Ray Energy Opens New Rail and Truck Terminal Near NY/VT Border

Just in time for the 2018-19 winter heating season, Troy, N.Y.-based Ray Energy has commissioned its new propane rail and truck terminal in Hampton, N.Y. The 21-acre, Washington County facility is located near the New York-Vermont border. It features a 16-spot rail siding with an operational capacity of 28 railcars, and on-demand switching provided by the Vermont Railroad. Ray Energy’s railcar mover provides the ability to offload 16 cars a day.

Two dual-sided rail towers with retractable arms can unload two railcars in three hours. Piping that has been installed will allow the company to bring two additional dual-sided rail towers into service with minimal lead time. Four 60,000-gal. bulk tanks provide storage for 240,000 gallons. An expansion has been approved to raise stored tank volumes up to 360,000 gallons. Added to the 480,000 gallons that can be held in railcars, the terminal will have the ability to house 840,000 gallons, ensuring fuel availability to meet demand during peak winter months.

“With the increase in propane demand, the Northeast depends on approximately 75% of its propane supply from rail, an increase of over 50% from a few years ago,” said Ken Ray, president of Ray Energy. “Our location on the border of New York and Vermont was strategically selected to better serve propane marketers in the Northeast. We can now reliably supply our customers the volumes they need — any time of year — with improved safety and service capabilities and better efficiencies.”

Justin Ray, president of LPG supply and logistics, added that the wholesale company developed the terminal from scratch, from acquisition of the land, civil site planning, and construction of the switch off the railroad mainline. Work commenced in June 2017. Crown Energy Solutions of Windham, N.H. built the propane plant. Ray noted that many trucks headed to Selkirk, N.Y., the Northeast terminus of the TEPPCO pipeline, passed by the Hampton terminal site. “This will be a huge benefit to the area and propane retailers,” he said, “and will save three or four hours of travel time.” The terminal’s truck loading rack currently has two lanes, each with its own dedicated pump and loading station to reduce wait times during the peak winter season. State-of-the-art technology provides electronic data transmission of every load and smart hoses secure product and protect personnel. A third loading stanchion is expected to be in service by the end of this year, with expansion plans calling for a fourth independently operated truck loading bay planned for 2019. An emergency backup power system is in place to ensure outages on the electrical grid don’t interrupt operations.

The new facility includes an office building with space for propane safety training, video conferencing, and meetings, in addition to a drivers’ area with hot and cold beverages, a restroom, and a safety information area. Noted is that the Ray Energy propane rail and truck terminal will provide safer regional fuel access and easier supply management while helping to reduce truck and rail traffic to and from Albany, N.Y. terminals, greenhouse gas emissions, and infrastructure pressure on New York state highways.

Ray Energy traces its history to the 1904 founding of John Ray & Sons, an ice delivery company. Over the years, the company added coal, wood, kerosene, and fueloil to its product offerings, serving customers throughout New York’s Greater Capital Region. In 1975 Kenneth J. Ray joined the family business, launching a service division, adding gasoline, diesel, and retail propane, and eventually assuming ownership. He later divested the retail fueloil, propane, and diesel divisions, but retained ownership of the company’s premium gasoline division and midstream propane operation. The moves resulted in the formation of Ray Energy Corp.

Ray Energy’s midstream wholesale propane division calls upon pipeline, rail, and marine sources for its strategic supply, and operates its own logistics service for propane delivery to industrial and wholesale customers throughout the northeastern U.S. Ray Energy is also the exclusive supplier of PitStop high-performance gasoline, RealGas Plus, and Captain’s Choice marine gasoline.

Propane marketers interested in learning more about the terminal may contact Stephen Heffron at

or (518) 527-9194, Glenn Young at

or (518) 527-8068, or Justin Ray at

or (518) 874-4510. —John Needham