Locomotive Services

What Locomotive Services does

Locomotive Service Inc (LSI) is a privately held, Lakewood, Colorado-based company founded in 1995 that provides mechanical, operating, fueling, and consulting services exclusively to the North American railroad industry. The firm sells directly to Class I railroads (BNSF Railway, Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, Kansas City Southern), short line and regional railroads (Montana Rail Link), transit authorities (Dallas Area Rapid Transit / Trinity Railway Express, Texas Central Business Line), and industrial customers with rail operations (ExxonMobil, In-Terminal Services). LSI's stated value proposition is full-spectrum coverage for clients that need specialized, railroad-only service providers rather than generalist industrial contractors.

LSI's service offering is organized around five integrated product lines: (1) Direct-to-Locomotive Fueling, delivered by a proprietary fleet of trucks with 7,500+ gallon capacity, 200+ gallons-per-minute pumping, 100-foot motorized hose reels, side/rear/front fueling, and onboard GPS for transaction and inventory tracking; (2) Transloading Facility Services and Consulting, covering program management, design consultation, construction oversight, and ongoing facility operations; (3) Locomotive Servicing and Mechanical Maintenance, including daily inspections, light repairs, sand/lube oil/toilet services, crew cab cleaning, and railcar repair (including derailment and salvage through affiliated Redstreak, LLC); (4) Direct-to-Storage Tank Transportation of Diesel Fuel, providing terminal-to-tank logistics with proactive level monitoring and contingency coverage; and (5) Plant and Industry Operations, providing on-site railcar loading/unloading, switching, repair, parts inventory, train inspections up to 1,500 miles, brake testing, and AAR invoicing.

The business model is B2B sales-led with direct field service delivery to customer railyards, industrial sites, and along operating routes. Revenue is generated primarily through usage-based and service-based contracts with custom pricing; no public pricing or rate cards are disclosed. The company reports a 100% repeat customer base across all named accounts and is led by founders/principals Ryan Gilmer and Michael Kester, operating officer Mike DeRosia, and controller John B. Hufford, with no disclosed institutional ownership, funding events, or subsidiary structure.

Name

Locomotive Services

Legal name

Locomotive Service Inc

Website

https://locomotiveservice.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Locomotive Service Inc (LSI) is a private railroad services company founded in 1995, headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado. It provides mechanical, fueling, transloading, and plant operations services exclusively to North American railroads, including Class I carriers, short lines, and transit authorities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Railroad Support Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Rail Transportation (48821)

SIC

Railroad Switching & Terminal Establishments (4013), Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial & Terminal Railroads (Plant/Port Switching) (TLADACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rail Terminal Switching, Shunting & Yard Locomotive Services (TLAJAFAF), Fuel Systems Service (Diesel/Gas/CNG/LNG, Injectors, Tanks) (TLAKABAH)

Keywords

• Railroad fueling services
• Locomotive mechanical maintenance
• Transloading facility consulting
• Railcar repair services
• Diesel fuel transportation

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Direct-to-Locomotive Fueling Services: Fuel delivery services directly to locomotives at railroad facilities, with continuous coordination around train schedules and operations
2. Locomotive Servicing and Mechanical Maintenance: Mechanical maintenance services including inspections, repairs, sand/lube oil/toilet services, crew cab cleaning, and light locomotive repairs
3. Transloading Facility Services and Consulting: Planning, building, and managing transloading facilities; includes program management, design consultation, construction oversight, and ongoing facility management
4. Plant and Industry Operations: Railcar loading/unloading, switching, repair, maintenance, parts inventory management, train inspections, brake testing, and AAR invoicing
5. Diesel Fuel Transportation to Storage Tanks: Fuel logistics from terminals to customer storage tanks with proactive level monitoring and backup supply planning

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Locomotive Service Inc (LSI) provides mechanical, operating, fuel, and consulting services exclusively to railroads across North America. Its offering spans direct-to-locomotive diesel fueling via a proprietary high-capacity truck fleet, locomotive servicing and mechanical maintenance, transloading facility planning/construction/management consulting, direct-to-storage tank diesel fuel transportation, and on-site plant and industry rail operations including switching, loading/unloading, and inspections.

Product overview

Locomotive Service Inc (LSI) is a railroad services company offering a unified suite of five integrated operational services: Direct to Locomotive Fueling (specialized fueling with GPS-tracked trucks), Transloading Facility Services and Consulting (facility design, build, and management), Locomotive Servicing and Mechanical Maintenance (inspection and repair), Direct to Storage Tank Transportation of Diesel Fuel (fuel logistics), and Plant and Industry Operations (railcar handling and switching). All services are dedicated exclusively to the railroad industry with over 25 years of combined experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Direct to Locomotive Fueling Specialized fueling service delivering diesel fuel directly to locomotives at railroad facilities using LSI's dedicated trucks with more than 7,500-gallon capacity, pumping capacity greater than 200 gallons per minute, and the ability to fuel from side, rear, or front of the truck. Designed for Class I railroads, short line railroads, transit authorities, and industrial plants that require schedule-coordinated direct refueling without taking locomotives out of service.
• Transloading Facility Services and Consulting Comprehensive transloading facility services including new facility program management, design consultation, construction oversight, on-site operations, facility management, and safety consulting. LSI has planned, built, and managed transloading facilities across the United States, serving railroads and industrial customers that need end-to-end transloading support.
• Locomotive Servicing and Mechanical Maintenance Mechanical maintenance services including daily inspections of thousands of moving parts, light locomotive repairs, railcar repairs, railcar derailment repair and salvage through affiliate Redstreak, LLC, and ancillary services such as sand, lube oil, toilet services, and crew cab cleaning. Intended for railroads requiring turnkey mechanical support that understands manufacturer-specific locomotive quirks.
• Direct to Storage Tank Transportation of Diesel Fuel Fuel transportation service picking up diesel from terminals and delivering it to remote customer storage tanks, paired with proactive fuel level monitoring and backup supply planning. Supports contingencies including hurricanes, pipeline interruptions, and terminal shutdowns, with 14 years of railroad-only experience.
• Plant and Industry Operations On-site rail operations including railcar loading/unloading, switching, repair and maintenance, parts inventory management, train inspections up to 1,500 miles, daily locomotive inspections, train air brake testing, and AAR invoicing. Designed for industrial plants, refineries, power plants, and manufacturers with private rail operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% repeat customer base indicates high customer retention and satisfaction
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Redstreak, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLSI-affiliated company providing railcar derailment repair and salvage services. This partnership extends LSI's service capabilities to include emergency derailment response and recovery, integrating specialized salvage operations with LSI's core mechanical maintenance services.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• In-Terminal Services Co. Listed by LSI as a customer for terminal railroad services, In-Terminal Services operates as a specialized terminal-services provider serving customers in geographies overlapping LSI's footprint. Comparable on terminal switching and on-site operations at industrial facilities.

Broad incumbents

• RailWorks: RailWorks provides rail infrastructure construction, maintenance, and on-site industrial rail services across North America. Comparable to LSI on plant-side mechanical/maintenance and to its transloading facility build/manage services.
• Progress Rail (Caterpillar): Progress Rail is Caterpillar's rail subsidiary offering locomotive remanufacturing, servicing, and aftermarket parts to Class I and industrial operators. Comparable to LSI's locomotive servicing and mechanical maintenance business but at much larger scale as an OEM-aligned incumbent.
• Wabtec Corporation: Wabtec provides locomotive services, components, and rail digital solutions globally, overlapping with LSI on mechanical maintenance and fueling-adjacent technologies. A broad incumbent with significant R&D resources and embedded Class I relationships.

Emerging players

• Transload Express: A specialized transloading services provider focused on cross-modal freight transfer between rail, truck, and marine. Comparable to LSI's transloading facility services and consulting line as a focused niche operator in the same facility-management space.
• Transervice Logistics: Transervice provides dedicated transportation and on-site logistics support to industrial customers, including fueling and equipment servicing adjacent to rail operations. Comparable to LSI's fuel logistics and on-site plant support lines, though primarily truck-based.

Direct peers

• Herzog Railroad Services: Herzog Railroad Services (a division of Herzog Contracting Corp.) provides plant switching, transloading, mechanical services, and rail-related construction for industrial and Class I customers. Directly comparable to LSI across plant operations, mechanical, and transloading service lines.
• Watco Companies: Watco operates short line/terminal railroads and provides industrial switching, mechanical, and transloading services across North America. LSI competes for the same plant-switching and on-site rail operating contracts at industrial and Class I sites.
• Genesee & Wyoming (GWI): GWI (owned by Brookfield) operates short line, terminal, and industrial switching railroads in North America and Europe. Directly comparable to LSI's plant/industrial switching and terminal operations service lines for industrial shippers and Class I interchanges.
• Marmon Rail (Berkshire Hathaway): Marmon provides terminal and industrial rail services via subsidiaries including Illinois RailNet and others, operating plant-switching and rail-adjacent logistics. Comparable to LSI on plant operations and yard switching at industrial sites.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/locomotiveservice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/locomotive-service-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Locomotive Services