Enid Central Railway
| Reporting mark | OKKT |
|---|---|
| Locale | Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas |
| Dates of operation |
1980-1981 1982-1988 Headquarters=Dallas, TX– |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
1980-1981 1982-1988
The Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad (OKT) (reporting mark OKKT), was originally created on May 29, 1980 after the demise of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad on March 31, 1980. A subsidiary of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, it operated 767 miles (1,234 km) of the former Rock Island's Herington, KS to Fort Worth, TX North-South line, as a cooperative venture with local shippers providing 3 million dollars in initial start-up costs. The original OKT North-South route ran from St. Joe, Missouri, to Topeka, Kansas, south through Herington, Wichita, Enid and El Reno to Fort Worth. It also originally operated several of the former Rock Island's branch lines including: Herington to Salina; Ponca City to Enid; Chickasha to Anadarko and Lawton; and from Waurika to Walters. In addition a small portion of the Rock Island's East-West mainline was operated between El Reno and nearby Oklahoma City.
During the original version of the OKT, a total of 61,891 cars were moved during 1981, with the first train leaving Dallas, the company's headquarters, on June 6, 1980. Although the MKT supplied the bulk of operating equipment during OKT I, additional leased equipment was obtained for use on the line, including leased GP38's from Conrail and a number of cabooses leased from Conrail and from the Alaska Railroad. However, due to poor financial performance, MKT management sought reduced rentals from the Rock Island Trustee, with both sides going back and forth until MKT shut down its original OKT operations on December 31, 1981. The State of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Rail Users' Association helped the two sides to reach consensus on a purchase price. On October 20, 1982, U.S. District Judge Frank McGarr approved the sale of the Herington, Kansas to Ft Worth, Texas line to MKT subsidiary OKT for 55 million dollars consisting of 645 miles (1,038 km) of line.
During negotiations in 1981 and 1982, North Central Texas Railway (NCTR) operated portions of the line between Dallas, Texas and Chico, Texas,Enid Central Railway (ENIC) operated line between Enid, Oklahoma and El Reno, Oklahoma and between Enid and Ponca City, and North Central Oklahoma Railway (NCOK) operated Chickasha, Oklahoma to El Reno, Oklahoma, as well as the branchline between Chickasha and Anadarko. NCTR, NCOK, and ENIC all were owned by the same corporation.
...
Wikipedia