Reporting mark ATLT Dates of operation 1985– | ||
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Track gauge 4 ft 8 ⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | ||
The AT&L Railroad (reporting mark ATLT) was started in May 1985 by the Wheeler Brothers Grain Company operating about 49 miles (79 km) of former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P) track in Oklahoma. It replaced the North Central Oklahoma Railway, which operated the track between 1983 and 1985. The ATLT is based in Watonga, Oklahoma. It is owned by the Wheeler Brothers Grain Company. The railroad is named for Austin, Todd and Ladd Lafferty, grandsons of E. O. (Gene) Lafferty, who founded the railroad.
ATLT operates freight service from Watonga, Oklahoma to Geary to El Reno, Oklahoma 39.7 miles (63.9 km) and 9.6 miles (15.4 km) from Geary, Oklahoma to Bridgeport, Oklahoma. The line transports grain, fertilizer and agricultural products. It also passes through Calumet and Greenfield.
The Choctaw Coal & Railway Company built the east end of this rail line during the 1880s, then leased it in October 1894 to the Choctaw Oklahoma & Gulf Company. The route was then leased to the CRI&P in 1904. After CRI&P abandoned the line, it was acquired by the state of Oklahoma, and operated by the North Central Oklahoma Railway.
"Race the Rail" is an annual bicycle event that began in 2010, held during the Watonga Cheese Festival. Since the average speed of the train is only about 10 mph, the train and the bikes leave Watonga at the same time.The bikers ride along US Highway 270/281 (which is parallel and very close to the railroad tracks) from Watonga to Geary, and try to catch the train for the return trip.