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Genesee & Wyoming Inc., a leading operator of short line and regional freight railroads in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and Bolivia, appointed Carl Belke '73 to the new position of general manager-fleet. He is responsible for the procurement, management, and disposition of freight cars and locomotives in North America.
“For as far back as I can remember, I wanted to work with railroads. My whole purpose at Lafayette was to become a civil engineer so I could build railroad bridges and tunnels,” says Belke, who lives in Dorval, Quebec. True to his dream, Belke has built a 28-year career in the railroad industry in engineering, transportation, marketing, government relations, and strategic development.
After graduation, Belke moved to Albany for a job as a bridge and structural engineer with the Delaware and Hudson Railroad, the nation's oldest continually operated transportation company-it started out in canals. “I was involved with every part of the organization and became president in 1988.” He remained with D&H for a few years after it became a subsidiary of Canadian Pacific in 1991, then moved to G&W, ranked 99th on Forbes' list of the 200 best small companies in America. The company operates over 7,700 miles of owned and leased track on three continents.
“It's a really fun industry, and it's stronger than ever,” Belke says. “I've been involved with new acquisitions and strategic development which has required numerous stints in Australia, where we are now the largest railroad operator.”