Freedom Railcar Solutions and International Engineering to Bring Railcar Repair and Modification Services to the High Desert of Colorado

PUEBLO, Colo.

Freedom Railcar Solutions, LLC, the mobile railcar repair leader in the Bakken, Niobrara and Powder River Basin areas, announced today that it has partnered with railway technology and consulting leader, International Engineering, LLC (iE) to establish a new, full-service railcar repair and modification facility in Pueblo, Colorado. The anticipated 160,000-square-foot facility will service a mixture of freight cars and tank cars with services including interior cleaning, repair, modification, exterior paint, interior lining and fabrication. The new facility will be served by the Union Pacific Railroad, which interchanges with the BNSF Railway at the site and is expected to hold 24 cars under-roof with another 230 cars between the facility property and an adjacent holding yard.

The companies expect to break ground on the new, tank car-certified repair and modification facility by early 2016 and anticipate it being operational to help customers with their railcar needs by January 2017. In the meantime, mobile railcar repair and cleaning services will be operational in 2016 to serve customers within a 250-mile radius of the Pueblo site.

“We are very excited to partner with Ryan McWilliams and International Engineering on this venture, which will not only provide a much-needed solutions-based resource for railcar owners, lessees and fleet management companies, but will also provide jobs for the Pueblo community on a site that was once one of the area’s largest employers in a city so rich with railroad history,” states Don Walsh, vice president of business development and co-founder of Freedom Railcar Solutions. “We see this as just the beginning between Freedom and International Engineering and envision future growth and additional service offerings as a result of our growing relationship not only with International Engineering but with their sister company and new railcar builder BlackIron Railcar, LLC. We anticipate this being only the first venture for the three companies together in the state of Colorado to include manufacturing,” continues Mr. Walsh.

“Integrating the capabilities of these three organizations is a tremendous advantage in a location that has been underserved for decades. The unrivaled service levels of Freedom, along with the technical aptitude of iE and BlackIron are going to provide a product that is guaranteed to set new benchmarks in the industry,” states Ryan McWilliams, chief technical officer and principal of International Engineering and BlackIron Railcar.

“The Pueblo Economic Development Corporation (PEDCO) is thrilled that Freedom Railcar Solutions, International Engineering and BlackIron Railcar have selected Pueblo as a location for one of their operations,” said Jack Rink, PEDCO president and chief executive officer. “Pueblo offers qualifying companies access to unique incentives in return for job creation projects, in addition to PEDCO’s emphasis on developing a rail industry cluster. Pueblo stands ready to demonstrate that it has the workforce, properties, manufacturing infrastructure and financial incentives that make for an ideal location.”

Rink also notes that Pueblo is the home of Evraz Rocky Mountain Steel, the largest producer of premium rail in North America; the AAR Transportation Technology Center, Inc.; Rocla Concrete Tie, Inc.; Progressive Rail Technologies; and several other leading railroad companies.

Please visit www.FreedomRailcarSolutions.com and www.International-Engineering.com for more information.

About Freedom Railcar Solutions, LLC

Freedom Railcar Solutions was formed in 2014 to address the increasing need for on-site and mobile railcar repair and maintenance services in the Bakken Shale and other crude-by-rail markets. The company is led by Kevin Goins, president, and Don Walsh, vice president of business development. Both are rail industry veterans and bring Freedom Railcar a total of 37 years of experience. Freedom Railcar is based in Mustang, Oklahoma, and maintains strategically located, state-of-the-art mobile repair units equipped to respond directly to locations in North Dakota and Wyoming. Repair services will be conducted by the most highly skilled, certified technicians. Services will include the repair and replacement of vacuum relief valves, manway lids and eyebolts, load valves, bottom outlet valve handles, brake parts, stencils, AEI tags and safety appliances.

About International Engineering, LLC

Based in Pueblo, Colorado, International Engineering provides solution-based technologies, commercial and technical consulting, as well as best-in-class hardware and software solutions to the railway industry. The company’s engineered and field-tested products as well as state-of-the-art consulting solutions are supported by decades of diverse, real-world experience. Additionally, both internal and external research and development programs continuously enhance our leading-edge subject knowledge.

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Meredith Hargrove Howard
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