Bauxite and Northern Railway

Bauxite and Northern Railway
A speeder from the Bauxite and Northern is on display at the Museum of the American Railroad in Frisco, Texas.
Overview
Reporting markBXN
LocaleBauxite, Arkansas
Dates of operation1906–present
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length3 miles (4.8 km)[1]
Other
WebsiteOfficial site

The Bauxite & Northern Railway (reporting mark BXN) is a Class III railroad operating in the United States state of Arkansas. BXN operates over 7 miles (11 km) of track in Bauxite, Arkansas. Traffic consists of largely of alumina, and the railroad hauls 4,059 carloads per year. In 2005, the railroad was purchased by holding company RailAmerica.[1] In December 2012, Genesee & Wyoming acquired the railroad in its acquisition of RailAmerica. As of 2023, Bauxite & Northern Railway interchanges with Union Pacific in Bauxite, Arkansas and can hold up to 286,000 pounds of supplies. [2]

History

The Bauxite and Northern Railway was incorporated in Arkansas on November 13, 1906[3] and began operations in 1907,[1] for the purpose of constructing and operating a railroad from the town of Bauxite Saline County to a junction with the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway. The BXN connected with the Rock Island at Bauxite, and connected with the Missouri Pacific at BN Junction. For the railroad's first 100 years, it was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Aluminum Company of America.

The connection for the old Rock Island is now gone, but the remnants are still visible, including a bridge over the Rock Island roadbed and local highway.

Current motive power are two EMD MP15DC locomotives, and an EMD SW1500, housed in a two-stall enginehouse just outside the Alcoa plant. Former power was an ALCO RS-3 diesel.

References

  1. ^ a b c "RailAmerica's Empire". Trains Magazine. Kalmbach Publishing. June 2010.
  2. ^ "Commonwealth Railway – A Genesee & Wyoming Company".
  3. ^ Arkansas. Office of the Secretary of State (1909). Report. p. 316.