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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Reporting mark | FWWR |
| Locale | West Central Texas |
| Dates of operation | 1988–Present |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
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.[1]
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 Railway 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.[2] By the mid-1990s, the railroad operated 10.75 miles (17.30 km) of track, the result of numerous minor acquisitions.[2] 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.[2] The FWWR leased two Union Pacific Railroad properties, a yard and branch line, in 2002 and 2003 respectively.[2]
The FWWR operates 276 miles (444 km) of track[2] 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.[3] 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.[3]
The company also operates the Grapevine Vintage Railroad, a tourist train that runs between downtown Grapevine, Texas and the Fort Worth Stockyards
On December 27, 2010, Fort Worth and Western named Thomas Schlosser as president and CEO. He took over from Steven George, who had held the position since 2000. On August 19, 2015, Kevin Erasmus became president and CEO. [4] The company's vice president and COO is Richard Green.[3][5] The company employs around 85 people.[3]
As of July 2023, the Fort Worth and Western's locomotive fleet (past and present) consists of the following:[6]
| Number | Type | Manufacturer | Nickname |
|---|---|---|---|
| 103 | GP7 | EMD | |
| 104 | F7A | EMD | Texas Southern |
| 1008, 1009, 1010 | AC4400CW | General Electric | |
| 2000 | GP38-3 | EMD | Miss Molly |
| 2001 | GP38-3 | EMD | Niles City |
| 2002 | GP38-3 | EMD | Cowtown |
| 2003 | GP38-3 | EMD | General Worth |
| 2004 | GP38-3 | EMD | Comanche |
| 2005 | GP38-3 | EMD | Maj. Ripley Arnold |
| 2006 | GP38-3 | EMD | General Tarrant |
| 2007 | GP38-3 | EMD | B.B. Paddock |
| 2008 | GP50 | EMD | Panther City |
| 2009 | GP50 | EMD | Chisolm Trail |
| 2010, 2011 | GP50 | EMD | Miss Etta |
| 2012 | GP50 | EMD | Chaparral |
| 2013 (Rebuilt from 103) | GP7 | EMD | Luke Short |
| 2014 (Rebuilt from 2785) | GP7 | EMD | Timothy Courtright |
| 2015 | SD40-2 | EMD | Butch Cassidy |
| 2016 | SD40-2 | EMD | Sundance Kid |
| 2017 | SD40-2 | EMD | Kid Curry |
| 2018 | SD40-2 | EMD | Tarantula |
| 2019 | GP38-2 | EMD | Apache |
| 2020 | GP38-2 | EMD | |
| 2021, 2022 | GP40-2 | EMD | |
| 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 | SD40-2 | EMD | |
| 2036 | SD60M | EMD | Tarantula |
| 2037 | SD60M | EMD | Longhorn |
| 2038 | SD60M | EMD | Mustang |
| 2199 (GVRX) | GP7 | EMD | Vinny |
| 2248 (GVRX) | 4-6-0 | Cooke Locomotive Works | Puffy |
| 5004, 5007, 5020 | GP35 | GMDD |
