Fort Smith and Western Railway
| Company type | Railroad |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | 1899 in Arkansas, United States |
| Defunct | 1939 |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | Arkansas, Oklahoma |
| Products | Rail freight and passenger services |
The Fort Smith and Western Railway served regions in both Arkansas and Oklahoma. Its principal route extended from Coal Creek, Oklahoma (close to Bokoshe, Oklahoma) all the way to Guthrie, Oklahoma. Additionally, it held trackage rights over the Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS) between Fort Smith, Arkansas and Coal Creek. At the time, Guthrie functioned as the territorial capital of Oklahoma and provided a connection to the Santa Fe Railway. The Fort Smith and Western also controlled the subsidiary line known as the St. Louis, El Reno and Western Railway, which began operations between Guthrie and El Reno, Oklahoma in June 1904.
History
Established in Arkansas in 1899, the railroad expanded westward across Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory, commencing service from Fort Smith to Guthrie on November 1, 1903. Following the relocation of Oklahoma’s capital from Guthrie to Oklahoma City in 1910, FS&W secured trackage rights over the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad for a stretch from Fallis to Oklahoma City in 1915.
On October 9, 1915, FS&W was placed under receivership by order of the U.S. District Court after a petition from Superior Savings & Trust Company of Cleveland. The company reemerged as the Fort Smith and Western Railway on February 1, 1923, but again entered receivership on June 1, 1931. After FS&W defaulted on rental payments, Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad revoked its trackage rights in January 1939; consequently, operations terminated on February 9, 1939.
Although FS&W’s line did not pass through major metropolitan areas, it provided essential service to important coal mining locations in eastern Oklahoma such as Coal Creek, Bokoshe, and McCurtain. It also connected communities including Crowder, Hanna, Weleetka, Okemah, Boley, Paden, Prague, and Meridian before reaching Guthrie. A significant volume of freight consisted of metallurgical-grade coal extracted from San Bois Coal Company mines near McCurtain. While coal shipments declined over time, oil discoveries near Okemah partially compensated for the loss by sustaining railroad activity temporarily.
The Fort Smith and Van Buren Railway
Following foreclosure proceedings, Schiavone-Bonomo Corp. acquired FS&W’s tracks for dismantling on July 1, 1939. Subsequently, a segment measuring 20.92 miles—from Coal Creek to Mile Post 41 near McCurtain—was sold to the Fort Smith and Van Buren Railway (FS&VB) on September 16, 1939. The FS&VB operated as a subsidiary under Kansas City Southern (KCS) but maintained independent operations initially. The remaining stretch from Mile Post 41 to Guthrie was removed during 1939–1940.
The FS&VB was fully merged into KCS on July 6, 1992; by that point it no longer employed its own staff. Later, on September 26, 1994, KCS submitted an abandonment exemption request with the Interstate Commerce Commission for the remaining track segment due to an absence of local traffic over at least two years.