The Blackwell, Enid and Southwestern Railway (BES) was built as a short line railroad operating in

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. It was founded in March 1900 to link the Frisco

Beaumont, Kansas Beaumont is a census-designated place (CDP) in Butler County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36. History The surrounding area is farmland, settled by ranchers and farmers after the Civil War. Homesteaders f ...

subdivision and

Vernon, Texas Vernon is a city and the county seat of Wilbarger County, Texas, United States. and as of the 2010 census had a population of 11,002. History The original town was called Eagle Springs by the indigenous community as early as 1858. After t ...

. When the government opened the Kiowa-Comanche-Apache Indian Reservation for settlement on August 6, 1901, Choctaw Construction Company (later part of the Bee Line Construction Company) began construction of 251 miles of track from Vernon, Texas north to Blackwell and Enid in Indian Territory. The line was built in sections, starting from

Blackwell, Oklahoma Blackwell is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States, located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 177 and State Highway 11 along Interstate 35. The population was 6,085 as of the 2020 census. Blackwell was established following the Sep ...

to Darrow, Oklahoma (84.3 mi.) in 1900–01. Then from Darrow to the Red River (154.3 mi) in 1901–03. On July 20, 1907, the railroad was purchased by the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (the "Frisco"), who operated it until November 21, 1980, when the Frisco was acquired by

Burlington Northern The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States–based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1995. Its historical lineage begins in the earliest days of railroad ...

Passenger Service

The Western Division operated the Texas Express passenger train between Enid, Oklahoma and Vernon, Texas in each direction. The timetable from the 1930s shows that southbound train 609 departed from Enid at 12:20 p.m. and arrived at Vernon at 7:45 p.m.. The northbound train 610 departed Vernon at 6:30 a.m. and arrived at Enid at 1:45 p.m.

Freight Service

The Western Division ran a freight train daily between Enid, Oklahoma and Vernon, Texas in each direction. The timetable used to operate the layout shows that southbound local 667 departed Snyder at 7:45 a.m. and arrived at Vernon at 10:40 a.m.. The northbound local 668 departed Vernon at 1:30 p.m. and arrived at Snyder at 4:45 p.m.

Geography

The line running southwest from Enid, Oklahoma to Vernon, Texas became known as the Hobart Subdivision of the Frisco's Western Division. The topography is flat prairie with a few granite outcroppings located near

Snyder, Oklahoma Snyder is a city in Kiowa County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,301 at the time of the 2020 Census. History The community of Snyder was established in Oklahoma Territory, just south of Mountain Park in 1902. The founder was ...

. Another topographical feature of the Hobart Subdivision was the long timber bridge over the Red River that runs east and west between Oklahoma and Texas. The line between Enid, Oklahoma to Beaumont, Kansas traversed the central Great Plains in the heart of North America's winter wheat belt.

Current operations

Enid, Oklahoma to Frederick, Oklahoma is now Grainbelt since 1987 (177.7 mi.). The principal commodities handled by Farmrail are wheat, crude and processed gypsum, feed ingredients, crushed stone, oilfield drilling fluids, petroleum products, fertilizers and agricultural machinery.

Abandonments

Davidson, Oklahoma to

- 1957 (15.32 mi.)

Winfield, Kansas Winfield is a city and county seat of Cowley County, Kansas, United States. It is situated along the Walnut River in South Central Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 11,777. It is home to Southwestern College. ...

to Beaumont, Kansas - 1977 (42.0 mi.)

Arkansas City, Kansas Arkansas City () is a city in Cowley County, Kansas, United States, situated at the confluence of the Arkansas and Walnut rivers in the southwestern part of the county. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 11,974. Pronunc ...

to Winfield, Kansas - 1982 (20.2 mi.)
Enid, Oklahoma to Arkansas City, Kansas - 1982 (71.1 mi.)
Davidson, Oklahoma to Frederick, Oklahoma - unknown, likely post-1982
Last train from Enid to Arkansas City 5/29/1982

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackwell Enid Southwestern Railway Defunct Oklahoma railroads Predecessors of the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway Railway companies established in 1900 Railway companies disestablished in 1907 Railway companies in Enid, Oklahoma