A&K’s Corporate Headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah has a new look. A complete exterior remodel was designed by FWA Architecture Planning of Sacramento. With a schedule of sixty-days we elected to hire Midgley Construction to complete the total renovation, including landscaping. They have done a great job of making the building look brand new.   All exterior landscaping, including berms and railroad ties that were part of the old landscaping, had to be removed and the building looked bare for awhile. Gradually, as rock was added to the front of the building, new canopies in front and back, Exterior Finishing Insulation System all around, a new glass front entry, and new sidewalks were added, the building became a beautiful edifice that everyone enjoys—both inside and out. Beautiful new plants, trees, grass, extended patios, sidewalks and canopies, extend the pleasant environment of the recently remodeled interior to the exterior of the building.   Some great amenities were added: heated sidewalks, a new generator for backup power, additional parking, a new yard gate with remote control, and a state-of-the-art security system for the interior and exterior of the building. In addition, we added ADA compliant parking and entryways for the building.   When the building was first built, a 1983 Utah Business Magazine listed it as: “The best new building on Redwood Road: The A&K Railroad Materials, Inc. building, 1505 S. Redwood Road, is attractive and functional. It’s the most tasteful addition to the Redwood Road business district.” Now with the completion of the renovation it is beautiful and modern once again, a place we are proud to call our Corporate Headquarters.

A&K recently acquired ownership of the Gloster Southern Railway. It consists of 33 miles of track located in Mississippi and Louisiana. The track extends from Gloster, Mississippi to Slaughter, Louisiana where it interchanges with the Canadian National Railroad. Historically traffic on the Gloster Southern Line has consisted of lumber and plywood.   The Mississippi part of the Gloster Southern Railway was built by the New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Vicksburg & Memphis Railroad in 1882-1884. The New Orleans & Mississippi Valley Railroad built the Louisiana section near the same time. When the line was completed the two companies merged to form the Louisville, New Orleans & Texas Railroad. In 1986 the Gloster Southern Railroad commenced service to the Georgia Pacific Plywood Mill at Gloster, Mississippi.   This railway joins our group of other affiliated railways consisting of Tulare Valley Railroad (6 miles from Ducor, California to Ultra,California); Southern Manitoba Railroad (145 miles from Elgin, Manitoba to Morris, Manitoba, Canada); Kern Valley Railroad (33 miles from Trinidad, Colorado to Weston, Colorado) and V&S Railway. V&S Railway operates three different shortline railroads (150 miles of track) in Medicine Lodge, Kansas; Towner, Colorado; and Hutchinson, Kansas.   We have recently established a web site for our railroads at: www.vsrailway.com where you can learn more about the operations, history and customer base for each of the lines.