The Arkansas Southern Railroad is a

short-line railroad :''Short Line is also one of the four railroads in the American version of the popular board game Monopoly, named after the Shore Fast Line, an interurban streetcar line.'' A shortline railroad is a small or mid-sized railroad company that opera ...

which started service in October 2005. ARS operates two disconnected lines consisting of

Heavener, Oklahoma Heavener is a city in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,414 at the 2010 census, an increase of 6.7 percent from 3,201 at the 2000 census.

Waldron, Arkansas Waldron is a city in Scott County, Arkansas, United States. Its population was 3,386 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Scott County. History Waldron was platted in 1845 by surveyor W. P. Waldron, and named for him. A post offic ...

(32 miles), and Ashdown to

Nashville, Arkansas Nashville is a city in Howard County, Arkansas, Howard County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 4,627 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The estimated population in 2018 was 4,425. The city is the county seat of Howard Count ...

(29 miles), plus a switch track at Ashdown, for a total of 63 miles. The lines are leased from

Kansas City Southern Railway The Kansas City Southern Railway Company is an American Class I railroad. Founded in 1887, it operates in 10 midwestern and southeastern U.S. states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and ...

(KCS) to ARS's owner, the Watco Companies (Watco).

History

The Ashdown to Nashville trackage (now known as the Southern Branch), which also serves Saratoga, Tollette, and

Mineral Springs, Arkansas Mineral Springs is a city in Howard County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,208 at the 2010 census. Geography Mineral Springs is located in southern Howard County at (33.876358, -93.918599). Arkansas Highway 27 runs through the ce ...

, started in 1907 as the Memphis, Paris & Gulf Railroad, later reorganized as the Graysonia, Nashville & Ashdown Railroad. By mid-century, 75% of its business came from hauling cement and quarry rock. After the line was relocated in the 1960's to make room for a dam project, it was purchased in 1998 by KCS. Watco leased the line in 2005, and ARS began operating it in October of 2005. The Heavener to Waldron line (now known as the Northern Branch), which also serves

Bates Bates may refer to: Places * Bates, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Bates, Illinois. an unincorporated community in Sangamon County * Bates, Michigan, a community in Grand Traverse County * Bates, New York, a hamlet in the town of Elli ...

, Cauthron, and

Hon, Arkansas Hon is an unincorporated community in Scott County, Arkansas, United States. History The community was named after the family of John Hon, which settled the area in the 1830s. A post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer ...

, was completed in 1901 by the Arkansas Western Railroad (later the

Arkansas Western Railway The Arkansas Western Railway operated a 32-mile rail line between Heavener, Oklahoma and Waldron, Arkansas. It bought the assets of its predecessor in 1904, and the company was merged out of existence in 1992. History About three years after the ...

), after the KCS had arrived in Heavener five years earlier. In 1904, the line became a KCS subsidiary. In 1960, a large feed mill was built in Waldron, and by the time

Tyson Foods Tyson Foods, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, based in Springdale, Arkansas, that operates in the food industry. The company is the world's second-largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork after JBS S.A. It annually ...

acquired the mill, traffic on the rail line was down to twice-a-week shipments of animal food to that plant. With so little traffic, maintenance was deferred and the line deteriorated. In 1983, state and federal funds went to rehabilitating the line. In 1992, Arkansas Western Railroad was merged into KCS, and in 2005, KCS leased the line to Watco. The plant remains a major customer.

Operations

The ARS has eight employees and four locomotives. The tonnage today is primarily corn and soy, carbon dioxide, and chemicals such as bauxite and acid. The line also offers car storage. On the Northern Branch, the railroad interchanges with the KCS at Heavener. On the Southern Branch, it interchanges with the KCS at Ashdown, and the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

at Nashville. In 2020, the leases from the KCS on the lines were extended through November 30, 2034.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arkansas Southern Railroad Arkansas railroads Oklahoma railroads Watco Spin-offs of the Kansas City Southern Railway 2005 establishments in Arkansas