Blacklands Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Blacklands Railroad is a short-line railroad headquartered in Sulphur Springs, Texas
. The name comes from the "black gumbo" soil prevalent in the area.
BLR operates a 65.6 mile line, under contract with the Northeast Texas Rural Transportation District (NETEX), a political subdivision of the state of Texas
(which holds title to the land and assets), from Greenville, Texas
(where it interchanges with Kansas City Southern, through Sulphur Springs (with another KCS interchange) and Mount Vernon, Texas
to the Franklin
/Titus
county line; from this point BLR operates via Union Pacific trackage rights to Mount Pleasant, Texas
where it interchanges with UP.
BLR traffic includes forest products, grain
, and agricultural products.
NETEX purchased the segment between Greenville and Sulphur Springs in 1995, and the remainder of the line in 2000. BLR received the contract to operate the line in 1999.
Sulphur Springs, Texas
Sulphur Springs is a city in Hopkins County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 14,551. It is the county seat of Hopkins County.-Geography:Sulphur Springs is located at ....
. The name comes from the "black gumbo" soil prevalent in the area.
BLR operates a 65.6 mile line, under contract with the Northeast Texas Rural Transportation District (NETEX), a political subdivision of the state of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(which holds title to the land and assets), from Greenville, Texas
Greenville, Texas
Greenville is the county seat, and the largest city, of Hunt County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,557....
(where it interchanges with Kansas City Southern, through Sulphur Springs (with another KCS interchange) and Mount Vernon, Texas
Mount Vernon, Texas
Mount Vernon is a town in Franklin County, Texas, United States. It is the Franklin County seat, and the population was 2,286 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mount Vernon is located at ....
to the Franklin
Franklin County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,458 people, 3,754 households, and 2,732 families residing in the county. The population density was 33 people per square mile . There were 5,132 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...
/Titus
Titus County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 28,118 people, 9,552 households, and 7,154 families residing in the county. The population density was 68 people per square mile . There were 10,675 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...
county line; from this point BLR operates via Union Pacific trackage rights to Mount Pleasant, Texas
Mount Pleasant, Texas
Mount Pleasant is the county seat and largest city of Titus County in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2000 census, Mount Pleasant's population was 13,935. It is the county seat of Titus County, and is situated in Northeast Texas. This town, by city ordinance, is dry to sell alcoholic beverages....
where it interchanges with UP.
BLR traffic includes forest products, grain
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
, and agricultural products.
NETEX purchased the segment between Greenville and Sulphur Springs in 1995, and the remainder of the line in 2000. BLR received the contract to operate the line in 1999.