About three years after the Kansas City, Pittsburg & Gulf Railroad (KCP&G) arrived in Heavener in what was then Indian Territory, the Arkansas Western Railroad was incorporated December 13, 1899 to build a line from Heavener to Waldron in Arkansas.[1][2] The line was about 32 miles in length, passed through Bates, Cauthron, and Hon, Arkansas, and was completed in 1901.[2][3] The purpose of the railway was to service the timber industry.[4]
The Kansas City Southern (KCS) acquired the KCP&G in a foreclosure sale in 1900.[5] On May 13, 1904 the KCS incorporated a new subsidiary, the Arkansas Western Railway, which then acquired all the assets of the Arkansas Western Railroad on June 1, 1904.[1][5] The Arkansas Western Railway continued to be operated under that name, but the acquisition allowed “through-service” from Ft. Smith to Waldron, about 45 miles to the south-southeast; however, the round-about route took 3 hours and 15 minutes while making 14 intermediate stops.[2][6]
In 1932, the railroad built an extension of about 22 miles from Waldron to Forester, Arkansas to service a lumber mill there.[2] But that line was removed soon after the closing of the mill in 1952.[2]
Consideration was given around 1980 to abandonment of the rest of the trackage, but instead the line was rehabilitated by mid-1983 in a project taking private and public funding and utilizing 43,540 crossties, 120,092 rail anchors, 92,035 tons of base aggregate, 29 new timber trestles, and 15 repaired trestles.[7] In 1992, the Arkansas Western Railway was merged into the KCS.[2] In subsequent history, the KCS leased the Heavener-to-Waldron line to Watco in 2005, and the trackage is being operated by the Arkansas Southern Railroad.[2]