Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad is a shortline railroad
operating in the western United States
.
The tracks Kansas and Oklahoma operate on include the Kansas City-Colorado main line formerly operated by the Missouri Pacific and later Union Pacific railways.
The KO is a subsidiary of the Watco Companies
, which took over the operations of the Central Kansas Railway
(CKRY) on June 29, 2001. The KO started operating at 12:01 A.M. on June 30, 2001. The CKRY property was purchased from OmniTrax
and the KO also assumed operations of CKRY's sister Railroad Kansas Southwestern Railway
on the same date.
The KO consists of trackage radiating north and west from their headquarters at Wichita, Kansas
. Most of this trackage was originally operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, although a few segments were originally operated by the Missouri Pacific.
Shortline railroad
A shortline railroad is a small or mid-sized railroad company that operates over a relatively short distance relative to larger, national railroad networks. The term is used primarily in the USA and Canada...
operating in the western United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The tracks Kansas and Oklahoma operate on include the Kansas City-Colorado main line formerly operated by the Missouri Pacific and later Union Pacific railways.
The KO is a subsidiary of the Watco Companies
Watco Companies
Watco Companies, Inc. is a Pittsburg, Kansas-based transportation company that was formed in 1983 by Charles R. Webb. Watco is composed of three divisions: transportation, mechanical and transloading. WCI is the owner of Watco Transportation Services, Inc...
, which took over the operations of the Central Kansas Railway
Central Kansas Railway
The Central Kansas Railway was a short-line railroad operating of trackage in the U.S. state of Kansas and west to Towner, Colorado, most all of which were former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway lines...
(CKRY) on June 29, 2001. The KO started operating at 12:01 A.M. on June 30, 2001. The CKRY property was purchased from OmniTrax
OmniTRAX
OmniTRAX, Inc. is one of North America's largest private railroad and transportation management companies, providing management services to 16 regional and short-line railroads that serve 10 U.S...
and the KO also assumed operations of CKRY's sister Railroad Kansas Southwestern Railway
Kansas Southwestern Railway
The Kansas Southwestern Railway was a railroad in the U.S. state of Kansas. It was merged into the Central Kansas Railway in 2000, together forming the Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad. KSW had a small roster of former Grand Trunk Western Railroad EMD GP9s, 4544, 4557, 4912 and 4916. Most were...
on the same date.
The KO consists of trackage radiating north and west from their headquarters at Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
. Most of this trackage was originally operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, although a few segments were originally operated by the Missouri Pacific.
Subdivisions
As of March 2005, the K&O consisted of the following subdivisions:- Hutchinson Subdivision (Wichita, KansasWichita, KansasWichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
to Hutchinson, KansasHutchinson, KansasHutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, United States, northwest of Wichita, on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch"...
) - Conway Springs Subdivision (Wichita, KansasWichita, KansasWichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
to Kingman, KansasKingman, KansasKingman is a city in and the county seat of Kingman County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,177.-Geography:Kingman is located at...
via Conway Springs, KansasConway Springs, KansasConway Springs is a city in Sumner County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,272.-Geography:Conway Springs is located at...
) - Kingman Subdivision (Garden Plain, KansasGarden Plain, KansasGarden Plain is a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 773.-Geography:Garden Plain is located at...
to Pratt, KansasPratt, KansasPratt is a city in and the county seat of Pratt County in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 6,835. Pratt is home to Pratt Community College.-19th century:Pratt was founded in 1884 and named after Caleb S...
) - Isabel Subdivision (Coats, KansasCoats, KansasCoats is a city in Pratt County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 83.-Geography:Coats is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
to Graham, Kansas) - Great Bend Subdivision (Hutchinson, KansasHutchinson, KansasHutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, United States, northwest of Wichita, on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch"...
to near Pawnee Rock, KansasPawnee Rock, KansasPawnee Rock is a city in Barton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 252.-Geography:Pawnee Rock is located at...
) - Geneseo Subdivision (Sterling, KansasSterling, KansasSterling is a city in Rice County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,328. Sterling is home to Sterling College.- History :...
to Geneseo, KansasGeneseo, KansasGeneseo is a city in Rice County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 267.-History:NewspaperThe Geneseo Journal was originally called the Geneseo Herald from 1887 to 1899, then it became Geneseo Post from 1908 to 1909. From 1979 through 1983 it was known as...
) - Scott City Subdivision (Great Bend, KansasGreat Bend, KansasGreat Bend, named for its location at the historic big bend of the Arkansas River, is the most populous city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 15,995.-History:...
to Scott City, KansasScott City, KansasScott City is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,816.-Geography:Scott City is located at...
) - Hoisington Subdivision (Geneseo, KansasGeneseo, KansasGeneseo is a city in Rice County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 267.-History:NewspaperThe Geneseo Journal was originally called the Geneseo Herald from 1887 to 1899, then it became Geneseo Post from 1908 to 1909. From 1979 through 1983 it was known as...
to McCracken, KansasMcCracken, KansasMcCracken is a city in Rush County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 190.-Geography:McCracken is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 211...
and Healy, KansasHealy, KansasHealy is an unincorporated rural area in Lane County, Kansas, United States. It lies in Cheyenne Township on K-4 16 miles east of the highway's western end at U.S. Route 83.-External links:* * , local school district*...
to Towner, ColoradoTowner, ColoradoTowner is a census-designated place in Kiowa County, Colorado, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 22. The U.S. Post Office at Sheridan Lake now serves Towner postal addresses. The town was originally known as Memphis. It was a frequent attraction for Kansans when their...
) - Salina Subdivision (Salina, KansasSalina, KansasSalina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,707. Located in one of the world's largest wheat-producing areas, Salina is a regional trade center for north-central Kansas...
to Osborne, KansasOsborne, KansasOsborne is a city in and the county seat of Osborne County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,431.-History:...
) - McPherson Subdivision (McPherson, KansasMcPherson, KansasMcPherson is a city in and the county seat of McPherson County, Kansas, United States, in the central part of the state. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 13,155. The city is named after Union General James Birdseye McPherson, a Civil War general...
to Conway, KansasConway, KansasConway is an unincorporated community in southwestern Jackson Township, McPherson County, Kansas, United States. It lies along U.S. Route 56 and a Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad line, west of the city of McPherson, the county seat of McPherson County...
) - Newton Subdivision (Newton, KansasNewton, KansasNewton is a city in and the county seat of Harvey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 19,132. Newton is located north of Wichita and is included in the Wichita metropolitan statistical area...
to McPherson, KansasMcPherson, KansasMcPherson is a city in and the county seat of McPherson County, Kansas, United States, in the central part of the state. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 13,155. The city is named after Union General James Birdseye McPherson, a Civil War general...
)