Austin Western Railroad

(Redirected from Austin and Western Railroad)

The Austin Western Railroad (reporting mark AWRR) is a Class III short-line railroad headquartered in Round Rock, Texas.[1] AWRR is a subsidiary of Watco. It is the contracted operator of 126 miles (203 km) of ex-Southern Pacific trackage, now owned by Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority. AWRR operates the line from Fairland, Texas to Giddings, Texas, in addition to 6.4 miles (10.3 km) of branchline from Fairland to Marble Falls, Texas. Another 28 miles (45 km) of track remain out of service between Fairland and Llano, having most recently seen revenue service in 2005. This portion comprises the Austin and Northwestern Railroad Historic District.

Austin Western Railroad
Overview
HeadquartersRound Rock, Texas
Reporting markAWRR
LocaleTexas
Dates of operation2007–
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length154 miles (248 km)
Other
Websitewww.watcocompanies.com
Route map
Map

The AWRR interchanges with the Union Pacific and BNSF Railway; both at McNeil, Texas.

The AWRR shares trackage with the CapMetro Rail Red Line between Leander and Austin.

The Austin Steam Train Association (ASTA) operates excursion trains between Cedar Park and Burnet.

History

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The Austin Western Railroad was founded in 2007, with Watco winning the bid to operate the line after the Austin Area Terminal Railroad's contract with Capital Metro ended.[citation needed]

Traffic

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AWRR traffic includes aggregates, crushed limestone, calcium bicarbonate, lumber, beer, chemicals, plastics and paper.[citation needed]

An incomplete list of AWRR customers, as of March 2024:

Industry Commodity City
Capitol Aggregates - Delta Materials/Pugmill Aggregates Marble Falls, TX
Lhoist Marble Falls Aggregates Marble Falls, TX
Heidelberg Materials Aggregates Aggregates Marble Falls, TX
Guthrie Lumbie & Distribution Lumber Cedar Park, TX
Builders FirstSource Lumber Cedar Park, TX
Austin White Lime Various McNeil, TX
ICU Medical Medical Devices Austin, TX
Balcones Resources Recycling Austin, TX
Texas Materials - Manor Terminal Aggregates Manor, TX
Plains States Commodities Fertilizer Elgin, TX
Texas Materials - Giddings Terminal Aggregates Giddings, TX

Roster

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As of March 2024
Road Number Model Lineage Livery Rostered
HLCX 8161 EMD SD40-2 ex-BN Helm blue 2015-
PRLX 2832 EMD SD45T-2 ex-SP Oldcastle Materials Texas green+black 2016-
PRLX 2842 EMD SD45T-2 ex-SP Oldcastle Materials Texas green+black 2016-
WAMX 4143 EMD SD40-2 ex-BN Watco black+yellow 2011-
WAMX 4144 EMD SD40-2 ex-BN Watco black+yellow 2011-
WAMX 4145 EMD SD40-2 ex-BN Watco black+yellow 2011-
WAMX 4146 EMD SD40-2 ex-BN Watco black+yellow 2011-
WAMX 4226 EMD SD40 ex-SP Watco black+yellow
WAMX 4228 EMD SD40-2 ex-BCOL Watco black+yellow
WAMX 4229 EMD SD40-2 ex-BN Watco black+yellow
WAMX 4249 EMD SD40-2 ex-UP Oldcastle Materials Texas green+yellow+gray 2014-
WAMX 4251 EMD SD40M-2 ex-SP Patched CIT gray 2019-
WAMX 4252 EMD SD40M-2 ex-ATSF Patched CIT gray 2019-
WAMX 4276 EMD SD40-2 ex-BN Patched Helm maroon
WAMX 4277 EMD SD40-2 ex-BN Patched Helm blue
WAMX 5007 EMD GP50 ex-CNW Austin Western red+silver paint 2007-
WAMX 5013 EMD GP50 ex-CNW Watco paint 2007-
WAMX 6013 EMD SD60M ex-NS Patched NS horsehead 2019-
WAMX 6014 EMD SD60M ex-NS Patched NS horsehead 2019-
WAMX 6015 EMD SD60M ex-NS Patched NS horsehead 2019-
WAMX 6016 EMD SD60 ex-CNW Watco black+yellow 2021-
WAMX 6017 EMD SD60 ex-CNW Watco black+yellow 2021-
WAMX 6018 EMD SD60 ex-CNW Watco black+yellow 2021-
WAMX 6036 EMD SD60M ex-UP Watco black+yellow with AWRR logos 2022-
WAMX 6037 EMD SD60M ex-UP Watco black+yellow with AWRR logos 2022-
WAMX 6038 EMD SD60M ex-UP Watco black+yellow with AWRR logos 2022-
WAMX 6039 EMD SD60M ex-UP Watco black+yellow with AWRR logos 2022-
WAMX 6040 EMD SD60M ex-UP Watco black+yellow with AWRR logos 2023-
WAMX 6041 EMD SD60M ex-UP Watco black+yellow with AWRR logos 2022-
WAMX 6045 EMD SD60M ex-UP Watco black+yellow with AWRR logos 2024-

References

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  1. ^ Nunez, Jenifer (23 October 2015). "BNSF names Austin Western Railroad its shortline of the year". RT&S. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
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