Farmrail

Company History: Farmrail is one of several lines to be born from the 1980 shutdown of Rock Island. Beginning operations in 1981, Farmrail has a “t” shaped system running from Erick to Weatherford on one axis and Westhorn to Elmer on the other with the junction in Clinton, all in western Oklahoma. The total mileage is 186 (putting it between Columbus & Greenville and Bessemer & Lake Erie in relative size.) The Erick to Weatherford line is owned by the Oklahoma DOT with Farmrail being the designated operator.

They run the line with one SW7, one GP7, four GP9’s, and eight GP10’s. All geeps have had their short hoods lowered and carry a paint scheme that would be right at home on a carton of eggs. Nearly all of the units are named after Native-American tribes. Farmrail’s sister railroad Grainbelt runs parallel to the Westhorn – Elmer line but to the east. In recent years, Farmrail and Grainbelt have been picking up used GP38’s (in a couple of varieties) to help with heavier trains. Traffic supporting the oil business has either been substantial or absent – depending on the market price for crude at any given time.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.