The Okmulgee Northern Railway Company (ON), originally the Coalton Railway, was a shortline rail carrier in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma. It was in operation from 1916 to 1964.[1]
History
The line was chartered December 15, 1915 under Oklahoma law, and completed October 8, 1916.[2] A snapshot of the company as of June 30, 1919 shows it with its headquarters in the city of Okmulgee, 1.710 miles of yard tracks and sidings, plus a single-track, standard-gauge mainline of 10.331 miles extending south from Okmulgee into the Deep Fork area.[2] The line traversed gently rolling terrain, with only one metal bridge which featured a 166-foot through-truss span on two pile piers.[2] From Deep Fork, the company had overhead trackage rights on 11.6 miles of the Missouri, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway Company—later reorganized as the Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway (KO&G)-- to Henryetta, Oklahoma, limited to passenger operations.[2][3] The line, primarily a freight-hauler, had one steam locomotive and only owned three passenger cars.[2] The company interchanged with the KO&G at Deep Fork, and with the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway (Frisco) at Okmulgee.[2] The company was valued by the Interstate Commerce Commission as of 1919 at $321,000 for rate-making purposes.[2]
The line ran south from Okmulgee along the Deep Fork River carrying coal out of the Dewar, Coalton and Schulter producing areas.[1] The Thirty-sixth annual report of the Department of Mines and Minerals from 1943 shows combined production by coal companies in Coalton and Dewar of over 30,000 tons annually.[4] Production peaked in the Henryetta mining area in 1948, with numbers of mines shutting down thereafter.[5]
The ICC authorized abandonment of ON's entire line on May 18, 1964, and the railroad ceased operations on June 27, 1964.[6] All assets were sold to the Frisco.[6]
Legacy
One mile of the railroad's old right-of-way is now incorporated in the Railroad Trail and River Overlook at the Deep Fork National Wildlife Refuge.[1][7]
One of the ON's former steam locomotives is on static display at the Belton, Grandview and Kansas City Railroad, a museum and heritage railroad in Belton, Missouri.[8][9] Built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) Cooke facility in 1923, the engine is a 2-8-0 Consolidation.[9] Due to be sold to Cuba after construction, it was stored for many years after the order was cancelled, and ended up being sold to the ON in 1933.[9] Numbered as engine #5 and nicknamed “Tommy,” it was retired from service in 1958.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d "Refuge Racoon's Words on Wildlife, I Hear the Train A'Coming" (PDF). Henryetta Free-Lance, January 26, 2018 (accessed on eTypes Archives). Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Valuation Docket No. 829, Okmulgee Northern Railway Company, pp. 186-209". 1930. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
- ^ "Dewar". Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
- ^ "Thirty-sixth annual report of the Department of Mines and Minerals, 1943, page 15". Oklahoma Digital Prairie. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ "Geology and Coal Resources of the Henryetta Mining District, Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, pp. 203-212" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
- ^ a b "Letter of General Counsel re: Okmulgee Northern Railway Company, Cessation of employer status" (PDF). GovInfo.gov. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
- ^ "In the Community". Deep Fork National Wildlife Refuge. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
- ^ "Homepage". Belton, Grandview and Kansas City Railroad. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Locomotives". Belton, Grandview and Kansas City Railroad. Retrieved August 28, 2021.