Reading & Northern Railroad has been named a winner in the 2010 American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association Marketing Awards Competition.

Andrew M. Muller Jr., CEO of Reading & Northern Railroad, said he is pleased with the recognition."In a time when many companies are downsizing and profit margins are decreasing, Reading & Northern is moving forward and expanding its operations," he said. "Being recognized nationally by the Shortline Association is a great honor and proves that this company is doing everything necessary to ensure the railroad's future."The ASLRRA competition looked at hundreds of marketing plans of short line and regional railroads from across the country. Reading & Northern's plan consisted of its new venture in the Marcellus Shale business, an up-and-coming resource in the natural gas industry that is now being utilized for energy.In 2009, the company took an underused railroad yard and turned it into the preeminent facility serving the needs of the companies drilling in the Marcellus Shale. Reading & Northern's Pittston Yard near Scranton offers over 800 car spots, six times the number of any of its competitors; twice a day switching service and over 50 acres of property for further shale-related development."This award is recognition of the great work done by our employees," added Wayne A. Michel, president of Reading & Northern Railroad. "Working as a team we found the perfect partner to develop the business, D&I Silica, and we transformed a barren landscape into a state-of-the art transload operation in a manner of weeks. Our reward for our effort was over 200 carloads of new business in the first 60 days of operation. And now the icing on the cake, this great award from the Shortline Association recognizing our effort."Reading & Northern Railroad, with its corporate headquarters in Port Clinton, is a privately held railroad company serving major businesses in eight counties in Eastern Pennsylvania, including Bradford, Carbon, Schuylkill, Luzerne, Northumberland, Lehigh, Lackawanna, Berks, and Wyoming counties. It has expanded its operations over the last 26 years and has grown into one of the premier railroads in the state, with both freight services and passenger excursion operations. Reading and Northern continues to grow and currently employs 150 employees.