Stillwater Central Railroad is a shortline railroad

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 Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

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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...

, the SLWC operates over 275 miles (442.6 km) of track in the state from Sapulpa through Oklahoma City through Lawton to Snyder and has trackage rights over BNSF from Sapulpa to Tulsa, and from Snyder to Long. SLWC operates a branch from Stillwater to a connection with BNSF at Pawnee. Primary business is handling mined, mineral, and industrial products.

History

In July 1998, SLWC leased 125 miles (201.2 km) of rail line from the State of Oklahoma: the line between Sapulpa and Oklahoma City and the branch line from Stillwater to Pawnee. In January 2002, SLWC acquired from the BNSF and began operating 120 miles (193.1 km) of rail line from Wheatland (south of Oklahoma City) to Long. In January 2005, SLWC leased from BNSF a line from Wheatland to Oklahoma City.

In January 2010, BNSF in conjunction the Stillwater Central launched unit crude oil train service between the Bakken oil fields

Bakken Formation

The Bakken formation, initially described by geologist J.W. Nordquist in 1953,is a rock unit from the Late Devonian to Early Mississippian age occupying about of the subsurface of the Williston Basin, underlying parts of Montana, North Dakota, and Saskatchewan...

and terminal in Oklahoma.