Fritz-Rumer-Cooke was established in 1879 and was incorporated in Ohio in 1911. With over 145 years of continuous operation, we are one of the oldest and most trusted names in the industry. 

Today, the company is managed by the 5th generation of the Cooke family, along with a group of dedicated and experienced employees.

FRC is proud to contract with major Class-I Railroads; regional, shortline, municipality, and scenic railroads; and other companies in the manufacturing, distribution, and intermodal industries that utilize rail transportation.

Early on, FRC did mostly bridge structure work, either of wood trestle, steel, poured concrete or cut stone. In fact, the company once owned a limestone quarry in Morrow County, Ohio, specifically to produce stone blocks for their bridge work. Now, FRC performs a wide array of work including track construction and related services, track design and engineering, new track construction, track repair and maintenance, emergency services 24 hrs./day 7 days/week, and track inspections by FRA Certified Track Inspectors.

For about 50 years FRC’s offices were within the Columbus Union Station complex until the station’s closure in the 1970s. As Union Station closed, FRC acquired a pair of railroad passenger cars for use as company offices and placed them at the Woodrow Ave tool yard location.

POSTCARD ANNOUNCING MOVE OF OFFICES TO WOODROW LOCATION WOODROW AVE YARD                             TRAIN CAR OFFICES (TO THE RIGHT), circa 1983                 

In late 2014 FRC moved their offices from the aging railcars next door to the old Federal Glass office building. Components of the old EL diner car have been donated to the Erie Lackawanna Dining Car Preservation Society, aiding to restore sister car #741. In 2016 the NYC baggage car was trucked off the property to ride the rails once again on the Zanesville & Western Scenic RR.