Railroad
Ties
The railroad. It
beckons to a more innocent time. When the sound of a steam whistle transported
a schoolboy’s imagination to distant lands. When politicians delivered
their campaign speeches from the back of a caboose.
Few of man’s
inventions have stirred the passions and shaped the development of a
country as completely as this most unique form of transportation.
Significantly,
no other insurance provider’s history is as closely connected with
the history of the railroad industry as Canton Agency. As the most experienced
railroad insurance provider, it’s only fitting that we’re
located right outside Baltimore, Maryland, the birthplace of the American
railroad.
Canton Agency and
our sister company, the Canton Railroad, emerged from the Canton Company
of Baltimore, chartered over 150 years ago to trade goods with Canton,
China.
In order to fully
service Baltimore’s harbor, it founded the Canton Railroad, and
Canton Packing and Warehousing.
As the interests
of the Canton Company grew, so did its need for insurance. Canton Agency,
founded in 1969, began to serve those needs. In the early 1970’s,
after developing insurance programs for our own sister companies, we
were asked to develop a liability program for other railroads.
Then, in the face
of the worst insurance crisis ever, Canton introduced a railroad liability
program that provided new hope. Limited pollution and evacuation expense
coverage were made available again. Pollution cleanup expense was introduced.
Later, limited pollution coverage was extended beyond the site of a
railroad accident. Extended reporting periods were guaranteed at no
additional cost. A new rating formula was introduced, recognizing railroads
for superior management, maintenance and safety standards.
This program demonstrated
what could be accomplished when commitment and vision are combined in
one insurance provider.
Moving
Right Along
Old railroad systems
have been reorganized. New railroads have emerged. Group railroads have
appeared. As has the demand for experienced guidance in railroad insurance
coverage.
Year after year,
Canton Agency has listened to the needs and responded to the unique
challenges of railroad people and their brokers. We’re proud to
say that we offer the broadest railroad liability insurance coverage
in the world.
As a broker’s
broker, we offer a variety of programs to meet the needs of all types
of railroads, rail transit systems, railroad contractors, railcar owners
and managers, railcar shops and manufactures of railroad products.
As the exclusive
managing underwriter for railroad liability here in the United States
with Underwriters at Lloyd’s, London, Canton works closely with
the world insurance and reinsurance market.
We offer insurance
coverage not available from other insurers. Limited pollution coverage
while not at the site of a collision, for example. We go beyond the
call with our 24 hour toll-free emergency hotline. We can have someone
on the scene of an accident quickly when you need us. No one conducts
more complete safety checks or thorough recommendations on loss prevention
than we do. Our people actually ride the railroad. And walk the tracks.
Railroads are not
something we dabble in. They’re our business.
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