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]
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | El Dorado, Arkansas |
| Reporting mark | EDW |
| Locale | Arkansas |
| Dates of operation | 1905–present |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
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
- "El Dorado & Wesson Railway EDW #247". Union Pacific. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- "Railroads, lumber mills have long history in Union Co". Janice McIntyre, El Dorado News-Times, November 5, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2021.