Yreka Western

Company History: The Yreka Western was established in 1888 as the Yreka Railroad to build from a junction with the Southern Pacific (now Central Oregon & Pacific) at Montague, California to Yreka, 9 miles to the west. In 1933, the company was reorganized as the Yreka Western. In 1953 YW was bought by Willis B. Kyle. Kyle had no railroading background and bought the line on a whim. He never would have guessed at the time that his purchase would become the seed of "Kyle Railways" a big shortline holding company with properties across much of the country. In 1986, YW began operating tourist trains in addition to freight service. YW's fortunes soured at the end of the century and Kyle sold the line to a tourist operator from Denver in 2000. This group acquired an EMD MRS-1 locomotive for the line. This design was developed for the Army for operation in foreign lands. It has a low profile and the gauge can be changed without too much difficulty. In December, 2016 they sold the YW to Railmark Holdings. With the sale, tourist train service ended and YV is again a freight only line hauling forest products, propane and machinery.

Successor/Parent History: Railmark Holdings, Inc. is an American rail industry holding company whose subsidiaries provide railroad services in railroad operations, track construction and maintenance, rail freight logistics, rail development, and railroad mechanical services. Railmark Holdings was founded in 1998 by B. Allen Brown, who serves as Railmark's President & CEO. The company will be celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2013.

Railmark primarily operates in the United States, but has had railroad business experience in fifteen countries outside of the United States.

The current subsidiaries are Railmark Track Works, Rail Freight Solutions, Railmark Transit Services, and Railmark Railcar Services. Railmark Transit Services serves the light rail and regional rail industry. Previous subsidiaries include Michigan Air-Line Railway and Railmark's Rail Entertainment USA. Railmark’s operations are divided into five business segments: railroad operations, rail logistics, track construction and maintenance, railcar services, and rail development.

The Railmark Track Works subsidiary supplies a line of bio-based, biodegradable rail curve and switch plate lubricants. Ultralube brand railroad lubricants are manufactured from renewable USA-grown crop based oils. RAILheat utilizes an environmentally safe and energy efficient Far Infrared (FIR) technology that is designed to prevent freezing in railroad equipment and operations. These products meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Environmental Preferable Purchasing (EPP) criteria.

Rail Entertainment USA used to run the Star Clipper Dinner Train, Steel Wheels Party Train, and Pullman Palace Bed & Breakfast, along with a scenic railway operation located in Oakland County, Michigan. The Star Clipper Dinner Train is the first and oldest dinner train in the United States, dating back to early 1986. The final run of this train was on December 31, 2008.

In March 2015, it was announced that the passenger operations of Canadian National subsidiary Algoma Central Railway would be assumed by Railmark Canada Ltd. with the intention of increasing services and marketing.

In early May, 2014, it was announced that Railmark was one of four private bidders which had submitted proposals for the Chicago-Indianapolis Hoosier State passenger train, currently operated by Government-owned Amtrak.

On November 12, 2009 the company sold its Michigan Air-Line Railway to Nebraska-based Browner Turnout.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.