Arkansas-Oklahoma Railroad summary
The Arkansas-Oklahoma Railroad (AOK) is a Class III short line railroad that operates in Oklahoma. It’s a family owned and operated business by David and Patricia Donoley. Operating along a 135-mile corridor, the AOK uses two separate sections of standard-gauge track from Howe to McAlester, and from Shawnee to Midwest City.
History
The Arkansas–Oklahoma Railroad started on March 3, 1996, when David Donoley began operations of the line that was once part of his former employer, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. Donoley hired out of the Rock Island Line in 1974, leading to a career in various positions with several railroads in the industry. Over the years, he kept an eye on the line that went through his hometown of Wilburton. By 1986, the 71-mile Howe to McAlester section was sold to the State of Oklahoma in the aftermath of the Rock Island shut down and abandonment. The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, later the Union Pacific Railroad, operated the line until the contract was transferred to Donoley. The Arkansas–Oklahoma Railroad expanded on July 7, 2000, by taking over an additional 34-mile segment from the UP between Shawnee to Midwest City.
Operations
Coal at Red Oak has been a constant source of traffic shipped out on the Arkansas–Oklahoma Railroad. The commodity is hauled to the UP interchange in McAlester for delivery to a cement plant in the San Antonio area and a steel plant in Mexico. Other principal freight delivered on the AOK is aggregates and decorative stone. On the railroad’s Shawnee-Midwest City section, the automobile business has been a key commodity in receiving for General Motors’ Midwest City Automobile Logistic Facility. Working with the auto industry for the Arkansas–Oklahoma Railroad has been beneficial, yet it keeps the receiving traffic along the line diverse from agriculture to chemicals.
Since its first leased GP9s in 1996, the AOK has rostered a varied fleet of diesel locomotives from EMD, Alco, and General Electric. GE has become the preferred manufacturing choice in motive power acquisitions in the form of B23-S7Rs, B23-7s, and B40-8s. Many wear the red and yellow paint scheme as a tribute to the period when Donoley began his career on the Rock Island.
On the McAlester-Howe section, interchanges are made with the Union Pacific at McAlester and Kansas City Southern at Howe. The Shawnee-Midwest City section connects with the BNSF Railway and UP in Oklahoma City just west of short line’s Midwest City.
Read more about the Arkansas–Oklahoma Railroad in Trains’ June 2012 issue.
