locomotive expertise, as well as their shared commitment to safety and service, make them an ideal fit for G&W.”
Starting Sept. 1, G&W’s Jack Hellmann will transition to Executive Chairman of the company’s North American and UK/Europe Boards of Directors, following 16 years of service as G&W CEO. He will also become Vice Chair of Brookfield Infrastructure, the controlling shareholder of G&W, which owns or leases 115 freight railroads with 7,300 employees serving 3,000 customers. North American operations include 110 short lines and regionals that serve 43 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces over more than 13,000 track-miles. G&W subsidiaries and joint ventures also provide rail service at more than 30 major ports, rail-ferry service between the U.S. Southeast and Mexico, transload services, and industrial railcar switching and repair.
