Overview | |
---|---|
Headquarters | Russellville, Arkansas |
Reporting mark | ARS |
Locale | Arkansas and Oklahoma |
Dates of operation | 2005–Present |
Technical | |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
Length | 63 mi (101 km) |
The Arkansas Southern Railroad ( reporting mark ARS) is a short-line railroad which started service in October 2005. [1] ARS operates two disconnected lines consisting of Heavener, Oklahoma to Waldron, Arkansas (32 miles), and Ashdown to Nashville, Arkansas (29 miles), plus a switch track at Ashdown, [1] for a total of 63 miles. [2] The lines are leased from Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS) to ARS's owner, the Watco Companies (Watco). [3]
The Ashdown to Nashville trackage (now known as the Southern Branch), which also serves Saratoga, Tollette, and Mineral Springs, Arkansas, [3] started in 1907 as the Memphis, Paris & Gulf Railroad, later reorganized as the Graysonia, Nashville & Ashdown Railroad. [4] By mid-century, 75% of its business came from hauling cement and quarry rock. [4] After the line was relocated in the 1960's to make room for a dam project, it was purchased in 1998 by KCS. [4] Watco leased the line in 2005, [3] and ARS began operating it in October of 2005. [4]
The Heavener to Waldron line (now known as the Northern Branch), which also serves Bates, Cauthron, and Hon, Arkansas, [3] was completed in 1901 by the Arkansas Western Railroad (later the Arkansas Western Railway), after the KCS had arrived in Heavener five years earlier. [5] In 1904, the line became a KCS subsidiary. [5] In 1960, a large feed mill was built in Waldron, and by the time Tyson Foods acquired the mill, traffic on the rail line was down to twice-a-week shipments of animal food to that plant. [5] With so little traffic, maintenance was deferred and the line deteriorated. [5] In 1983, state and federal funds went to rehabilitating the line. [5] In 1992, Arkansas Western Railroad was merged into KCS, and in 2005, KCS leased the line to Watco. [5] The plant remains a major customer. [5]
The ARS has eight employees and four locomotives. [4]
The tonnage today is primarily corn and soy, carbon dioxide, and chemicals such as bauxite and acid. [2] The line also offers car storage. [2] [4]
On the Northern Branch, the railroad interchanges with the KCS at Heavener. [2] On the Southern Branch, it interchanges with the KCS at Ashdown, and the Union Pacific Railroad at Nashville. [2]
In 2020, the leases from the KCS on the lines were extended through November 30, 2034. [1]