Port Harbor Railroad


The Port Harbor Railroad is a short-line railroad in Granite City, Illinois, serving an industrial port district known as America's Central Port. PHRR began operations in 2004 as a subsidiary of the Respondek Railroad and connects with the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis at "WR Tower," a major railroad junction in Granite City. PHRR transports everything from steel and aluminum products to foods, lumber, paper, chemicals, minerals, grains and other products. The railroad is classified as a Class III Common Carrier.
PHRR serves several industrial businesses in Granite City, including:
The motive power roster for the PHRR consists of 10 EMD locomotives, two of which have a notable history. Unit #1800, a rebuilt EMD GP8, formerly served on the Alaska Railroad and starred as the third unit in the 1986 movie Runaway Train. And, while not as famous as the #1800, unit #2064 did briefly appear in the Jason Aldean music video for Fly Over States. The newest locomotives on PHRR's roster are two GP40's and a GP9/Slug set and a SW1200RS that were purchased from the Canadian Pacific Railroad and arrived between July and August 2013.