West Tulsa Belt Railway
Overview
HeadquartersTulsa, Oklahoma
LocaleOklahoma
Dates of operation1910–1922
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Length2 mi (3.2 km)

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]

History

The 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

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "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.
  2. 1 2 Douglas, Clarence B. (1921). "Charles Louis Huonker". Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Cullinan, Joseph Stephen". Tommy W. Stringer, Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Old West Tulsa Alluring". Anna F. Brown, SouthwestTulsa.org, December 18, 2001. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  5. ↑ "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.
  6. ↑ "Sinclair buys Texaco refinery". UPI, July 29, 1983. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Tulsa Refinery". HF Sinclair. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
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