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MEDIA CONTACT	ED WHALEN
TEL.	(312) 928-0856
FAX	(312) 928-0890
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	February 25, 2004

Johnstown America delivers aggregate cars to Wheeling and Lake Erie

Johnstown, Pennsylvania, February 25, 2004 - The Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway, Brewster, Ohio, took delivery of 50 aggregate cars from Johnstown America Corporation this month. The cars were converted from steel rapid discharge coal cars into smaller cubic capacity cars for carrying aggregates. Johnstown America made the conversion by cutting a two-hopper, 13-foot long center section out of the 5-hopper coal cars and reassembling them. The resulting triple hopper cars are now certified to carry 286,000 lbs. gross rail load. The automatic discharge mechanism was also refurbished.

Larry Parsons, W&LE chairman and CEO, said, "We are excited to get these cars, because they are a step forward in the quality of the equipment we are furnishing our shippers. These cars work very well for us hauling stone and aggregates, an important part of our railroad's business."

For over a century Johnstown America Corporation has been a leading producer of new railcars in North America. Some of the car types JAC designs and builds are aluminum coal cars (it is the industry leader), flat cars, mill gondola cars, heavy haul intermodal cars, the new AVC aluminum motor vehicle carrier, and the VersaCoil™ steel coil car. Johnstown America also is a major rebuilder of freight cars.

For over a century Johnstown America Corporation has been a leading producer of railcars in North America. In addition to developing the five, seven and nine-trough VersaCoil steel coil cars, other car types JAC designs and builds are aluminum coal cars (it is the industry leader), flat cars, mill gondola cars, heavy haul intermodal cars, and the new AVC aluminum motor vehicle carrier.

Johnstown America Corporation converted 50 coal hopper cars into the above auto discharge aggregate hopper cars for Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway.

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