Arkansas and Missouri Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Arkansas and Missouri Railroad is a short-line railroad headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas
.
The A & M, as it is known, operates 139.5 miles (224.5 km) of line from Fort Smith, Arkansas
to Monett, Missouri
. The railroad interchanges freight cars with Kansas City Southern Railway
at Fort Smith, with Union Pacific Railroad
at Van Buren, Arkansas
and with BNSF Railway
at Monett, MO. A branch line connects Bentonville, Arkansas
, with the main line at Rogers, Arkansas. A & M also leases 3.2 miles (5.1 km) of track (locally known as "the Bottoms") from Union Pacific at Van Buren, and provides haulage services for Union Pacific between Van Buren and the Fort Smith Railroad
in Fort Smith.
Operations are based out of the headquarters location in Springdale as well as Fort Smith. Freight customers are predominantly located in those two geographic areas. The rail line was substantially upgraded between 2002 and 2005 and features continuous welded rail across its entire main line. The line handles 286000 lb (129,727.4 kg) railcars and has vertical clearances sufficient for double-stack intermodal cars throughout. Most traffic is handled in scheduled freight trains although shuttle trains of corn make regular appearances in the Springdale area using locomotives from Union Pacific. Freight services operate seven days per week.
Traffic generally consists of grain and feed supplements, paper
products, sand
, plastic
, food products, steel
, scrap, lumber
, aluminum,
and mineral products.
, Winslow
and Van Buren, Arkansas
. Trains generally operate Friday and Saturday from April to November. The route features a tunnel and several major trestles as it passes through the Boston Mountains. Additional trains operate Sundays between Springdale and Fort Smith, Arkansas
in the summer. Special trains operate in the October - November fall foliage season and at other times of the year.
The company also uses an all-Alco
/MLW
locomotive fleet. This fleet consists of C-420s
, T-6s
, C-424
s, M-420s, and one each RS-32
, HR-412, and RS-1
.
Springdale, Arkansas
As of the census of 2010, there were 69,797 people, 22,805 households, and 16,640 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 64.7% White, 0.82% Black or African American, 1.8% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 5.7% Pacific Islander, 22% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more...
.
The A & M, as it is known, operates 139.5 miles (224.5 km) of line from Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
to Monett, Missouri
Monett, Missouri
Monett is a city in Monett Township in Barry County and Pierce Township in Lawrence County, Missouri, United States. The population was 8,873 at the 2010 census...
. The railroad interchanges freight cars with Kansas City Southern Railway
Kansas City Southern Railway
The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation. KCS was founded in 1887 and is currently operating in a region consisting of ten central U.S. states...
at Fort Smith, with Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
at Van Buren, Arkansas
Van Buren, Arkansas
Van Buren is the second largest city in the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area and the county seat of Crawford County, Arkansas, United States. The city is located directly northeast of Fort Smith at the Interstate 40 - Interstate 540 junction...
and with BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
at Monett, MO. A branch line connects Bentonville, Arkansas
Bentonville, Arkansas
Bentonville, Arkansas is a city in Northwest Bahamas, and county seat of Benton County, Arkansas, United States The population was 35,301 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers, AR-MO Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, with the main line at Rogers, Arkansas. A & M also leases 3.2 miles (5.1 km) of track (locally known as "the Bottoms") from Union Pacific at Van Buren, and provides haulage services for Union Pacific between Van Buren and the Fort Smith Railroad
Fort Smith Railroad
The Fort Smith Railroad is a short-line railroad headquartered in Fort Smith, Arkansas.FSR operates an 18 mile line in Arkansas from Fort Smith to Fort Chaffee.FSR traffic generally consists of grain, food products, paper products, scrap and finished...
in Fort Smith.
Operations are based out of the headquarters location in Springdale as well as Fort Smith. Freight customers are predominantly located in those two geographic areas. The rail line was substantially upgraded between 2002 and 2005 and features continuous welded rail across its entire main line. The line handles 286000 lb (129,727.4 kg) railcars and has vertical clearances sufficient for double-stack intermodal cars throughout. Most traffic is handled in scheduled freight trains although shuttle trains of corn make regular appearances in the Springdale area using locomotives from Union Pacific. Freight services operate seven days per week.
Traffic generally consists of grain and feed supplements, paper
Paper
Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
products, sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
, plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
, food products, steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, scrap, lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
, aluminum,
and mineral products.
Passenger service
The company also operates seasonal excursion trains between SpringdaleSpringdale, Arkansas
As of the census of 2010, there were 69,797 people, 22,805 households, and 16,640 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 64.7% White, 0.82% Black or African American, 1.8% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 5.7% Pacific Islander, 22% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more...
, Winslow
Winslow, Arkansas
Winslow is a city in Washington County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 399 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Area.-History:...
and Van Buren, Arkansas
Van Buren, Arkansas
Van Buren is the second largest city in the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area and the county seat of Crawford County, Arkansas, United States. The city is located directly northeast of Fort Smith at the Interstate 40 - Interstate 540 junction...
. Trains generally operate Friday and Saturday from April to November. The route features a tunnel and several major trestles as it passes through the Boston Mountains. Additional trains operate Sundays between Springdale and Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
in the summer. Special trains operate in the October - November fall foliage season and at other times of the year.
History
The line was built between 1880 and 1882 by the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway ("Frisco"), a predecessor of Burlington Northern Santa Fe, and was leased to the Arkansas and Missouri in 1986. The company completed purchase of the property in early 2001. The lease of Union Pacific trackage in an area known as "the Bottoms" occurred in 2000. The railroad serves numerous warehouse and transload facilities, as well as port facilities on the Arkansas River in Fort Smith and Van Buren.The company also uses an all-Alco
American Locomotive Company
The American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO or Alco , was a builder of railroad locomotives in the United States.-Early history:...
/MLW
Montreal Locomotive Works
Montreal Locomotive Works was a Canadian railway locomotive manufacturer which existed under several names from 1883–1985, producing both steam and diesel locomotives. For a number of years it was a subsidiary of the American Locomotive Company...
locomotive fleet. This fleet consists of C-420s
ALCO Century 420
The ALCO Century 420 was a four-axle, 2000 horsepower diesel locomotive of the road switcher type. 131 were built between June 1963 and August 1968. Cataloged as a part of ALCO's "Century" line of locomotives, the C420 was intended to replace the earlier RS-32 model.- Original Owners :Since...
, T-6s
ALCO T-6
The Alco T6 was a diesel-electric locomotive of the switcher type rated at , that rode on two-axle trucks, having a B-B wheel arrangement....
, C-424
ALCO Century 424
The Century 424 was a four-axle, 2400 horsepower diesel locomotive of the road switcher type. 190 were built between April 1963 and May 1967. Cataloged as a part of Alco's Century line of locomotives, the C424 was intended to replace the earlier RS-27 model and offered as a lower-priced...
s, M-420s, and one each RS-32
ALCO RS-32
The ALCO RS-32 is a locomotive of which 35 were produced by ALCO between June 1961 and June 1962 for two customers: the New York Central Railroad and the Southern Pacific Company....
, HR-412, and RS-1
ALCO RS-1
The ALCO RS-1 was a 4-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by Alco-GE between 1941 and 1953 and the American Locomotive Company from 1953 to 1960. This model has the distinction of having the longest production run of any diesel locomotive for the North American market.The carbody configuration of...
.