Glīd Technologies Corporation (Glīd) on April 30 reported that it is teaming with Mendocino Railway, operator of the California Western Railroad (CWR)/Skunk Train, to pilot its Glider M, a “hybrid-powered manned road-to-rail vehicle,” and the AR2RV, an “Autonomous Road-to-Rail Vehicle.”
The pilot will take place this year across CWR, a 40-mile Class III that runs in Mendocino County, Calif., between Fort Bragg and Willits. According to Glīd, it will evaluate the “performance, reliability, and scalability of Glīd’s mobility systems,” which are designed to move shipping containers (Glider M) or semi-trailers (AR2RV). (See video below of the Glider M).
With the road-to-rail Glīders, Glīd said it “integrates human-assisted autonomy with its AI-driven EZRA-1SIX logistics platform to optimize port, rail and industrial operations.” The vehicles, it noted, eliminate the need for “cranes, forklifts, chassis, and excess staging.”
Mendocino Railway, a sister company of Sierra Northern Railway, owns the assets of the CWR, on which the Skunk Train has been operating since 1885. It also runs the Sacramento RiverTrain/River Fox Train in Yolo County and Sunburst Railbikes in Ventura County.
“This partnership captures the spirit of the Skunk Train—timeless in its roots, bold in its future,” said Robert Jason Pinoli, President and CEO of Mendocino Railway. “We’re excited to work alongside Glīd to chart a path forward where innovation and tradition not only coexist but thrive.”
“This isn’t just about technology—it’s about legacy, opportunity, and transformation,” said Kevin Damoa, CEO of Glīd. “Mendocino Railway has preserved a critical regional lifeline. Together, we’re infusing it with a new purpose, deploying clean, intelligent freight mobility that can serve as a national model for short line rail innovation and rural economic development.”
