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<p>In 1871, the Wichita and Southwestern Railroad Company began construction on a 27 mile railroad line, extending from Newton, Kansas to Wichita, Kansas. The line would be completed the following year. In 1880, the Cowley, Sumner and Fort Smith Railroad would construct an additional 51 miles of railroad from Wichita, through Mulvane and Winfield, to Arkansas City, Kansas. The two railroads would be combined to form the Wichita and Southwestern Railway (W&SW) in 1882. Between 1886 and 1887, the Southern Kansas Railway extended the line an additional 154 miles to Purcell, Oklahoma. The W&SW would be leased by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) in 1899, and both railroads would be merged into the ATSF in 1901. The ATSF had acquired and constructed a large number of railroad lines throughout the western United States, particularly in Kansas and Oklahoma. This line served as one of the principal mainlines of the ATSF, connecting the northern portion of the system with the southern portion of the system. Portions of the line near the Kansas/Oklahoma border would be double tracked in the early 1900s. The ATSF would merge with Burlington Northern Railroad in 1996 to form BNSF Railway, the current owner of this line. The Newton to Arkansas City segment is operated as the Arkansas City Subdivision, while the Arkansas City to Purcell segment is operated as the Red Rock Subdivision.<br></p>
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