Farmrail Corporation
Encyclopedia
Farmrail System, Inc. is an employee-owned holding company for two Class III common-carrier railroads comprising "Western Oklahoma’s Regional Railroad" based in Clinton
, Oklahoma
. Farmrail Corporation has acted since 1981 as a lessee-operator for Oklahoma Department of Transportation
, managing an 82-mile east-west line between Weatherford and Erick and an additional 89 miles, Westhom-Elmer, acquired by the State in 1992. Another wholly owned affiliate, Grainbelt Corporation (GNBC), was formed in 1987 to buy 176 contiguous north-south route-miles linking Enid
and Frederick
.
Grainbelt Corporation , 176 miles (283.2 km) of lines from Enid, Oklahoma
, to Frederick, Oklahoma
, and over 59 miles (95 km) of BNSF Railway
trackage rights from Snyder, Oklahoma
, to Quanah, Texas
.
In addition, FMRC operates Finger Lakes Railway
Corporation as part of a joint venture; FGLK operates 168 miles of railway in New York state.
FMRC and Grainbelt traffic includes wheat
, steel
products, fertilizer
, rail cars undergoing repair, gypsum
rock and associated products, oil field materials, cotton
, lumber
, feed grains and meals, and farm implements.
The FMRC lines are owned by the state of Oklahoma
and were leased to FMRC in 1993. The Grainbelt line began operations as a short-line railroad in 1987.
Clinton, Oklahoma
Clinton is a city in Custer and Washita counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 9,033 at the 2010 census.-History:The community began in 1899 when two men, J.L. Avant and E.E...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. Farmrail Corporation has acted since 1981 as a lessee-operator for Oklahoma Department of Transportation
Oklahoma Department of Transportation
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is an agency of the government of Oklahoma responsible for the construction, maintenance, and regulation the use of the state's transportation infrastructure...
, managing an 82-mile east-west line between Weatherford and Erick and an additional 89 miles, Westhom-Elmer, acquired by the State in 1992. Another wholly owned affiliate, Grainbelt Corporation (GNBC), was formed in 1987 to buy 176 contiguous north-south route-miles linking Enid
Enid, Oklahoma
Enid is a city in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. In 2010, the population was 49,379, making it the ninth largest city in Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County. Enid was founded during the opening of the Cherokee Outlet in the Land Run of 1893, and is named after Enid, a...
and Frederick
Frederick, Oklahoma
Frederick is a city in Tillman County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,940 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Tillman County. This is an agriculture based community primarily with wheat, cotton, and cattle....
.
Operations
Farmrail Corporation , operates two connected lines:- An 82 miles (132 km) line from Erick, OklahomaErick, OklahomaErick is a city in Beckham County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,052 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Erick is located at , elevation 2,060 feet ....
, through Clinton, to Weatherford, OklahomaWeatherford, OklahomaWeatherford is a city in Custer County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 10,833 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Weatherford is located at , elevation 1,647 feet ....
. - A 104 miles (167.4 km) line from Westhom, Oklahoma, through Clinton, to Elmer, OklahomaElmer, OklahomaElmer is a town in Jackson County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 96 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Elmer is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
.
Grainbelt Corporation , 176 miles (283.2 km) of lines from Enid, Oklahoma
Enid, Oklahoma
Enid is a city in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. In 2010, the population was 49,379, making it the ninth largest city in Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County. Enid was founded during the opening of the Cherokee Outlet in the Land Run of 1893, and is named after Enid, a...
, to Frederick, Oklahoma
Frederick, Oklahoma
Frederick is a city in Tillman County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,940 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Tillman County. This is an agriculture based community primarily with wheat, cotton, and cattle....
, and over 59 miles (95 km) of BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
trackage rights from Snyder, Oklahoma
Snyder, Oklahoma
Snyder is a city in Kiowa County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,394 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Snyder is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, Snyder has a total area of , all of it land....
, to Quanah, Texas
Quanah, Texas
Quanah is a city in and the county seat of Hardeman County, Texas, United States, northwest of Fort Worth, and a few miles from the Oklahoma-Texas state line...
.
In addition, FMRC operates Finger Lakes Railway
Finger Lakes Railway
The Finger Lakes Railway is a class III railroad in the Finger Lakes region of New York.The Finger Lakes Railway began operation on July 23, 1995 and operates in Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, Ontario, Schuyler and Yates counties....
Corporation as part of a joint venture; FGLK operates 168 miles of railway in New York state.
FMRC and Grainbelt traffic includes wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
products, fertilizer
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
, rail cars undergoing repair, gypsum
Gypsum
Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
rock and associated products, oil field materials, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
, feed grains and meals, and farm implements.
The FMRC lines are owned by the state of Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
and were leased to FMRC in 1993. The Grainbelt line began operations as a short-line railroad in 1987.