TRAM

What TRAM does

TRAM Construction, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned railroad material reuse and recycling company headquartered in Garrison, Kentucky. Founded by Terry LeMaster around 1984, the company purchases and recovers decommissioned rail infrastructure and resells it as relay material, refurbished components, and processed ferrous and non-ferrous scrap. Its core technology centers on mechanical dismantling, sorting, and inventorying of rail and other track material (OTM), with non-reusable inputs processed into raw materials prepared to steel mill or foundry specifications.

The company's product portfolio spans three material categories — Relay Rail & OTM, Rail Piling, and Scrap Metal Packages — complemented by four service lines: Track Removal, Material Recovery & Recycling, Transloading/Transportation & Logistics, and Custom Solutions. A CSX-served rail spur at the Garrison facility enables integrated rail-to-truck transloading, while a fleet of vehicles supports around-the-clock emergency response. The competitive position rests on 40+ years of operating history, a century-long rail-yard site heritage, and multi-generational LeMaster family leadership.

TRAM serves four primary verticals: railroads, construction contractors, steel mills, and foundries, with all revenue derived from one-time material sales and project-based professional services priced via custom quotes. The business operates exclusively in the Kentucky/Ohio region under a sales-led, direct-engagement go-to-market model with no public pricing, no disclosed funding, no digital product, and no e-commerce or app distribution. Operations are currently conducted by a 7-employee team with no disclosed institutional ownership.

Name

TRAM

Legal name

TRAM Construction, Inc.

Website

https://tramconstructioninc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TRAM Construction, Inc. is a family-owned Garrison, Kentucky company that reuses and recycles decommissioned railroad materials, selling relay rail, OTM, rail piling, and processed scrap to railroads, contractors, steel mills, and foundries across the KY/OH region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Railroad Material Recycling and Supply

NAICS

Support Activities for Rail Transportation (4882), Support Activities for Rail Transportation (488210)

SIC

Railroad Equipment (3743), Railroad Switching & Terminal Establishments (4013)

akta.pro primary industry

Track Renewal, Rehabilitation & Maintenance Works (IMAFAFAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rail/Intermodal Waste Transfer & Long-Haul Consolidation (BPALABAH), Construction & Demolition (C&D) Metal Recycling (Structural Steel, Rebar, Roofing, Wire) (IMAKAMAF), Scrap & Recyclables Bulk Transport (Metal/Glass/Paper) (TLADAKAL), Rail Maintenance & Track Vehicles (Hi-Rail, Track Machines, Inspection Vehicles) (IMAHAIAK)

Keywords

• Railroad material recycling
• Relay rail supply
• Track removal services
• Scrap metal processing
• Rail transloading logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Garrison

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, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Relay & Refurbished Railroad Material Sales: Sale of relay rail, tie plates, compromise bars, joint bars, switches, refurbished frogs, spikes, and other railroad components from inventory.
2. Rail Piling Sales: Sale of used railroad steel piling that can be cut and delivered for piling projects.
3. Scrap Metal Processing & Sales: Processing and sale of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap railroad material to steel mills and foundries per their specifications.
4. Track Removal & Dismantling Services: Professional services for dismantling railroad infrastructure and processing materials into reusable components.
5. Transportation & Logistics Services: Transloading, transportation and logistics services including material delivery using specialized equipment and fleet of vehicles.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

TRAM Construction, Inc. reclaims, refurbishes, and resells used railroad infrastructure materials—including relay rail, tie plates, compromise bars, joint bars, switches, frogs, spikes, rail piling, and prepared ferrous/non-ferrous scrap metal—to railroads, construction contractors, steel mills, and foundries. The company complements this materials business with professional services covering safe track and railcar removal, on-site material recovery and sorting, railcar-to-truck transloading, and tailored dismantling or logistics solutions for individual project needs.

Product overview

TRAM offers a unified portfolio of railroad material reuse and recycling solutions centered on its core materials business. The product lineup comprises three main material categories—Relay Rail & Other Track Material (OTM), Rail Piling, and Scrap Metal Packages—alongside four service offerings: Track Removal, Material Recovery & Recycling, Transloading/Transportation & Logistics, and Custom Solutions. These products and services are integrated through TRAM's end-to-end lifecycle management approach, enabling customers to procure quality refurbished and recycled railroad materials while accessing professional dismantling, recovery, and logistics services from a single provider.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Relay Rail and Other Track Material (OTM)

Named customers4 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.

• CSXcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSX provides rail service to TRAM's facility through a dedicated rail spur at the Garrison, KY location. This partnership enables TRAM to efficiently transfer materials between railcar and truck, supporting their transloading, transportation, and logistics operations. The CSX connection is fundamental to TRAM's ability to serve customers requiring multi-modal logistics solutions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Stella-Jones Inc. Stella-Jones is the leading North American producer of pressure-treated railroad crossties and also supplies utility poles and industrial lumber. It serves the same railroad customer base as TRAM and overlaps in providing recovered and treated rail-related materials.
• Koppers Holdings Inc. Koppers is a global producer of railroad crossties and treated wood products serving Class I railroads. While primarily wood-tied, its customer relationships and recovery/processing model are comparable to TRAM's circular rail-material value chain.
• Holland LP: Holland provides rail switching, transloading, and railcar storage services at industrial sites across North America. Its transloading and terminal operations at rail-served industrial locations directly mirror TRAM's CSX-served yard model.
• A&K Railroad Materials, Inc. A&K is the most direct competitor to TRAM, operating a similar relay railroad materials, OTM, and rail dismantling/recovery business across multiple U.S. regions. Both companies serve the same Class I and short-line railroad customers with refurbished components and scrap metal processing, making them directly comparable on business model, customer base, and product offering.

Broad incumbents

• Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc. Loram is a leading provider of rail grinding, track inspection, and track maintenance services to railroads globally. While its primary focus is rail grinding equipment and services, it overlaps with TRAM in serving railroad track maintenance customers and operates as a major incumbent in the broader rail services space.
• Balfour Beatty Rail: Balfour Beatty Rail provides rail infrastructure construction, maintenance, and consultancy services across the U.S. and Europe. It overlaps with TRAM in serving railroad customers with track-related services but at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• L.B. Foster Company: L.B. Foster manufactures and supplies rail products including new rail, OTM, piling, and fabricated structures. It competes with TRAM on rail piling and OTM supply but with a much larger, more diversified portfolio including new (rather than refurbished) materials.
• Vossloh AG: Vossloh is a global rail infrastructure company manufacturing rail fastening systems, concrete ties, and track-switching products. While primarily a manufacturer of new components, it serves the same railroad infrastructure customer base as TRAM with related offerings in rail maintenance and lifecycle services.
• Progress Rail Services (a Caterpillar company): Progress Rail is the largest rail services and parts provider in North America, offering locomotive and rolling stock components, track services, and material supply. It overlaps with TRAM on railroad component supply and transloading support but operates at vastly greater scale with a broader product portfolio.
• Brand Industrial Services (Harsco Rail): Brand Industrial Services acquired Harsco Rail in 2021 and now operates as one of the largest rail track maintenance equipment and service providers globally. It competes with TRAM on track services and railroad customer relationships but at much larger scale with broader capabilities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tram-construction-ky

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 TRAM