After a career of about 15 years with Union Pacific and Canadian National (CN), Robert J. Riley began to offer contract switching services around 2010.

Startup by March 1 was delayed, as the Surface Transportation Board approval was slowed down by partial references to an older operator, Gulf and Ohio Railways d.b.a.

It grants Rock Island Rail common carrier operation on about 0.2 miles of track at Swan Lake, Mississippi.

The county owned port authority had acquired this line from Illinois Central in 1981 and operated it under the name Great River Railroad until 2001, when the tracks had to be embargoed.

Coahoma County's rail infrastructure, summarily called Mississippi Delta Railroad, is about 85 miles (137 km) long and consists of three lines.

Additionally, the company offers to serve customer sidings along the network and team tracks at Sumner, Clarksdale and Coahoma.

Rock Island Rail additionally owns an EMD GP30 (#3024), two former BNSF SD38-2's (#’s 1555 and 1559), a GP20E (#2003), a GE C40-8 (#2127), a NW2R switcher (#109), a former Amtrak F40PHR (#310, originally AMTK 392), at least six Cabooses and some freight cars.

Light maintenance of the equipment takes place in Sumner, as Rock Island Rail is not using the small depot in Clarksdale which had been utilized by the previous two operators of Mississippi Delta Railroad.