Hollis & Eastern Railroad

Hollis and Eastern CF7 2520 Hollis and Eastern - Altus, OK

Hollis & Eastern Railroad

Hollis & Eastern operates approximately 13 miles of track in southwestern Oklahoma. The line stems from connections with BNSF and with the Wichita, Tillman, & Jackson in Altus, west to the town of Duke where a wallboard manufacturing facility is located. The wallboard factory, operated by American Gypsum , is the railroad's primary source of traffic, although the H&E does haul seasonal movements of grain.

Hollis & Eastern's locomotive roster consists of SW1 # 39 and ex-Illinois Central GP10 8170. CF7 2520 is no longer on the property.

Your best bet to catch the Hollis & Eastern in action is to look for them to run east out of Duke early on a weekday (and occasionally on a Saturday) morning. During my most recent visit to the area (August 2000), the operation was performed as follows: The crew ran east with a handful of loaded bulkhead flats, took them through Altus to the BNSF interchange, and then picked up empties at Altus and returned to Duke.

Please click on any of the following pictures to see a larger image:

	Here's an engineer's-side view of Hollis & Eastern CF7 # 2520 at Duke, OK on June 27, 1997.
	Hollis & Eastern CF7 # 2520 idles at Duke, OK on June 27, 1997.
	Hollis & Eastern SW1 # 39 was photographed at the Republic Gypsum wallboard manufacturing plant in Duke, OK on June 27, 1997.
	Hollis & Eastern GP10 8170 -- an ex-Illinois Central "Paducah rebuild" -- leads an eastbound train between Duke and Altus, Oklahoma on August 11, 2000.
	Hollis & Eastern GP10 8170 leads an eastbound train between Duke and Altus, Oklahoma on August 11, 2000.
	Hollis & Eastern GP10 8170 leads an eastbound freight past a grain elevator at Victory, Oklahoma on August 11, 2000.
	Hollis & Eastern GP10 8170 leads an eastbound train approaching Altus, OK on August 11, 2000.
	Hollis & Eastern GP10 8170 leads an eastbound train through Altus, OK on August 11, 2000.
	Here's a close-up view of Hollis & Eastern GP10 8170 leading an eastbound train through Altus, OK on August 11, 2000.
	Hollis & Eastern GP10 8170 leads an eastbound train through Altus, OK on August 11, 2000.
	After completing its interchange work, Hollis & Eastern GP10 8170 -- now running long hood forward -- leads a westbound train through Altus, OK on August 11, 2000.

Return to the Southwest Railfan