The West Tulsa Belt Railway (WTB) was an odd railroad for multiple reasons. It had only about two miles of track, located in or about West Tulsa, Oklahoma.[1] It had no mainline, instead consisting of just sidetracks and yards.[1] And, it had no locomotives, rolling stock, or employees to operate it, instead being run from its inception by another railroad's equipment and personnel.[1]
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Locale | Oklahoma |
| Dates of operation | 1910–1922 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Length | 2.142 mi (3.447 km) |
History
editThe railway was organized July 1, 1909.[1] Its president and stockholder was W.E. Hawley of Hawley Engineering Company.[1][2] Sources differ as to the purpose of the line: one says it was to connect the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway (Frisco) with the Midland Valley Railroad;[2] another says it was just to connect the Frisco to the privately owned tracks of The Texas Company.[1] The Texas Company, later known as Texaco,[3] already had oil storage facilities in West Tulsa, and was beginning work on a major refinery in February 1910.[4] In any event, after construction of the WTB had started in September 1909,[4] the stock of the company was purchased the following year by Joseph S. Cullinan, president and founder of The Texas Company, who continued construction.[1][3] He in turn sold his stock to the Frisco.[1] The Frisco completed the line on November 13, 1910.[1] Under the terms of a written operating agreement, the trackage was run by the Frisco with its own equipment and personnel from the first day.[1]
Following a takeover of operation of the railway by the US Railroad Administration during the First World War,[1] Frisco was given permission to acquire the railroad's line and assets by order of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission on August 5, 1922.[5] The Texaco refinery in West Tulsa, later sold to Sinclair Oil and eventually ending up with HF Sinclair, continues in operation today.[6][7]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Valuation Docket 637, The West Tulsa Belt Railway Company". Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States, June-July 1932, pp. 870-879. 1933. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
- ^ a b Douglas, Clarence B. (1921). "Charles Louis Huonker". Retrieved October 27, 2021.
- ^ a b "Cullinan, Joseph Stephen". Tommy W. Stringer, Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
- ^ a b "Old West Tulsa Alluring". Anna F. Brown, SouthwestTulsa.org, December 18, 2001. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
- ^ "In the Matter of the Application of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company". Sixteenth Annual Report of the Corporation Commission of the State of Oklahoma for year ending June 30, 1923, p.210. 1923. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ "Sinclair buys Texaco refinery". UPI, July 29, 1983. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
- ^ "Tulsa Refinery". HF Sinclair. Retrieved August 21, 2022.