Reporting mark FWWR Dates of operation 1988–Present Founded 1988 | Locale West Central Texas Headquarters Fort Worth | |
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Track gauge 4 ft 8 ⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | ||
2248 returns to steam on the fort worth and western railroad 1991
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.
Contents
History
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 Railroad 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. By the mid-1990s, the railroad operated 10.75 miles (17.30 km) of track, the result of numerous minor acquisitions. 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. The FWWR leased two Union Pacific Railroad properties, a yard and branch line, in 2002 and 2003 respectively.
Route
The FWWR operates a total of 276 miles (444 km) of track 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. 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.
Company
On 27 December 2010, Fort Worth and Western named Thomas Schlosser as president and CEO, who took over from Steven George, who had held the position since 2000; the company's vice president and COO is Richard Green. The company employs around 85 people.
Since January 2013, Fort Worth and Western has been under fire for its management of the crossing in Cresson, TX, near the intersection of Highway 171 and US-377. Numerous and lengthy delays are costing 40,000 daily commuters time and money. Hood County Headaches - NBC5
Fleet
As of December 2009, the Fort Worth and Western's locomotive fleet consists of the following: