El Dorado and Wesson Railway
The El Dorado & Wesson Railway is a shortline rail carrier in the state of Arkansas,[1] Its line runs 5.5 miles from El Dorado, Arkansas to Newell, Arkansas.[1]
History
The backstory of the line begins with the opening of a small lumber mill in Wesson, Arkansas in 1904.[2] The Arkansas Southern Railroad built a five mile spur to the mill, which the railroad continued to own but which was operated by the mill.[2] However, as the mill expanded, its owners decided to make a change, and on September 17, 1905 incorporated the El Dorado & Wesson Railway.[1] That railroad built 10.2 miles of track from Wesson to El Dorado in October 1907, allowing the mill to bypass the Arkansas Southern trackage and interconnect with another railroad directly.[2][1]
For a time, the line also carried passengers, but that ended about 1953.[1] In January, 1959, trackage was abandoned between Wesson and Oak Hill, Arkansas, about 6.9 miles.[1] However, about 2 miles of that line was reopened from Oak Hill to Newell in 1961.[1] Thus the line as currently configured has about 5.5 miles of track from El Dorado to Newell.[1]
Operations
Traffic on the line is petroleum products, chemicals, and medium density fiberboard.[1]
The line interconnects with the Union Pacific at El Dorado.[1]
The company employs 11 people.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "El Dorado & Wesson Railway EDW #247". Union Pacific. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Railroads, lumber mills have long history in Union Co". Janice McIntyre, El Dorado News-Times, November 5, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
External links
- Link to Union Pacific Website with EDW Details
- v
- t
- e
- Arkansas Midland Railroad
- Arkansas, Louisiana & Mississippi Railroad
- Arkansas Southern Railroad
- Bauxite & Northern Railway
- BNSF
- Caddo Valley Railroad
- CPKC
- De Queen & Eastern Railroad
- Dardanelle & Russellville Railroad
- Delta Southern Railroad
- Delta Valley and Southern Railway
- East Camden and Highland Railroad
- El Dorado & Wesson Railway
- Fordyce and Princeton Railroad
- Fort Smith Railroad
- Kiamichi Railroad
- Louisiana & North West Railroad
- Little Rock Port Authority Railroad
- Little Rock & Western Railway
- Missouri & Northern Arkansas Railroad
- Ouachita Railroad
- Prescott & Northwestern Railroad
- Union Pacific
- Warren & Saline River Railroad
- See also: Former carriers in Arkansas
- List of United States railroads by political division