 |
Kiamichi RailroadFormer Frisco lines flourish again |
Hugo, Ok / Aug 1992 / RWH
he Kiamichi Railroad came into existence in 1987 when local interests
purchased from the Burlington Northern (former Frisco) a 186-mile east-west line across southeastern Oklahoma.
The line stretches from Hope, Arkansas (with Union Pacific and Kansas City Southern connections) to Madill, Oklahoma, with branches north and south to Antlers and Paris, respectively. In 1995 the road was sold to the States Rail shortline system, who subsequently sold the Kiamichi to shortline holder RailAmerica. RailAmerica was later acquired by shortline operator Genesee & Wyoming, including control of the Kiamichi in 2012.
Shops are in in Hugo, Oklahoma, and today the KRR is 265 miles long and interchanges with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Union Pacific, Kansas City Southern, and shortline DeQueen & Eastern. Commodities handled include coal, clay, concrete, food and kindred products, glass and stone, lumber and wood products, pulp and paper, non-metallic minerals.
1988 Official Guide ad / collection
RWH
Hope AR to Lakeside OK
Antlers OK to Paris TX
independent
to States Rail
to RailAmerica
CPKC @ Ashdown AR
UP @ Durant OK and Hope AR
St Louis — San Francisco
Burlington Northern
none (active)
from The Short Line magazine #87 - Aug 1987 / collection
from The Short Line magazine #87 / Aug 1987 / collection
from Modern Railroading magazine - Sep 1989 / collection
RWH
KRR route map / web
Motive Power
from The Short Line magazine #104 - Aug 1990 / collection
Kiamichi #901
Kiamichi #901
Hugo, Ok / Aug 1993 / Lon Coone 
Kiamichi #901
to Kiamichi #901
to Rio Valley Switching Co
Kiamichi #902
Kiamichi #902
Hugo, Ok / Jan 1988 / George Horna
Kiamichi #902
to Burlington Northern #1941
to Kiamichi #902
Valliant, Ok / Aug 1992 / RWH
from The Short Line magazine #86 - Jul 1987 / collection
Kiamichi #903
Kiamichi #903
Hugo, Ok / Aug 1992 / RWH
Kiamichi #903
to Western Maryland #5933
to Kiamichi #903
Hugo, Ok / Aug 1992 / RWH
Kiamichi #905
Kiamichi #905
Paris, Tx / May 1991 / Alan Gaines
Kiamichi #905
to Kiamichi #905
scrapped
Kiamichi #906
Hugo, Ok / Aug 1992 / RWH
Kiamichi #906
to Kansas City Southern #164
to Kansas City Southern #4164
to Kiamichi #906
Kiamichi #3801
Kiamichi #3801
Ashdown, Ar / Oct 2013 / Roberto Alaniz
Kiamichi #3801
to Kiamichi #3801
deturbocharged, derated to 2000hp
from The Short Line magazine #87 - Aug 1987 / collection
Kiamichi #3802
Kiamichi #3802
Hugo, Ok / Aug 1992 / RWH
Kiamichi #3802
to Texas & Pacific #2506
to Missouri Pacific #2604
to Kiamichi #3802
Aug 1992 / RWH
Aug 1992 / RWH
Kiamichi #3805
Kiamichi #3805
Grand Rapids, Mi / Apr 2015 / Jon Hall
Kiamichi #3805
to Texas & Pacific #2501
to Missouri Pacific #2501
to Kiamichi #3805
Hugo, Ok / Aug 1992 / RWH
Rolling Stock
Kiamichi #1001
Hugo, Ok / Aug 1992 / RWH
Kiamichi #1002
Hugo, Ok / Aug 1992 / RWH
Hugo, Ok
Kiamichi shops
Hugo, Ok / Aug 1992 / RWH
Hugo, Ok / Aug 1992 / RWH
Hugo, Ok / Aug 1992 / RWH
Hugo, Ok / Aug 1992 / RWH
Click to see the Kiamichi shop area plotted on a Google Maps page
Action
Valliant, Ok / Aug 1992 / JCH
Valliant, Ok / Aug 1992 / RWH
Valliant, Ok / Aug 1992 / RWH
Valliant, Ok / Aug 1992 / RWH
Valliant, Ok / Aug 1992 / RWH
Valliant, Ok / Aug 1992 / RWH
Clippings
from Modern Railroading magazine - Sep 1989 / collection
Lagniappe
Tribal Council
image and artwork RWH
She's Haulin' the Mail!
Valliant, Ok / Aug 1992 / JCH
Twin Lens Tease
Valliant, Ok / Aug 1992 / RWH
There Were Never Such Devoted Sisters
Hugo, Ok / Aug 1992 / images and artwork RWH
Snapshots
The Kiamichi represented the western end of a summer 1992 railroad expedition through Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma. The line had only been open for a few years, and you could tell from the brand new shop in Hugo that things we still getting started. The paint was still crisp on the former Texas & Pacific GP35 rebuilds. The deep purple/brown with white hash marks was a nice look in the shortline world of the early 1990s. Coming back east from Hugo to Valliant, we caught an eastbound local in the care of Kiamichi's first locomotive -- a spritely Geep making good time and lots of smoke across the flat southeast Oklahoma landscape. The chase was on in my father's 1978 Chrysler LeBaron (above). We caught the shuffle several times, including some great trestle photos shown above.
Millerton, Ok / Aug 1992 / RWH
Links / Sources
- Genesee & Wyoming Kiamichi Railroad page
- Diesel Shop roster for Kiamichi Railroad
- Wikipedia article for Kiamichi Railroad
- Edward A. Lewis, American Shortline Railway Guide - Fifth Edition (Kalmbach, 1996) 167-8
- Charles W. McDonald, Diesel Locomotive Rosters - Third Edition (Kalmbach, 1992) 91