Arkansas Midland Railroad EMD GP8 No. 707.
(Fair Use, Title 17, Section 107 via https://www.youtube.com/@LouisianaRailProductions)
ARKANSAS MIDLAND RAILROAD (1992)
The Arkansas Midland Railroad (reporting mark AKMD) is a Class III short-line railroad headquartered in Malvern, Arkansas.
AKMD operates 138 miles (222 km) of line in Arkansas consisting of seven disconnected branch lines and two sister railroads, the Prescott & Northwestern (PNW) and the Warren & Saline River (WSR). The AKMD branches were formerly part of the Union Pacific Railroad, or a predecessor, while the PNW and WSR lines were acquired from Potlatch Corporation. All branch lines connect (interchange traffic) with Union Pacific Railroad. AKMD also interchanges with BNSF in North Little Rock, and the North Louisiana and Arkansas Railroad at McGehee.
- Hot Springs Branch: 33.3 mi (53.6 km) from Malvern, through Hot Springs, to Mountain Pine
- North Little Rock Branch: 14.6 miles (23.5 km) from North Little Rock to Galloway (7.8 mi. former Cotton Belt, 6.8 mi (10.9 km). former Rock Island)
- Warren Branch: 39.4 mi (63.4 km) from Warren to Dermott, with trackage rights over an additional 5.6 miles (9.0 km) to McGehee
- Cypress Bend Branch: 11.2 mi (18.0 km) from McGehee to Cypress Bend
- Helena Branch: 24.9 mi (40.1 km) from Lexa to Helena
- Jacksonville Branch: 2.7 mi (4.3 km)
- Prescott and Northwestern Railroad (PNW, affiliated): 5.7 mi (9.2 km)
- Warren and Saline River Railroad (WSR, affiliated): 2.7 mi (4.3 km)
- Gurdon Branch (emergency operation of a segment of the Caddo Valley Railroad): 3.1 mi (5.0 km)
AKMD traffic generally consists of forest and agricultural products, aggregates, aluminum, building materials and chemicals.
AKMD was a subsidiary of Pinsly Railroad Company, a holding company owning seven short-line railroads in the United States. The Hot Springs, Helena and Galloway branches are owned by AKMD (purchased in 1992); the Warren, Cypress Bend and Jacksonville branches are leased; the PNW and WSR are owned by Pinsly and operated by AKMD.
On December 5, 2014, Genesee & Wyoming filed a Notice of Exemption with the Surface Transportation Board to acquire AKMD (along with affiliates PNW and WSR) from Pinsly. The acquisition was complete by 2015.
Arkansas Midland Railroad system map.
(No machine-readable author provided. NE2 assumed (based on copyright claims)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Arkansas Midland's Clearwater Turn!
Sit back and enjoy a classic Paducah Rebuild GP8 lead the Arkansas Midland's Clearwater Turn. I'll be coming back to this area eventually. Would like to film the other job as well as the NLA shortline.
Locomotive fleet
| No. | Model | Builder | Built date | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 707 | GP8 | EMD | - | Scrapped | Scrapped due to G&W's EPA scandal |
| 722 | GP8 | EMD | |||
| 728 | GP8 | EMD | Set to be scrapped due to G&W's EPA scandal | ||
| 908 | GP8 | EMD | |||
| 2076 | GP38-2 | EMD | November 1963 | Sold | |
| 2500 | GP35 | EMD | May 1964 | Operational | |
| 2501 | GP35 | EMD | November 1963 | Operational | |
| 2502 | GP35 | EMD | April 1965 | Operational | |
| 2503 | GP35 | EMD | May 1964 | Operational | |
| 2504 | GP35 | EMD | February 1964 | Operational | |
| 2505 | GP35 | EMD | February 1964 | Sold | |
| 3500 | GP38-2 | EMD | |||
| 3502 | GP38-2 | EMD | |||
| 3558 | GP38-2 | EMD | November 1976 | Operational |
Overview
Headquarters: Malvern, Arkansas
Reporting mark: AKMD
Locale: Arkansas
Dates of operation: 1992–present
Technical
Track gauge: 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
