| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Guthrie, Oklahoma |
| Locale | Oklahoma |
| Dates of operation | 1899–1900 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Length | 15.95 miles (25.67 km) |
The Blackwell and Southern Railway ("B&SR") constructed a rail line running from Braman, Oklahoma to Tonkawa, Oklahoma. The 15.95-mile (25.67 km) route was built in 1899, and sold to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF) in early 1900.
History
Kansas and Southeastern Railroad
As background, a rail connection had arrived in the town of Hunnewell, Kansas in 1880, giving that locale access to the Kansas City stockyards and beyond. Thus when the separate Kansas and Southeastern Railroad, which had been incorporated in Kansas on August 16, 1897, constructed in 1898 a line from Hunnewell on the Kansas-Oklahoma border south to Braman, about 9.1 miles, Braman became a desirable connection point for other railroads.
B&SR
Against that framework, The Blackwell and Southern Railway Company was incorporated under the General Laws of the Territory of Oklahoma on June 2, 1899 with its headquarters in Guthrie. Utilizing over $150,000 advanced from the AT&SF, the railway built south from Braman through Blackwell-- which had an east/west railroad connection owned by the Hutchinson and Southern Railway-- and continued on to Tonkawa, 15.95 miles in total. The single-track line was completed on August 7, 1899, and was operated by the AT&SF from its first day.
Sale
The B&SR was sold to the AT&SF on January 26, 1900. This was just shortly after the AT&SF bought both the Kansas and Southeastern Railroad and the Hutchinson and Southern Railway on December 20, 1899.
Subsequent events
The Blackwell-to-Tonkawa segment of the line has since been abandoned, but the Blackwell-to-Braman segment is still in use. It is owned by the Blackwell Industrial Authority and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), and operated as part of the Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad.
References
- "Hunnewell, Kansas-Cow Town to Ghost Town". Legends of America. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- "Braman". Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- "The Kansas and Southeastern Railroad Company, pp.35-38". Railroads of Oklahoma, June 6, 1870-April 1, 1978 (accessed on Oklahoma DigitalPrairie. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ "The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company". Railroads of Oklahoma, June 6, 1870-April 1, 1978, pp. 29-38 (accessed on Oklahoma Digital Prairie). Retrieved March 24, 2023.
- "Braman". Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- "Railways chartered since January 1, 1898". 1899. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
- ^ "Valuation Docket No. 625, Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company et al, decided May 3, 1927, pp. 127, 237, 253 & 471". 1927. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
- "Tonkawa". Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
- "Oklahoma 2018-2020 State Railroad Map" (PDF). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
- "Locals fondly recall old railroad's 'Doodlebug'". Blackwell Journal-Tribune, January 12, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
- "Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad Company-Lease Renewal Exemption-Oklahoma Department of Transportation and Blackwell Industrial Authority". Federal Register, 11/17/2010. Retrieved September 23, 2021.