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The Rarus Railway has a new name, and a historical one at that.

Today, Patriot Rail Corp., which acquired the 63-mile short line in May, announced it changed the railroad’s name to the Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Railway Co. (BA&P).

The Rarus Railway traces its Montana heritage to the historic BA&P, which was incorporated in 1892 to serve the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. The BA&P operated primarily to transport copper ore from Butte copper mines to a smelting operation in Anaconda. The railroad carried both freight and passengers until 1955.

Thirty years later, Rarus purchased the railroad. In 2005, Rarus created the 52-mile Copper King Express excursion train and restored passenger-rail service.

Patriot Rail also owns the 118-mile Tennessee Southern Railroad.