The city of Rogers and the A&M Railroad have joined forces to offer a nostalgic train ride from Frisco Station (Rogers) to Dickson Street carrying football fans to the Arkansas-LSU (Louisiana State University) football game on Nov. 15.
Brenda Rouse, operations manager for the passenger train division of A&M Railroad, said the city of Rogers has asked for this service for several years but fall is the one of the busiest times for Saturday rides through the scenic Boston Mountains.
“This year we set aside the Nov. 15 date to accommodate the request,” Rouse said.
The roundtrip transport which includes a shuttle from Dickson Street to the stadium is $40 and includes snacks and beverages provided by Premium Brands of NWA. The trip takes about an hour one-way, but the parking in downtown Rogers is free. Rouse said most of the first class seats have been sold to the sponsors for this ride, but there are still plenty of general admission tickets available.
She said the LSU game has a historical reference to the train because in 1910 the University of Arkansas football team, then called the Cardinals, rode the train to Baton Rouge for a game with LSU. On the train ride home, UA Coach Hugo Bezdek commented that his team played like a “wild band of Razorback hogs.” The student body voted after that to change the mascot to the “Razorbacks.”
“We commemorated that ride in 2010 and there is a historical marker at the tracks on Dickson Street in downtown Fayetteville,” Rouse said.
She said this historic Razor Rail ride on Nov. 15 is the first passenger train to the University of Arkansas in more than 20 years.
Other sponsors for the Razor Run include Mainstreet Rogers, Visit Rogers, Premium Brands NWA and Nabholz Construction. Tickets for the ride are available online.