The founder of R. J. Corman Railroad Group, Richard J. Corman, has been posthumously inducted into the ASLRRA Short Line Railroad Industry Hall of Fame. 

The Hall of Fame was established in 2020 to honor short line railroad visionaries and leaders whose dedication, innovation, and perseverance have advanced the industry. Each year, ASLRRA selects a class of inductees who exemplify entrepreneurial spirit and service to the rail community. 

Richard J. Corman (1955–2013) was a self-made entrepreneur whose determination, generosity, and vision left a lasting mark on the short line railroad industry. Born in Nicholasville, Kentucky, Corman began his career in 1973 with a rented backhoe and a dump truck, performing railroad construction jobs. Through hard work and ingenuity, he expanded his business from local projects to major contracts with Class I railroads, eventually building R. J. Corman Railroad Group into a leading railroad service and short line operation. 

Corman’s bold decision to acquire his first short line in 1987 marked the birth of R. J. Corman Railroad Company. Today, the company owns 19 short line operations stretching over 1,400 miles and employs approximately 1,400 people across 70 locations. His pioneering approach to vertical integration created subsidiaries that serve every aspect of railroad operations: rail transportation, construction, derailment services, signaling, material sales, switching, and even passenger excursions via My Old Kentucky Dinner Train. 

Beyond business success, Rick Corman was known for his generosity and commitment to the Nicholasville community. He quietly assisted individuals and funded projects that improved the quality of life in his hometown, including the creation of the Saint Joseph’s Jessamine R. J. Corman Ambulatory Care Center. After being diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2001, he established the Richard J. Corman Multiple Myeloma Research Fund to support groundbreaking research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. 

Corman passed away in 2013 at age 58 after battling cancer for over a decade, but his spirit lives on in every mile of track, every red locomotive or red truck, and every employee who carries forward his legacy. Today, R. J. Corman Railroad Group sets the standard for service and reliability in the railroad industry; Rick Corman’s vision, resilience, and values remain embedded in the culture of R. J. Corman Railroad Group and in the short line industry he helped shape. 

We are grateful to ASLRRA for recognizing Rick Corman’s lasting impact on the railroad industry and for honoring his legacy through this induction. 

To learn more about Rick Corman’s life and career, read his full bio for the ASLRRA Short Line Railroad Industry Hall of Fame here.