Farmrail Corporation
 Farmrail 8267, anEMD GP10,sits idle inWeatherford, Oklahoma,February 18, 2017. | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Clinton,Oklahoma |
| Reporting mark | FMRC |
| Locale | Oklahoma |
| Dates of operation | 1981– |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft8+1⁄2in(1,435 mm)standard gauge |
| Other | |
| Website | www |
Farmrail System, Inc.is an employee-owned holding company for two Class III common-carrier railroads comprising "Western Oklahoma’s Regional Railroad" based inClinton,Oklahoma.Farmrail Corporation(reporting markFMRC) has acted since 1981 as a lessee-operator forOklahoma Department of Transportation,managing an 82-mile east-west formerRock Islandline between Weatherford and Erick and an additional 89 miles of former Santa Fe track, Westhorn-Elmer, acquired by the State in 1992 from theATSF Railway.[1]Another wholly owned affiliate,Grainbelt Corporation (GNBC),was formed in 1987 to buy 176 contiguous north-south route-miles linkingEnidandFrederick.[2]
Operations
[edit]Farmrail Corporation(reporting markFMRC), operates two connected lines:
- An 82-mile (132 km) line fromErick, Oklahoma,through Clinton, toWeatherford, Oklahoma.
- A 104-mile (167 km) line fromWesthorn, Oklahoma,through Clinton, toElmer, Oklahoma.[3]
Grainbelt Corporation(reporting markGNBC), 176 miles (283 km) of lines fromEnid, Oklahoma,toFrederick, Oklahoma,and over 59 miles (95 km) ofBNSF Railwaytrackage rights fromSnyder, Oklahoma,toQuanah, Texas.
In addition, FMRC operatesFinger Lakes RailwayCorporation (reporting markFGLK) as part of a joint venture; FGLK operates 168 miles of railway in New York state.[4]
FMRC and Grainbelt traffic includeswheat,steelproducts,fertilizer,rail cars undergoing repair,gypsumrock and associated products, oil field materials,cotton,lumber,feed grains and meals, and farm implements.
The FMRC lines are owned by the state ofOklahomaand were leased to FMRC in 1993. The Grainbelt line began operations as a short-line railroad in 1987.
BNSFnamed Farmrail System as its “Shortline of the Year” in 2017, citing the company’s entrepreneurial spirit and diligence in attracting new customers, and specifically noting Farmrail’s replacement of 8,400 crossties and more than 10,000 tons of ballast in less than one month to revitalize a siding and capture new business.[5]
Equipment
[edit]| Model | Road number |
|---|---|
| EMD SW9 | 169 |
| EMD GP9 | 280, 286, 289, 297, 316-317, 331, 1702, 3648, 6083 |
| EMD GP7 | 617, 620, 1555 |
| EMD GP10 | 1981, 8251, 8253, 8335 |
| EMD GP38-2 | 2100, 2105-2108, 2302 & 2304, 2309, 2314 |
| EMD GP38 | 2675 |
| source:[6] | |
References
[edit]- ^"Farmrail (Railroad): Roster, Overview, History".American-Rails.com.Retrieved11 April2021.
- ^"Farmrail System, Inc".www.farmrail.com.Retrieved11 April2021.
- ^"Farmrail (Railroad): Roster, Overview, History".
- ^"Finger Lakes Railway - Geneva, New York - Freight and Passenger Service".Archived fromthe originalon 2008-04-06.Retrieved2011-08-08.
- ^"BNSF names Farmrail 'Shortline of the Year'".BNSF.RetrievedOctober 18,2021.
- ^Farmrail Co. roster
