Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad

Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad (BNGR) is a short-line railroad headquartered in Blackwell, Oklahoma. It operates on tracks owned by the Blackwell Industrial Authority (BIA) and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT).[1]

BNG 84, an EMD GP38-2, sits in the railyard at Blackwell, Oklahoma.

The BGNR was a replacement for The Blackwell and Northern Railway (BNR), which started service over the same line on November 4, 2002, and which was in turn the replacement for the prior operator, the South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad.[2][3] The BNGR was chartered in Oklahoma on October 31, 2005, contracted to replace the BNR in late 2005, and began operating January 2, 2006.[2][3] It is an employer for the purposes of the Railroad Retirement Act.[2]

It operates 35.26 miles of line from Blackwell to Hunnewell, Kansas, with trackage rights to Wellington, Kansas.[3] It interchanges with the BNSF at Wellington, and (via the BNSF) with Union Pacific.[3] It also generates revenue storing railcars for larger railroads.[4] It had 8 employees as of 2017.[5]

When the region experienced flooding in May of 2019, the line was severely damaged in areas around Blackwell, Braman, Oklahoma, and South Haven, Kansas.[4] The line was temporarily shut down since the owners could not immediately afford to make all the needed repairs.[4]

References
  1. "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.
  2. "Employer Status Determination" (PDF). Railroad Retirement Board, March 15, 2006. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  3. "Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad Company BNGR #O41". Union Pacific. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  4. ""Our" View: the Railroad". Blackwell Journal-Tribune, July 5, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  5. "2017 Railroad Classification Table". Federal Railroad Administration. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
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