Blackwell, Enid and Southwestern Railway
The Blackwell, Enid and Southwestern Railway (BES) was built as a short line railroad operating in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas |
| Dates of operation | 1900–1907 |
| Successor | St. Louis-San Francisco Railway |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
It was founded in March 1900 to link the Frisco Beaumont, Kansas subdivision and Vernon, Texas. 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 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.