Fort Smith Railroad

The line over which FSR operates was built by the Arkansas Central Railroad, incorporated on April 29, 1897. The line was intended to stretch between Ft. Smith and Little Rock, with a branch from a point about 50 miles west of Little Rock to Hot Springs. When the trackage was actually assembled between 1897 and its completion by January 1, 1900, the line only managed to run from a junction off the Missouri Pacific Railroad near Fort Smith to Paris, Arkansas, 42.879 miles, plus 8.214 miles of yard track and sidings, for a total of 52.093 miles.

The line came under control of the Missouri Pacific in 1899, then was transferred in 1903 to the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway, then back to the Missouri Pacific when the Iron Mountain became part of the latter. The Missouri Pacific merger into the Union Pacific was approved by the ICC in 1982. The line was leased to the FSR on July 7, 1991. However, a portion of the line from Ft. Chaffee to Paris was abandoned in August of 1995, leaving the line from Ft. Smith to Ft. Chafee, about 18 miles.