| Railroad Name: | El Dorado and Wesson Railway |
| Marks: | EDW |
| Locale: | Arkansas |
| Start Year: | 1905 |
| End Year: | present |
| Hq City: | El Dorado, Arkansas |
The El Dorado & Wesson Railway is a shortline rail carrier in the state of Arkansas, Its line runs 5.5 miles from El Dorado, Arkansas to Newell, Arkansas.
The backstory of the line begins with the opening of a small lumber mill in Wesson, Arkansas in 1904.[1] The Arkansas Southern Railroad built a five mile spur to the mill, which the railroad continued to own but which was operated by the mill.[1] However, as the mill expanded, its owners decided to make a change, and on September 17, 1905 incorporated the El Dorado & Wesson Railway.[2] That railroad built 10.2 miles of track from Wesson to El Dorado in October 1907, allowing the mill to bypass the Arkansas Southern trackage and interconnect with another railroad directly.[1] [2]
For a time, the line also carried passengers, but that ended about 1953.[2] In January, 1959, trackage was abandoned between Wesson and Oak Hill, Arkansas, about 6.9 miles.[2] However, about 2 miles of that line was reopened from Oak Hill to Newell in 1961.[2] Thus the line as currently configured has about 5.5 miles of track from El Dorado to Newell.[2]
Traffic on the line is petroleum products, chemicals, and medium density fiberboard.[2]
The line interconnects with the Union Pacific at El Dorado.[2]
The company employs 11 people.[1]