Blackwell and Southern Railway

The Blackwell and Southern Railway 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.

Blackwell and Southern Railway
Overview
HeadquartersGuthrie, Oklahoma
LocaleOklahoma
Dates of operation1899–1900
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length15.95 miles (25.67 km)

History

Not long after the Kansas and Southeastern Railroad built south into Braman from Hunnewell, Kansas in 1898, The Blackwell and Southern Railway Company was incorporated under the General Laws of the Territory of Oklahoma on June 2, 1899[1][2] with its headquarters in Guthrie.[3] 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.[4][5] The single-track line was completed on August 7, 1899, and was operated by the AT&SF from its first day.[4]

The railroad was sold to the AT&SF on January 26, 1900.[1][4] 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.[1]

The Blackwell-to-Tonkawa segment of the line has since been abandoned, but the Blackwell-to-Braman segment is still in use.[6][7] 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.[8]

References
  1. "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.
  2. "Braman". Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  3. "Railways chartered since January 1, 1898". 1899. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  4. "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.
  5. "Tonkawa". Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  6. "Oklahoma 2018-2020 State Railroad Map" (PDF). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  7. "Locals fondly recall old railroad's 'Doodlebug'". Blackwell Journal-Tribune, January 12, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  8. "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.
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