Longhorn Railroad
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Parent company | Central of Tennessee Railway and Navigation Company (CofTR&N) |
| Headquarters | Austin, Texas |
| Locale | Texas |
| Dates of operation | May 6, 1996–April 1, 2000 |
| Predecessors | RailTex (AUNW) |
| Successors | Austin Area Terminal Railroad (AUAR) |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The Longhorn Railroad (reporting mark LHRR) was a class III shortline railroad that operated as a division of the Central of Tennessee Railway and Navigation Company from May 6, 1996 up until April 1, 2000.
History
Founding
The Longhorn Railroad was founded on May 6, 1996,[1] where it would operate the former Austin and Northwestern Railroad (A&NW) lines inherited by RailTex.[2] The LHRR would become a subsidiary of the Central of Tennessee Railway and Navigation Company (CofTR&N).
Disbanding
In March 2000, Capital Metro canceled their contract with Longhorn Railroad.[3] The railroad ceased operations on April 1, 2000, being listed as "eliminated" in October 2000, while a new railroad was founded, the Austin Area Terminal Railroad, being launched by the Trans Global Solutions, which was a subsidiary of Econorail (ECRX).[2]
LHRR later filed a lawsuit against Capital Metro, and won said lawsuit in December 2001.[3]
Locomotive fleet
The railroad had owned former Juniata Terminal locomotives such as GP10 #7250 and MT4 #8625.[4] Most of their locomotives were leased from Econorail (ECRX).[5] In 1997, while traffic was on the rise, the railroad would purchase four locomotives from two companies, these included; former Juniata Terminal SW1500 #9275, and another three locomotives from ECRX, these included Oregon, California and Eastern (OC&E) TE53-1-4E #7601, OC&E S3-3B slug #7606 and ECRX GP9 #8.[6]
Once the railroad went defunct, GP10 #7250, MT4 #8625 and SW1500 #9275 were returned to ECRX. One locomotive from the LHRR had to be borrowed by a tourist railroad, the Austin and Texas Central Railroad (ATCR) between Austin and Burnet.[4]
References
- ↑ Extra Twenty-two Hundred South. Issue 110. 1996. Dover Printing. p. 13
- 1 2 Railfan & Railroad. Vol. 21. Carstens Publications. 2002. p. 39.
- 1 2 "History of the Austin and Northwestern Railroad Company". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2026-05-06.
- 1 2 Extra Twenty-two Hundred South. Issue 120. 2000. Dover Printing. p. 18
- ↑ wrp_admin (2022-12-08). "Trans-Global Solutions/Econo-Rail Part 2". Diesel Era. Retrieved 2026-05-06.
- ↑ Extra Twenty-two Hundred South. Issue 114. 1997. Dover Printing. p. 17