DwightBranch I have been following this development but am not familiar with the area and so cannot decode the routes. Is the Stillwater Central the former Rock Island line from Tucumcari to Memphis? Is one of the lines they are considering from OKC to Kansas the OKKT, before that Rock Island KC-Texas route?
I have been following this development but am not familiar with the area and so cannot decode the routes. Is the Stillwater Central the former Rock Island line from Tucumcari to Memphis? Is one of the lines they are considering from OKC to Kansas the OKKT, before that Rock Island KC-Texas route?
Dwight Branch:
The Line from Sapulpa ( sub of Tulsa) to Midwest City ( sub of OKC) is a former Frisco route and was bought from the BN ( BNSF?) in about the late 1960's by the State of Okla. and operated by leaseholder ( Stillwater Central/Watco.)
The OKT sub is now Union Pacific and runs through Wichita more or less in a North/South Direction. From Newton, Ks south thru Wichita, past Wellington, Ks, Crosses under the BNSF T-con at that location, then towards Caldwell,Ks and to El Reno,OK ( nee: CRI&P)
This link might be of interest:
http://newsok.com/union-pacific-railroad-buys-rail-line-from-state-of-oklahoma/article/3717067
Growing up in Memphis, as a child, I had the opportunity to ride the CRI&P Choctaw Rocket to Oklahoma City on several trips, to Little Rock. Towards its end it got to be a pretty ignominious ride... The route from Memphis to Tucumcari,NM I think, was called the Choctaw Route (in part, was over the former Choctataw,Oklahoma, and Gulf RR) . At one time the connection at Memphis was via a Car Ferry to the Eastbank of the Mississippi R.at Memphis.
The Tulsa-OKC route is former Frisco, purchased by the state from BNSF in 1998 and operated since then by Stillwater Central (WATCO)
The route being studied by the state of Kansas in that story link is former ATSF from Newton to OKC
Follow up to the trips of the EASTERN FLYER on the Stillwater Central RR Trips were run on the 9th and 15th of Feb and another is scheduled to run on the 23rd of Feb, as well. As has been reported the trips ( est 900 or so tickets sold almost immediately)
Found some information regarding the Press coverage of the trips:
First @ http://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/eastern-flyer-offers-first-passenger-train-ride-between-tulsa-metro-oklahoma-city-in-40-years
FTA:"...STROUD, Okla. - The first train ride offered between the state's two largest cities in more than 40 years has begun its three-day run.
Passengers boarded the Eastern Flyer from Sapulpa to Oklahoma City Sunday morning..."
And then this story with an imbedded video of the ride @ http://www.news9.com/story/24676585/passenger-rail-makes-debut-in-first-round-trip
Most readers here know the at the Passenger equip,ment was provided by the Iowa Pacific and the power from WATCO's fleet.
Then there are some stories referencing the sale of that line by its owner The Okla Dept of Transportation (ODOT) which bought the line in 1998 and has been leasing it out as a rail corridor to railroads.
see link @ http://www.news9.com/story/24449258/odot-plans-to-sell-railway-between-okc-tulsa
This is a link to a Press Release from March 2013 re the Sale of the "Soon Sub" Explains what and why.
@ http://tulsacouncil.org/media/108850/SoonerSubRelease1.pdf
There was also some conversation that if the line did not "Sell"; it would be kept and continued to be leased to rail operators. The sale was to by final by 31 Jan 2013.
Can find nothing more as to the status of this line and or the continuation of the passenger service, over it.
Recently in the TRAINSNewswire there have been coverage of some of the issues that have been churning of late around here in Kansas. Specificall the announcement of the WATCO Passenger Train, The Eastern Flyer scheduled to run over its Stilwater Central RR; in conjunction with the Iowa Pacific who is using its passenger equipment on the trains.
The train is scheduled to run several round trips ( Feb 9,15,23, 2014) From Sapulpa,Ok to Midwest City,OK. To leave in the Am and return in PM of same day. Sapulpa is a suburb of Tulsa and Midwest City is a suburb of Okla City. According to the latest article in Newswire, the 900 available seats are sold out, on the currently scheduled runs.
There was an article this past week in the Wichita Eagle referencing the start-up of the Eastern Flyer and its effect on the proposal for extension of the Heartland Flyer Through Wichita and Newton ( to a point still to be determined for its final destination.) The headline " Tulsa-OKC line could derail plans" by Bill Wilson of The Wichita Eagle
Apparently, this potential extension through Kansas is not too well though of around Tulsa. Additionally, the route of their choice is a line currently owned by the State of Oklahoma, and called the "Sooner Sub" which is scheduled to opened for bidding,by the State, on its operations on January 29th for this 97 mile 'sub'. The article's author seems to think that the BNSF will win it, and could potentially become part of the extension of the current Heartland Flyer route. Both in Tulsa, and in Wichita, the proposed extension of the Heartland Flyer has support. Of course, each community wants the line through their area, and part of the problem has been that our current governor ( Sam Brownback) has not really been enthusiastic about it, and the necessary funding for studies,engineering and the like. The KDOT division is managing it as the lead agency.
Here is a link to the Northernflyeralliance.org site, and a map of the proposed route, but it is from Nov. 2012 @ http://northernflyeralliance.org/ This whole thing seems to be a low priority for the current State Government in Kansas. Here is another linked story that is also not too recent, but may explain some of the issues, also. @ http://www.kansas.com/2013/02/02/2660567/proposed-oklahoma-passenger-rail.html
Seems that the issues of the Southwest Chief and its routing problems are also as problematic in Kansas as well.
TRAINSNewswire of this date Jan.14,2014 carries a headline and story that referencing the push by a New Mexico Legislator to move some funding legislation forward to get monies to improve the NM part of the route of the SWC into a regular amount ( $4 Million per year for 10 years).
If nothing happens here in Kansas; you can probably guess that the SWC will go South out of Wichita to the BNSF Southern Transcon down to Amarillo, and then West. That seems to be the only option at this time for the route around here( ?) If the State of Kansas does not provide any money, that BNSF is asking for the upkeep of the line west from Newton,Ks.
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