Overview | |
---|---|
Headquarters | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
Locale | Oklahoma |
Dates of operation | 1917–1950 |
Technical | |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
Length | 40 mi (64 km) |
The Miami Mineral Belt Railroad (MMBR) served the Miami and Picher lead mining areas in that portion of the Tri-state mining district located in far northeastern Oklahoma. It was closely associated with the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (Frisco) for its entire history, and was eventually absorbed into the Frisco.
The MMBR was incorporated February 26, 1917 in Oklahoma and June 27, 1917 in Kansas. [1] Its sole stockholder was T.B. Slick, and it was headquartered in Oklahoma City. [1] It was created with the active participation of the Frisco, which wanted a share of the transportation trade in a very productive mining area. [2] Toward that goal, the Frisco provided and leased the rails to the railroad’s creators, and guaranteed a 10% return on construction and equipment costs until a 110% payout on investment had been reached. [3] The Frisco, and its affiliated Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis Railway, also leased locomotives and rolling stock to the MMBR. [1] The line traveled westerly, northerly, and northeasterly from Quapaw, Oklahoma through Picher, Oklahoma and on to Baxter Springs, Kansas, 11.05 miles, forming a loop through the Miami and Picher lead mining areas. [2] [3] The railway started operation July 6, 1917. [3] [4] Including various side, yard, and spur tracks which totaled 29 miles in 1929, the railroad eventually included about 40 miles of trackage. [5] Despite the name, it never ran to Miami, Oklahoma, which was to the southwest. [2] [6]
The line was essentially a switching operation to gather traffic from mine and mill spurs and haul it to the Frisco interchange points at Quapaw and Baxter Springs. [3] Most of the traffic was outbound lead and zinc ores, but the line did handle some inbound merchandise as well as passengers. [2] [3]
While Frisco was given ICC permission to acquire the line in 1923, [3] it appears Frisco leased the line instead, [2] only acquiring the stock of the carrier on July 31, 1929. [5] Effective January 1, 1930, the line was leased back to the Frisco, [7] where for Frisco’s internal purposes it became the Picher Branch of the Afton Sub-Division of the Northern Division. [7] The line was not officially absorbed into the Frisco until mid-1950. [2] [8]
Overview | |
---|---|
Headquarters | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
Locale | Oklahoma |
Dates of operation | 1917–1950 |
Technical | |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
Length | 40 mi (64 km) |
The Miami Mineral Belt Railroad (MMBR) served the Miami and Picher lead mining areas in that portion of the Tri-state mining district located in far northeastern Oklahoma. It was closely associated with the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (Frisco) for its entire history, and was eventually absorbed into the Frisco.
The MMBR was incorporated February 26, 1917 in Oklahoma and June 27, 1917 in Kansas. [1] Its sole stockholder was T.B. Slick, and it was headquartered in Oklahoma City. [1] It was created with the active participation of the Frisco, which wanted a share of the transportation trade in a very productive mining area. [2] Toward that goal, the Frisco provided and leased the rails to the railroad’s creators, and guaranteed a 10% return on construction and equipment costs until a 110% payout on investment had been reached. [3] The Frisco, and its affiliated Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis Railway, also leased locomotives and rolling stock to the MMBR. [1] The line traveled westerly, northerly, and northeasterly from Quapaw, Oklahoma through Picher, Oklahoma and on to Baxter Springs, Kansas, 11.05 miles, forming a loop through the Miami and Picher lead mining areas. [2] [3] The railway started operation July 6, 1917. [3] [4] Including various side, yard, and spur tracks which totaled 29 miles in 1929, the railroad eventually included about 40 miles of trackage. [5] Despite the name, it never ran to Miami, Oklahoma, which was to the southwest. [2] [6]
The line was essentially a switching operation to gather traffic from mine and mill spurs and haul it to the Frisco interchange points at Quapaw and Baxter Springs. [3] Most of the traffic was outbound lead and zinc ores, but the line did handle some inbound merchandise as well as passengers. [2] [3]
While Frisco was given ICC permission to acquire the line in 1923, [3] it appears Frisco leased the line instead, [2] only acquiring the stock of the carrier on July 31, 1929. [5] Effective January 1, 1930, the line was leased back to the Frisco, [7] where for Frisco’s internal purposes it became the Picher Branch of the Afton Sub-Division of the Northern Division. [7] The line was not officially absorbed into the Frisco until mid-1950. [2] [8]