Miami Mineral Belt Railroad
| 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.
History[edit]
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]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Valuation Docket 927, Miami Mineral Belt Railroad Company". Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission, Volume 25, February-May 1929, pp. 142-164. 1929. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f "Miami's Railroads". Miami, Oklahoma History. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f "Control of the Miami Mineral Belt R. R. by Frisco". Interstate Commerce Commission Reports, Volume 82, July-December 1923, pp.155-158. 1924. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ "Quapaw, Oklahoma". Google Maps. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ a b "Frisco Acquires Miami Mineral Belt Railroad Company July 31" (PDF). The Frisco Employees’ Magazine, September 1929, p.24. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ "Miami, Oklahoma". Google Maps. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ a b "Parties to Dispute: Brotherhood of Railway and Steamship Clerks, Freight handlers, Express and Station Employes, St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company". National Railroad Adjustment Board, Volume II, 1936, pp.256-257. 1936. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ "Preliminary Inventory R0362 (RA0374) St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company Records 1859-1980, p.55 of 132" (PDF). The State Historical Society of Missouri Research Center-Rolla. Retrieved October 28, 2021.