El Dorado and Wesson Railway
Overview
HeadquartersEl Dorado, Arkansas
Reporting markEDW
LocaleArkansas
Dates of operation1905–present
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

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

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "El Dorado & Wesson Railway EDW #247". Union Pacific. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Railroads, lumber mills have long history in Union Co". Janice McIntyre, El Dorado News-Times, November 5, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2021.


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