Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway

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Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway
Overview
HeadquartersWichita Falls, Texas
Locale Oklahoma and Texas
Dates of operation1910–1969
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Length359.3 mi (578.2 km)

The Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway, its affiliate the Northwestern Railway Company of Texas, and two subsidiaries collectively constructed a railway running from Wichita Falls, Texas through Altus, Oklahoma to Forgan, Oklahoma, with a branch running from Altus to Wellington, Texas. [1] The network comprised 359.3 miles of track, and was collectively known as the Wichita Falls Route. [1]

History

The original plan was for a line extending north from Wichita Falls through Indian Territory to Englewood, Kansas. [1] Toward that goal, two companies were chartered: the Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway Company of Texas on September 26, 1906, to construct the seventeen-mile stretch from Wichita Falls to the Red River, and a few days later the Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway Company to do the rest. [1] However, plans changed and the northern segment was redirected to Frederick, Altus, Elk City, and on to Forgan in the Oklahoma Panhandle. [1]

The directors also decided on a branch going west from Altus to Wellington in the Texas Panhandle. [1] That branch was to be built by subsidiaries of the Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway. [2] The Wichita Falls and Wellington Railway Company of Texas constructed the portion in Texas, and the Altus, Wichita Falls and Hollis Railway Company did the Oklahoma portion. [2]

The trackage to Altus, both from Wellington and from Wichita Falls, was completed in 1910. [1] [2] [3] The continuation to Forgan was finished in 1912. [2]

The stock of all the companies was acquired by the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway (MKT) system in 1911. [1] The Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway was merged into the MKT in 1923, with the Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway Company of Texas following in 1969. [1] The Wellington branch was merely leased by an MKT affiliate until that trackage was abandoned in 1958. [2]

The remaining line to Forgan was cut back to Altus in 1973, leaving approximately 77 miles of trackage from Wichita Falls to Altus. [1] In June 1982, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) acquired the 61.02 miles of trackage between Altus and the Oklahoma/Texas state line, [4] while the UP ended up with the line from the border to Wichita Falls. [5] In early 1991, the Wichita, Tillman and Jackson Railway (WTJR), a brand new company, separately leased both segments of the line. [5] [4] and started service January 14, 1991. [6] The Lease on the Union Pacific segment was renewed in 2010, and again in 2016 for 10 years. [5] The Oklahoma segment was purchased by WTJR from ODOT around the end of 2010. [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway". Donovan L. Hofsommer, Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Wichita Falls and Wellington Railway". George C. Werner, Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  3. ↑ Interstate Commerce Commission, 34 Val. Rep. 293 (1930): Valuation Docket No. 759, The Wichita Falls & Northwestern Railway Company Archived 2013-01-13 at archive.today ; Valuation Docket No. 814, The Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway Company of Texas and its Leased Lines Archived 2013-01-13 at archive.today
  4. 1 2 3 "Freight and Goods Movement, 2020 Update, p.28" (PDF). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 "Wichita, Tillman & Jackson Railway Company-Lease Exemption Containing Interchange Commitment-Union Pacific Railroad Company". Surface Transportation Board, Federal Register, March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Wichita, Tillman & Jackson Railway Company, Inc. WTJR #899". Union Pacific. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
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