The_Unofficial_Kiamichi_RR

The Unofficial Kiamichi RR Webpage

Introduction

Welcome to the Unofficial Kiamichi Railroad Webpage! Before we go further, the obligatory CMA statement:

"This webpage is not affiliated in any way with the Kiamichi Railroad Company, LLC, its officers and employees, nor is the author employed by Kiamichi Railroad Company, LLP, Statesrail, or Rail America, its ultimate successor. This website is created solely from a railfan's point of view, and is meant for the enjoyment and information of railfans everywhere. Additional pictures and information is welcomed, and credit to the contributors will be happily included with each photograph and piece of text."

OK, that out of the way, let's begin!

In The Beginning...

The trackage that makes up all but 5 miles of the Kiamichi Railroad was first constructed in 1887 as the Ft. Smith & Southern, a predecessor of the St. Louis-San Francisco (Frisco) Railroad. This line went from Ft. Smith, Arkansas, and south over the Winding stair Mountains in Indian Territory to the Red River at a point north of Paris, TX. The east-west line was first built in 1905 from Hope, AR west to Ardmore, OK. The point where the lines met became the site of the town of Raymondville (later called Hugo in honor of French author Victor Hugo). The Winding Stair line became Frisco's main line south to Texas, and with the interchange with a Santa Fe branch line from Dallas, TX, provided Frisco with a route from St. Louis to Texas. Hugo became a big player in the area, and served as a crew change point for east-west and north-south trains (the lines became part of Frisco's Central Division).

The construction of a line south of Sapulpa, OK south to Irving, TX, via Ada and Madill, OK and Sherman, TX gave a lower-grade line to Texas, and the Central Division shrank in north-south impor-tance. The last passenger train south of Ft. Smith ran in February 1958, and the line was abandoned south of Wister to Antlers, OK in 1980. On the east-west line, construction of Lake Texoma created a realignment of the line west of Durant, OK, to a new junction with the Sherman Sub line at Lakeside. The Madill-Ardmore line was taken up in the early 1980s.

Frisco was merged into the Burlington Northern in November 1980, and traffic levels dwindled. The lines, part of the Ft. Worth Division, became sale fodder as BN began spinning off line that were unprofitable or marginally profitable.

Good-bye BN, Hello Kiamichi

In 1987 Jack Hadley, a retired LTV executive who made his mark operating the steel giant's in-plant railroads, approached BN officials with an offer to buy the lines. Predictably, opposition arose from local townspeople, BN employees that could be affected by the sale, and the local Chamber of Commerce. The ICC approved the sale by a 2-to-1 decision, and on July 22, 1987 the 7th and 8th Subdivisions of the Ft. Worth Division became the Kiamichi Railroad.

The new line wasn't without its teething problems. Sabotage (by person or persons unknown) plauged the motive power, poor track conditions on the Hugo-Antlers line led to a serious derailment, and the overall reliability of the motive power was a problem. Seven locomotives (three GP9s and four GP35Ms) were leased from Wilson Railway Services- on one of the GP35Ms (3804, ex-MP 2617) a crack was found in the frame of the locomotive. The unit was sidelined, and sent back to Wilson. The remaining six locomotives were later purchased from the lessor.

Increasing traffic levels led to the lease and acquisition of more motive power, which led to rather colorful motive power consists. The sabotage eventually ceased, and the locals eventually came around to the fact that Kiamichi was there to stay. There are still a few disgruntled individuals who wish for the old days of BN and Frisco, but like it or not, those days are over- deal with it.

In the mid-1990s Kiamichi obtained 4 extra miles of trackage rights over the KCS line from Hope south to Anthony, AR. KCS had embargoed this line (originally built by Louisiana & Arkansas) from Springhill, LA north to Anthony. A locomotive was at Hope for local work, manned by a crew from Shreveport. When KCS began operations, the line and Hope yard was upgraded & improved, and the area industries were served by a daily turn out of Ashdown, AR. Thanks to the increase of business, the Hope Turn stays quite busy.

Other expansions were attempted by Kiamichi. In 1990 it obtained the Santa Fe line from Paris southwest to Farmersville, TX, a 60-mile run, and after intense track rehab operated over it as the Chaparral Railroad, with an office in Wolfe City, TX. The intent was to obtain switching rights in Garland, TX, and get better access to its new South Orient RR operation, but RailTex won that battle. On-line carloadings were small, and overhead traffic never grew to expectations, and the line was abandoned in 1995, with track taken up from 4 miles south of the Santa Fe-Frisco depot in Paris to Farmersville.

The other line, South Orient, was operated for a few years by Kiamichi subsidiary Rail Operators, Inc., and ran the former South Orient line from Brownwood Jct. to San Angelo, Alpine, and Presidio, TX, with interchange with CH-P at Ojinaga, in Mexico. Five ex-Rio Grande GP9s were used as motive power and offices were based out of San Angelo. The line was part of the grand scheme to take part of the NAFTA-inspired traffic routing into & out of Mexico. However, again traffic levels did not live up to expectations, and the line went to other operators (for a list of operators as well as SO pics, visit Wes Carr's Southwest Shorts website).

Sale to Statesrail and the RailAmerica Merger

In the late 1990s Kiamichi was sold to Statesrail, a Dallas-based shortline firm, which also ran several other lines in the United States. Shortly thereafter, Statesrail units began showing up on Kiamichi property, most notably Kyle GP35s. Statesrail became part of the RailAmerica empire on January 1,2002. RA also had the RailTex lines, and is the largest shortline operator in North America. RA's locomotive paint scheme is red & white, and only time will tell if their look-alike colors will erase the burgundy & white of Kiamichi.

Other facts about the Kiamichi

Route map

Motive Power shots

Shippers

Comprehensive Motive Power Roster

Miscellaneous (including Excursion Passenger Trains)