Harsco Rail, a division of Harsco Corporation, is one of the largest railroad maintenance equipment companies in the western hemisphere and a single international source for over 130 types and models of railway track construction and maintenance machines, road/rail vehicles, and contract services.
1905 – Fairmont Railway Motors installs two-cycle engine on a railroad hand car.
Fairmont Railway Motors was founded in Fairmont, Minnesota in 1905. Originally a supplier of railway track motor cars, Fairmont became a pioneer in the development of mechanized track maintenance equipment and introduced hydraulic power to the difficult tasks of pulling and driving track spikes and replacing ties.
1923 – Jackson creates electric vibrating hand tamper and incorporates Jackson Vibrators in 1937 and later becomes Jackson Jordan.
Electric Tamper and Equipment Company (Pandrol Jackson) was founded in 1923 by Corwill Jackson in Ludington, Michigan. The company manufactured electric vibratory hand tampers. Incorporated as Jackson Vibrators in 1937, the company later acquired the O.F. Jordan Company and became Jackson Jordan. The product line later expanded to include production and switch tampers as well as tie gang equipment.
1934 – Tamper Corporation is founded and becomes a leader in ballast undercutters, regulators, tie equipment, and utility vehicles.
Tamper Corporation, originally founded in Canada in 1934, was headquartered in West Columbia, South Carolina since 1966. Tamper's strength was in a complete line of automated tamping equipment for lifting, leveling, lining, and tamping track. A pioneer in the development of high-speed, computer-controlled tamping equipment, Tamper became the leader in user-friendly leveling and lining software. Ballast undercutters and regulators, tie replacement equipment, track inspection and utility vehicles, as well as new track construction and track renewal trains, were a part of the Tamper equipment line. A Contract Services Unit handled maintenance-of-way projects on railways throughout the world.
Fairmont Railway Motors develops HY-RAIL® which revolutionizes track inspection, service, and transportation.
1953 – Fairmont Railway Motors finalizes prototype of first hydraulic spike puller/Jackson Jordan creates first multiple tamper.
1958 – Tamper creates first completely automatic tamping workhead.
1979 – Harsco Corporation acquires Fairmont Railway Motors.
Fairmont Railway Motors was acquired by Harsco Corporation in 1979 and became a major supplier of tie replacement and spike driving equipment, rail grinders, and road/rail equipment.
1990 – Pandrol International Ltd. acquires Jackson Jordan.
Pandrol International Ltd., a subsidiary of Charter plc., acquired Jackson Jordan in 1990, along with Speno Rail Services and Dapco, and formed the Track Maintenance Division. The division was known as Pandrol Jackson and was comprised of the main offices and manufacturing facility in Ludington, Michigan; the grinder re-manufacturing and operations facility in Syracuse, New York; and the rail flaw detection research and manufacturing facility in Danbury, Connecticut. The rail flaw detection division was sold to Sperry Rail Services in 2002.
1992 – Harsco Corporation acquires Tamper, creating Fairmont Tamper
1999 – Harsco Corporation acquires Pandrol Jackson. Fairmont Tamper merges with Pandrol Jackson to become Harsco Rail
2010 – Harsco Rail successfully launches automated Drone surfacing vehicle which requires no operator.
2013 – Harsco Rail launches COMPASS™, an industrial M2M asset awareness and industrial communications telematics system.
2015 – Harsco Rail acquires Protran Technology, an industry leader in safety technology.
2015 – Harsco Rail acquires JK Rail, a provider of high wear maintenance-of-way equipment components.
