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Fort Worth and Western Railroad

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Fort Worth and Western Railroad
Overview
HeadquartersFort Worth, Texas
Reporting markFWWR
LocaleWest Central Texas
Dates of operation1988–Present
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The Fort Worth and Western Railroad (reporting mark FWWR) is a Class III short-line railroad headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. Operating only within the state of Texas, its main freight service route is between Carrollton, Fort Worth and Brownwood.[1]

History

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Much of the company's route originally belonged to the Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway, which began construction from Fort Worth in 1886 and reached Brownwood in 1891. In 1901, the FW&RG was bought by the Frisco Railway, which sold it to the Santa Fe Railway in 1937. The Santa Fe sold the line to an affiliate of the South Orient Railroad in 1994.

The FWWR began operations in 1988, with 6.25 miles (10.06 km) of track that it had bought from the Burlington Northern.[2] By the mid-1990s, the railroad operated 10.75 miles (17.30 km) of track, the result of numerous minor acquisitions.[2] In 1996, the FWWR more than doubled its total trackage with the lease of a 28.5 miles (45.9 km) route from Dallas Area Rapid Transit, and in 1998 purchased 134 miles (216 km) of track from South Orient Railroad, now Texas Pacifico Transportation.[2] The FWWR leased two Union Pacific Railroad properties, a yard and branch line, in 2002 and 2003 respectively.[2]

Route

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The FWWR operates 276 miles (444 km) of track[2] between Carro and Ricker, Texas, with branch lines from Dublin to Gorman and from Cresson to Cleburne, as well as trackage rights in the Fort Worth area and between Ricker and San Angelo Junction, Texas.[3] Since 2007, the railroad has been in the process of resurfacing its trackage, as well as installing new sidings and upgrading the route, eventually to allow 40 mph (64 km/h) speeds over the entire line.[3]

The company also operates the Grapevine Vintage Railroad, a tourist train that runs between downtown Grapevine, Texas and the Fort Worth Stockyards

Company

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On December 27, 2010, Fort Worth and Western named Thomas Schlosser as president and CEO. He took over from Steven George, who had held the position since 2000. On August 19, 2015, Kevin Erasmus became president and CEO. [4] The company's vice president and COO is Richard Green.[3][5] The company employs around 85 people.[3]

Fleet

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As of July 2023, the Fort Worth and Western's locomotive fleet (past and present) consists of the following:[6]

Number Type Manufacturer Nickname
103 GP7 EMD
104 F7A EMD Texas Southern
1008, 1009, 1010 AC4400CW General Electric
2000 GP38-3 EMD Miss Molly
2001 GP38-3 EMD Niles City
2002 GP38-3 EMD Cowtown
2003 GP38-3 EMD General Worth
2004 GP38-3 EMD Comanche
2005 GP38-3 EMD Maj. Ripley Arnold
2006 GP38-3 EMD General Tarrant
2007 GP38-3 EMD B.B. Paddock
2008 GP50 EMD Panther City
2009 GP50 EMD Chisolm Trail
2010, 2011 GP50 EMD Miss Etta
2012 GP50 EMD Chaparral
2013 (Rebuilt from 103) GP7 EMD Luke Short
2014 (Rebuilt from 2785) GP7 EMD Timothy Courtright
2015 SD40-2 EMD Butch Cassidy
2016 SD40-2 EMD Sundance Kid
2017 SD40-2 EMD Kid Curry
2018 SD40-2 EMD Tarantula
2019 GP38-2 EMD Apache
2020 GP40-2 EMD
2021, 2022 GP40-2 EMD
2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 SD40-2 EMD
2036 SD60M EMD Tarantula
2037 SD60M EMD Longhorn
2038 SD60M EMD Mustang
2199 (GVRX) GP7 EMD Vinny
2248 (GVRX) 4-6-0 Cooke Locomotive Works Puffy
5004, 5007, 5020 GP35 GMDD

References

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  1. ^ "System Map, Fort Worth and Western Railroad" (PDF). January 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 10, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Fort Worth & Western Railroad FWWR #277". Union Pacific Railroad. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d Kube, Kathi (January 2011). "Thinkin' Big in Texas". Trains Magazine. Kalmbach Publishing: 48–53.
  4. ^ "FWWR News". FWWR News. FWWR. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "Fort Worth & Western names new president". Trains Magazine. December 27, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
  6. ^ "Fort Worth & Western". The Diesel Shop. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
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