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Pittsburg County Railway
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | McAlester |
| Locale | Oklahoma |
| Dates of operation | 1903–1946 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Length | 23.29 miles (37.48 km) |
Beginning life as the Indian Territory Traction Co. and then the Choctaw Railway & Lighting Co., the Pittsburg County Railway was a long-lived interurban running between McAlester, Oklahoma and Hartshorne, Oklahoma. It lasted from 1903 until 1946.
History
[edit]Indian Territory Traction Co.
[edit]The Indian Territory Traction Co. was granted its franchise December 10, 1901 for a period of 40 years.[1] Its proposed route map was accepted by the Secretary of the Interior on July 25, 1903.[1] The basic system was built In the 1903-1904 timeframe.[2] It first linked the northern and southern parts of what became the unified town of McAlester in 1907, the area being a coal mining and rail transportation center.[3] It continued southeast through Krebs, Alderson, Bache, and Haileyville before terminating in Hartshorne.[4][5]
Choctaw Railway & Lighting Co.
[edit]After the franchise was passed through a third party to the Choctaw Electric Co., Indian Territory Electric was consolidated with Choctaw Electric to form Choctaw Railway & Lighting Co. on February 1, 1908.[1] When the power company was split from the transportation business in 1916, the transportation side was incorporated as the Pittsburg County Railway Co. on June 24 of that year.[6][7] On August 27, 1928, this became a subsidiary of Public Service Company of Oklahoma (“PSO”).[4][2]
The system under PSO consisted of the 18.44-mile main line, but spur lines within towns and connecting tract to other railroads brought total trackage to about 23.29 miles.[4] The railway carried both passengers and freight, the latter consisting of mail and (mostly) grains, particularly corn and oats.[4]
Abandonment
[edit]The line remained active through World War II, including by delivering canned goods to a POW camp near the town's northern limit, and the U.S. Naval Ammunition Depot to the south.[4][3] But PSO, being forced to divest non-utility assets, sold the railroad November 26, 1945.[4] Given the popularity of the automobile and other changes in the postwar economy, the line shut down December 2, 1946.[4][8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "2nd and 3rd Annual Reports of the Corporation Commission of the State of Oklahoma for the years 1909-1910, p. 936". Oklahoma Corporation Commission (accessed on Google Books). Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b "Pittsburg County". Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
- ^ a b "McAlester". Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g "PSO's Last Railway Conductor Recalls Fender-Benders, Passengers, Routes". Sue Smith, The Oklahoman, November 28, 1982. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ "Hartshorne". Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
- ^ Chandler, Allison (1980). When Oklahoma Took the Trolley. Interurbans. pp. 87–92. ISBN 0-916374-35-1.
- ^ "Railway Retirement letter of April 19, 1938" (PDF). GovInfo.gov. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
- ^ "Oklahoma Interurbans and Streetcars:History, Lines, Photos". American Rails. Retrieved January 13, 2026.