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# DFSP Selma Railcar Replacement

By Connie BraeschDLA Energy Public Affairs

Newly leased 30,000 gallon railcars with improved safety features are providing increased fuel capability at the Defense Fuel Support Point Selma, North Carolina.

While tank trucks and pipelines are commonly used methods of fuel delivery, rail delivery is more efficient for the military services who use DFSP Selma. 

When the aging 30-year-old 20,000 gallon Department of Defense-owned railcars needed an upgrade, Defense Logistics Agency Energy Americas at Houston, Texas, launched a plan to help ensure the new leased railcars were safe and reliable. DLA Energy not only contracts supply of bulk petroleum products but also oversees the distribution and transportation to the customer. 

Quality control personnel at DLA Energy Americas at Houston, in conjunction with DLA Energy Quality and Technical Support Directorate, established and implemented a stringent testing and acceptance regimen for the initial inspection of the leased Norfolk Southern Railroad 30,000 gallon cars. All 25 new railcars have passed quality inspection.

Leading the way on-site at DFSP Selma are Supply Manager Randy Cottrell; Quality Assurance Representative and Contracting Officer Representative Mike Purkey; and Supply Planner Nathan Nichols, all from DLA Energy Americas at Houston.

“This project is important to DLA Energy in order to stay in compliance with railroad requirements and to upgrade the aging DoD-owned railcars that were receiving safety discrepancies from the Federal Railroad Administration inspectors, resulting in cars being grounded until the issues were corrected,” Cottrell said.

DFSP Selma railcars are loaded with DLA Energy-owned fuel destined for Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, both in North Carolina. The U.S. Army Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command owns the aging DoD railcars.

“According to SDDC, the 30-year-old DoD railcars have reached their economic life span, in which maintenance costs are becoming very expensive,” said DLA Energy Americas at Houston Plans and Operations Officer Air Force Maj. Charles Morton. “The aging DoD-owned railcar fleet needs to be replaced with a more modern and safer type railcar. The vision is to have the aging fleet of railcars decommissioned and continue providing DLA Energy’s customers fuel with leased cars before 2021.” 

SDDC agreed to a phase-out plan, which allowed for decommissioning of 56 railcars in 2018, 25 more cars phased out in December 2019, and the remaining 20 cars retired in December 2020, Morton added.

Recently, rail delivery to Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, loading from DFSP Charleston was decommissioned leaving DFSP Selma as the only terminal in the DLA Americas at Houston region that still uses railcar. 

“This project helps to modernize DLA Energy’s delivery method,” Cottrell said. “While tank truck delivery is the secondary method of receiving fuel at both Seymour Johnson AFB and MCAS, it isn’t the most efficient when considering the extra personnel required to receive trucks over railcars.”

A military construction project has been established to upgrade Seymour AFB’s truck off-loading area but there is no estimated date of completion for that project, and MCAS Cherry Point doesn’t have sufficient manpower to support 100 percent truck delivery on a steady basis, he said. Both Seymour Johnson AFB and MCAS Cherry Point prefer to receive jet fuel by rail because it is less labor intensive to offload than trucks, he added.

“The railcar initiative ensures uninterrupted Warfighter support, while also highlighting how integral DLA Energy is in the transportation of fuel to meet our partner needs,” said DLA Energy Americas at Houston Commander Army Lt. Col. Josielyn Carrasquillo.

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