Misplaced Pages

#411588

37-528: A subsidiary of Watco , the SLWC operates over 275 miles (443 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 . Its primary business is handling mined, mineral, and industrial products. In July 1998, SLWC leased 125 miles (201 km) of rail line from

74-456: A Rous Racket store on the east side of the track." By this time DeRidder had a sawmill, and timber was the prime industry of the area. The longleaf pine was the primary tree used in the industry. In 1903, DeRidder was finally incorporated as a town. In April 1904, a large portion of the business section of DeRidder was destroyed by fire. The cause was apparently arson . A grand jury collected enough evidence for this to indict George Smith,

111-438: A blasted finish. The first floor has quarters for the jailer and his family. In the jail's basement, a long corridor leads to the courthouse next door. In 1928, there was a famous double execution by hanging in the jail for two murderers. These were the only recorded hangings in the jail. The prisoners were hanged by an apparatus at the top of the spiral staircase. After this the jail became known as "the hanging jail". The jail

148-466: A camping place for the workmen - and people wanted to get near the railroad - so 160 acres (0.65 km ) of land was bought for the town site." "Immediately following the purchase of the town site, a ramble of rough houses were hurriedly built out of rough lumber... By 1898 the town consisted of nearly 300 people and a number of shack homes and a sawmill. C. Landry and Mr. George Heard had a hotel. There were about 5 small stores, besides. West Brothers had

185-493: A combined population of 87,988 at the 2010 census. DeRidder was named for Ella de Ridder, the sister-in-law of a Dutch railroad financier, Jan de Goeijen (cf. De Queen, Arkansas ). Her family originally came from the small town of Geldermalsen in the Netherlands , where she was one of 13 children. She ran away from home at an early age and was presumed dead by her family, who only later discovered that she had traveled to

222-510: A gambler, with setting the fire. The man reportedly left town. DeRidder's first bank opened in 1906. On October 15, 1912, DeRidder was voted the parish seat of Beauregard Parish. The Beauregard Parish Court House and the Beauregard Parish Jail (see below) were built in 1914. In July 27, 2024, recent DeRidder mayor Misty Clanton Roberts, an independent who was first elected in 2018, resigned after being investigated for rape of

259-490: A juvenile and would then be arrested five days later after turning herself in. The local fire chief was named to be the city's acting mayor. DeRidder is located in northern Beauregard Parish at 30°51′5″N 93°17′25″W  /  30.85139°N 93.29028°W  / 30.85139; -93.29028 (30.851419, -93.290230) and has an elevation of 203 feet (61.9 m). U.S. Route 171 leads south 48 miles (77 km) to Lake Charles and north 15 miles (24 km) to

296-780: A line from Wheatland to Oklahoma City. In January 2010, in conjunction with BNSF, the SLWC launched unit crude oil train service between the Bakken oil fields and a terminal in Oklahoma. In July 2014 SLWC agreed to purchase the Sooner Sub line from the State of Oklahoma, subject to approval by the Surface Transportation Board ; the STB approved the transaction on July 29, 2014. The purchase contract reportedly included

333-572: A mechanical service company in 2007. The Baton Rouge Southern and the Pacific Sun Railroad were started in 2008, and they also acquired the mechanical services company Fitzgerald Railcar Services and Reload, a 25-year experienced transloading business. The Grand Elk Railroad began operations in 2009. In December 2010 Watco entered the Australian rail haulage market when it was awarded a 10-year contract to operate grain services for

370-440: A requirement to start a six-month daily passenger service trial run over the line before August 2019, with a financial penalty for not meeting the deadline set at $ 2.8 million. The agreement also called for the state to retain the right to acquire a passenger rail easement should the company decide not to operate such a service after 10 years. Finally, the agreement required the line to be accessible to other rail companies, and for

407-406: Is a spiral staircase that leads up to three floors of jail cells. Another history-making fact is that each cell had a toilet, shower, lavatory and window. When the jail was in use, prisoners could often be seen waving from the barred windows. It was built to house 50 or so prisoners, but held 13 in comfort. The walls are 13 to 21 in (0.33 to 0.53 m) thick, made of reinforced concrete with

SECTION 10

#1732791011412

444-406: Is one of the largest short line owner-operators in the U.S. The company also operates, and in many cases owns, over 70 transload and marine terminals, and a handful of terminals that specialize in the repair and maintenance of railcars and locomotives. Watco has about 4,800 employees, led by Chief Executive Officer Dan Smith. The company earned $ 1.6 billion in revenues in 2022. In 2023, the company

481-601: Is still in existence. Webb then started his first mechanical operation, a railcar repair shop in Coffeyville, Kansas in 1985. The Coffeyville mechanical shop was held captive to the major rail lines, and during discussions with the Union Pacific the opportunity arose to purchase the line running from Nevada, Missouri , to Coffeyville. This was the Union Pacific's first short-line sale. Watco then looked to

518-536: Is water. The northern section of the Green Acres subdivision, west of highway 171 on the extreme northwest side of DeRidder, extends into Vernon Parish. Another section of the city, running north along the east side highway 171, up to a parallel with Golden Lantern road, also extends into Vernon Parish. Water and sewage for Green Acres and Country Estates Subdivisions is provided by the independent Green Acres Water & Sewer District #1 The building known as

555-579: The CBH Group of Western Australia . Operations commenced in March 2012. In late 2016 Watco Australia was awarded an infrastructure train contract with Brookfield Rail operating ballast and rail work trains. On December 15, 2010, Kinder Morgan Energy Partners , announced an agreement whereby it would invest up to $ 150 million over the next year in Watco in exchange for a preferred equity position in

592-721: The United States . The town was named for her by her brother-in-law, who brought the first railroad to that area of Louisiana. Prior to that, the little town was known as Schovall. The first train line to serve DeRidder came in 1897. It was the Pittsburgh & Gulf Railroad, later called the Kansas City Southern . The July 26, 1924, the DeRidder Enterprise stated: "The first house in DeRidder

629-608: The Wisconsin & Southern Railroad , a regional railroad in Wisconsin , and on February 1, 2012, took over operations of the Birmingham Southern Railroad . On June 4, 2014, Watco and The Greenbrier Companies announced that it would create an equally owned joint venture, GBW Railcar Services, providing railcar repair services. This joint venture was dissolved in August 2018. In July 2018, Dan Smith

666-572: The parish seat of, Beauregard Parish , Louisiana , United States. A small portion of the city extends into Vernon Parish . As of the 2010 census DeRidder had a population of 10,578. It is the smaller principal city of the DeRidder-Fort Johnson South CSA , a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Fort Johnson South ( Vernon Parish ) and DeRidder (Beauregard Parish) micropolitan areas, which had

703-491: The "Old Beauregard Parish Jail " is a structure built in 1914 that is considered one of the most distinctive of its type in the US. The structure has the characteristics of the collegiate Gothic Revival architectural style, with shallow arches, dormer windows, and a central tower. This style was popular with colleges, universities, and churches. The iron bars in most of the windows give the structure an eerie appearance. Inside, there

740-1255: The Great Northwest Railroad in Washington , the Kaw River in Kansas and Missouri , and the Mission Mountain Railroad in Montana . In 2005 it began operating the Alabama Southern Railroad, the Louisiana Southern Railroad, the Mississippi Southern Railroad, and the Yellowstone Valley Railroad in Montana. The Austin Western Railroad was started in 2007 and shares rail with passenger rail. It also acquired Millennium Rail,

777-520: The SLWC to upgrade the track from FRA Class II to Class III, to enable trains to safely travel at faster speeds. Class III permits freight traffic up to 40 mph and passenger traffic up to 60 mph. In June 2018, SLWC, being only a freight operator, issued a request for proposal to begin the process of securing a private rail carrier to provide the passenger service, locally known as the Eastern Flyer , for an initial period of 10 years, along

SECTION 20

#1732791011412

814-502: The State of Oklahoma. This included both the line between Sapulpa (near Tulsa ) and Del City (near Oklahoma City ), known as the Sooner Sub, as well as a branch line from Stillwater to Pawnee (geographically separated from the other line leased). In January 2002, SLWC acquired from the BNSF , and began operating, 120 miles (190 km) of rail line from Wheatland (south of Oklahoma City) to Long. In January 2005, SLWC leased from BNSF

851-1041: The West Region, acquiring the Blue Mountain Railroad in 1998, the Palouse River and Coulee City Railroad in 1992 and the Eastern Idaho Railroad in 1993. In 1998, it began operating the Stillwater Central Railroad in Oklahoma and the Timber Rock Railroad in Texas . The Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad was acquired in 2001 and the Pennsylvania Southwestern Railroad in 2003. In 2004, they started operations of

888-406: The average family size was 3.03. In the city of DeRidder, the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males. The median income for a household in

925-412: The city was $ 31,952, and the median income for a family was $ 39,384. Males had a median income of $ 36,388 versus $ 21,302 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 16,996. About 15.0% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 22.1% of those under age 18 and 18.2% of those age 65 or over. Beauregard Parish School Board operates local public schools. For

962-560: The city. As of the census of 2000, there were 9,808 people, 3,819 households, and 2,616 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,155.4 inhabitants per square mile (446.1/km ). There were 4,454 housing units at an average density of 524.7 units per square mile (202.6 units/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 60.81% White , 34.73% African American , 0.57% Native American , 1.42% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 0.57% from other races , and 1.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.40% of

999-580: The company. Kinder Morgan made an initial $ 50 million preferred shares investment on January 3, 2011. Additional $ 50 million equity investment completed in December 2011. Kinder Morgan will receive 3.25% quarterly distribution on the equity investment. Kinder Morgan is a leading pipeline transportation and energy storage company in North America. The transaction provides capital to Watco for further expansion of specific projects and offers Kinder Morgan

1036-487: The entrance to Fort Johnson and 21 miles (34 km) to Leesville . U.S. Route 190 leads south and east 49 miles (79 km) to Kinder and west 52 miles (84 km) to Jasper, Texas . According to the United States Census Bureau , DeRidder has a total area of 9.2 square miles (23.9 km ), of which 9.2 square miles (23.7 km ) is land and 0.077 square miles (0.2 km ), or 0.96%,

1073-754: The opportunity to share in the subsequent growth. In April 2011, Watco began operating the Autauga Northern Railroad , between Maplesville and Autauga Creek, Alabama , the third short line in Alabama operated by Watco. On December 28, 2011, Watco began operations of the Swan Ranch Railroad in the Swan Ranch Industrial Park in Cheyenne, Wyoming . On January 1, 2012, Watco gained majority ownership of

1110-409: The population. There were 3,819 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 16.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and

1147-471: The route between Sapulpa and Del City , but with the expectation of working with city officials to expand it to the downtowns of Tulsa and Oklahoma City . Government officials were not optimistic that the original August 2019 deadline would be met. On August 5, 2019, the Stillwater Central opted to default under the agreement and pay the contractual $ 2.8 million penalty for not establishing

Stillwater Central Railroad - Misplaced Pages Continue

1184-607: The service. However, the company had accomplished the upgrading of the rail line as agreed. Watco Logistics Watco Companies, L.L.C. (Watco) Watco is an American transportation and logistics company based in Pittsburg, Kansas . The company’s core services are freight transportation, material handling and storage, logistics, railcar repair and maintenance. Watco owns and/or operates 45 short line railroads in North America and Australia, with more than 8,000 miles (13,000 km) of track connecting to Class I railroads. It

1221-503: The turn of the century, "The largest pine in the world grew where DeRidder now stands - or so it is claimed by timber men who knew." About the origin of the town, she says, "the Kansas City railroad was built from Kansas City to Port Arthur - and came right through here about 1896. By 1898 the trains were running. The post-office was named Miersburg for the postmaster whose name was Miers. The railroad workers had used this spot for

1258-500: Was certified by Best Practice Institute (BPI) for the second year in a row as a Most Loved Workplace. In 2022, in collaboration with BPI, Newsweek named Watco to its annual list of America’s Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces. Watco was also named a 2023 Newsweek Top 100 Global Most Loved Workplace®. Watco was established in 1983 by Charles R. "Dick" Webb. The first operation was an industrial switching operation in DeRidder, Louisiana that

1295-533: Was made of logs and covered with board shingles, split by hand from the logs of the forest. It was constructed in 1893 and was the old homestead house of Calvin Shirley, who was the original owner of the land upon which the first business house and residence of DeRidder were built. Mr. Shirley homesteaded the 160 acres (0.65 km ) which was later platted and became the original townsite of DeRidder." According to Eva Stewart Frazar, whose family came to DeRidder near

1332-590: Was named Watco's new CEO. On March 30, 2021, Watco and Canadian National subsidiary Wisconsin Central reached a deal whereby WCL would sell roughly 900 miles of non-core rail lines located in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ontario to Watco. In January 2022, Watco takes over operations to move cattle in Queensland CBH Group to Aurizon . DeRidder, Louisiana DeRidder is a city in, and

1369-724: Was used until 1982, when a court action forced it to close. On October 4, 1981, it was put on the National Register of Historic Places , along with several other buildings in DeRidder. In 1983 Washington, Second, Stewart, and Port streets were added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Beauregard Parish as the DeRidder Commercial Historic District . As of the 2020 United States census , there were 9,852 people, 3,838 households, and 2,510 families residing in

#411588