Arkansas and Missouri Railroad

Infobox SG rail
railroad_name=Arkansas and Missouri Railroad
logo_filename=Ark&MoRR.jpg
logo_size=150px
old_gauge=
marks=AM
locale=Arkansas, Missouri
start_year=1880
end_year=present
hq_city=Springdale, Arkansas

Arkansas and Missouri Railroad reporting mark|AM is a short-line railroad headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas.

A&M operates 139.5 miles of line from Fort Smith, Arkansas to Monett, Missouri. A&M interchanges 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 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. The Fort Smith Railroad is owned by Pioneer Railcorp of Peoria, IL.

Operations are based out of the headquarters location in Springdale as well as Fort Smith. A&M's customers are predominantly located in those two geographic areas. A&M substantially upgraded its rail line between 2002 and 2005 and features continuous welded rail across its entire main line. The line handles 286,000 lb. railcars and is double stack-cleared throughout. Most traffic is handled in scheduled A&M freight trains although shuttle trains of corn make regular appearances in the Springdale area with run-through locomotives from Union Pacific. Freight services operate seven days per week.

A&M traffic generally consists of grain and feed supplements, paper products, sand, plastic, food products, steel, scrap,lumber, aluminum, and mineral products. AM also operates seasonal excursion trains between Springdale, Van Buren, and Winslow, Arkansas. Excursion trains generally operate Friday and Saturday April - November, featuring a tunnel and several major trestles as they pass through the Boston Mountains. Trains operate Sundays between Springdale and Fort Smith, Arkansas in the summer. Additional trains operate in the October - November fall foliage season and special trains operate at other times of the year. More details can be found at www.arkansasmissouri-rr.com.

The line was built between 1880 and 1882 by the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad ("Frisco"), a predecessor of Burlington Northern Santa Fe, and was leased to AM in 1986.The A & M completed purchase of the property in early 2001. The lease of "the Bottoms" (former Missouri Pacific trackage) occurred in 2000. A&M serves numerous warehouse and transload facilities, as well as port facilities on the Arkansas River in Fort Smith and Van Buren.

The A&M also uses an all Alco/MLW locomotive fleet. This fleet consists of a mix of C-420s, T-6s, an RS-32, two C-424s, three MLW M-420's and one MLW/Bombardier HR-412. The company also retains an ALCO RS-1.

External links

* [http://www.arkansasmissouri-rr.com Arkansas & Missouri Railroad Website]
* [http://newdomino.bnsf.com/website/shortlin.nsf/e631ecf5f61f7f3e8625651500721a6a/78a33665f8e91af9062565940072a876?OpenDocument BNSF Railway Website with A&M Details]
* [http://www.uprr.com/customers/shortline/lines/am.shtml Union Pacific Website with AM Details]