Florida Company Buys Southeast Oklahoma Short Line Railroad

NewsOn6.com

UNDATED -- A Florida firm has closed its purchase of six short line railroads, including one in southeast Oklahoma that were owned by lumber and wood products maker Weyerhaeuser Co.

Patriot Rail Corporation said in a news release, it had closed the purchase December 30, 2010. Terms weren't disclosed.

The move means the company added six railroads with 88 employees and about 160 miles of track in Mississippi, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Washington state.

Those railroads carry 60,000 carloads of freight per year, including wood and paper products, chemicals, minerals, agricultural products, and industrial waste.

The Oklahoma line was the DeQueen and Eastern Railroad which serves SE Oklahoma and SW Arkansas.

The release says the short line railroads primarily serve Weyerhaeuser and International Paper Co. mills. Weyerhaeuser agreed to sell the lines to Patriot Rail in August 2010.

8/10/2010 Related story: Oklahoma Short-Line Railroad Sold To Florida Corporation