About DRG

As we get further from railroading’s Golden Age, the intellectual infrastructure to support the ongoing maintenance, repair, and overhaul of rail equipment continues to dwindle. Railroading’s intellectual infrastructure is simply the knowledge to inspect, evaluate, plan, and execute proper repairs with the right materials, including sourcing parts for sometimes decades-old equipment.

While our founder, Michael Brown, was working full-time for one of America’s leading operating railroad museums, he would regularly speak with associates from other organizations who were always inquiring as to availability of knowledgeable contractors and consultants. With permission from his employer, he began doing freelance contracting as a way to bolster his income. As word-of-mouth and referrals grew, the freelance work began to take more and more of his time. This led Michael to pursue contract and consulting work on a full-time basis, and eventually he founded Diamond Rail Group. He still maintains an active relationship with his former employer on a part-time consulting basis.

What We Do

From the beginning, field service and restoration work has been a significant part of our business. This is driven by one primary factor: economics. For many jobs, it is usually less expensive to perform the work on-site than it is to move rail equipment to a shop location. Along the way, we’ve added services that are fundamentally related to the work we do – parts sourcing, equipment management and onboard service procurement, assistance with equipment sales and purchases, and appraisals of historic railroad equipment.

What Makes Us Different

As a small organization in a somewhat specialized field, we focus on building relationships with our clients and our colleagues. We don’t hesitate to collaborate with other companies and individuals to get the job done, with a focus on quality. Quality means doing it right when no one is looking and building the client’s point-of-view into every aspect of a project, from design to final completion. Our clients have included class one railroads, regionals, shortlines, tourist railroads, railroad museums, equipment leasing companies, and private railcar owner/operators. If you’re looking for knowledgeable help on your next project from a company passionate about safety and quality, don’t hesitate to give us a call.