Does anyone know of a map and/or history on-line somewhere? I was told it was abandoned in 1939 or 1940. But then also had someone tell me sold at a "receivers" sale. If so, to who, or another RR and merged? Boxcab E50
The line was sold at auction in 1939, with that part of the line from milepost 41 to Guthrie being dismantled 1939-1940. Ran between Fort Smith, Ark., and Guthrie, Okla
OK. So the "receiver" sale I'd been told of must have happened. Any hints of who acquired the unremoved portion? Frisco? Mopac? KCS? Who else was in the area? Boxcab E50
IIRC, KCS got the portion from Ft. Smith to SPiro, OK (until it was severely washed out in floods in the 1940s), and also part of the main from Panama west to about Bokoshe, OK (it was also known as the Ft. Smith and Van Buren, and was operated by KCS into 1981 or so). To get the skinny on the Footsore & Weary, it may be best to call upon the experts at Railspot, a Yahoo discussion group. You'll have to sign up to post, but it's free, and it's also a goldmine of info on railroads in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, and Louisiana.
Bob- That was the last piece needed. I dug out an older Official Guide. And there it is. Shows up on a KCS system map. Thanks guys! Boxcab E50
Went Googling, and found this bit of info on the KCSCH website ( http://www.kcshs.org ) Hope this helps a little..... FORT SMITH & VAN BUREN RAILWAY COMPANY The Ft. Smith & Western Railroad was chartered in 1899 and opened its first 20 miles from Coal Creek to McCurtain, Oklahoma near the end of 1901. For the first 22 miles from Fort Smith, Arkansas, to Coal Creek the road used trackage rights on the Kansas City Southern's Ft. Smith branch line to Spiro Oklahoma, then on the KCS main line from Spiro to Coal Creek. By the end of 1903 the entire line had been completed to Guthrie, Oklahoma, then the State Capital (18901910), where it connected with the Santa Fe, but lack of business put the road into receivership. In 1915 it acquired trackage rights over the Missouri-Kansas-Texas from Fallis, Oklahoma, to Oklahoma City which had become the State Capital in 1910. It teamed up with the Missouri, Oklahoma & Gulf (later Kansas, Oklahoma & Gulf) to provide through passenger service between Oklahoma City and Joplin, Missouri, via Muskogee, Oklahoma. The Ft. Smith & Western Railway was incorporated in 1921 to purchase the Ft. Smith & Western Railroad and began operating it on February 1, 1923, but the great depression and severe droughts in the 1930's forced the line into hard times and the Katy (MKT) withdrew the trackage rights into Oklahoma City. The road ceased operations on February 9, 1939 and permission to abandon the line was granted in July 1939. Kansas City Southern's subsidiary Fort Smith & Van Buren acquired the original portion of the line from Coal Creek to McCurtain and the balance of the line west from McCurtain to Guthrie was scrapped.
Just noticed- the above bio contradicts what I said about the Spiro-Ft. Smith line. Apparently it WAS KCS's to start with. My mistake.......
does anyone have a map of this? i have looked through all the maps i know of, but none of them show it. i knew it used to go to Guthrie, but didn't know the specfics. heck, i could be sitting on top of it and not know. thanks!!! i.e. look at the "from" on my post, it'll make more sense.
I have a 1916 Official Guide, and there is a map. But I cannot get this oldie into my scanner, without it disintegrating the book. I'll list the station names for you. And perhaps you can plot them on a map? East to west: Fort Smith, Coal Creek, Bokoshe, Milton, LeQuire, Kinta, Quinton, Featherston, Blocker, Massey, Crowder, Indianola, Hanna, Dustin, Weleetka, Clearview, Okemah, Castle, Boley, Paden, Prague, Wilzetta, Sparks, Midlothian, Warwick, Wellston, Fallis, Oklahoma City. And a branch: Fallis, Meridian, Guthrie. From Guthrie, tracks continued west as the ST.Louis, El Reno & Western RY: Guthrie, Navina, Lockridge, Piedmont, Richland, El Reno. Along the way, they crossed, and interchanged with a lot of other railroads! Hope this helps some. Boxcab E50
Well I'll be D*&#@d! So it looks like it crossed over the Frisco around Wellston then. That country between Fallis and Guthrie has some pretty rough creek bottoms in it. I'll have to go cruisin the back roads it looks like now. I would have never pictured one from there. I will have to go see the local museum and see if they have a map. thanks boxcab!!
Here's more: Connections were: Fort Smith= Frisco, Mopac, KCS, Arkansas Central RR, Midland Valley RR. Coal Creek= KCS Bokoshe= Midland Valley RR Crowder= MK&T Dustin= Missouri, Oklahoma & Gulf RY Weleetka= Frisco Sparks= AT&SF Warwick= Frisco Fallis= MK&T OKC= MK&T, Rock Island, Frisco, AT&SF Meridian= AT&SF, Rock Island, MK&T Guthrie= Rock Island. So let us know how the explorations proceed. Boxcab E50
FS&W crossed Frisco specifically at Warwick, which isn't much of a town. There is a little road that runs a diagonal between highway 177 and route 66, which parallels the old right of way. The actual diamond was just before the crossing with 66 where it makes an "S" curve east of the highway intersection. You can see on Google earth just a faint trace of the right 'o way running right along the east bank of Captain Creek next to the Turner Turnpike. That's about 9 miles from my house, and by the way if anyone knows the identity of the railroad that ran next to my property I'd like to know it. It head east south east from the Luther area towards Shawnee. Quite confusing and very old, it doesn't even show on a 1966 topo map. N.J. Allen Hilton, OK
My 1916 Official Guide notes both the Frisco and the MKT (MK&T) in Luther. Could be a branch that was abandoned long ago? Boxcab E50
