This line was built as the Denver, Enid, and Gulf Railroad. It was not completed to either of its namesake terminations but did stretch from Guthrie to Kiowa, KS through Enid, Oklahoma before Santa Fe takeover. In later years the Santa Fe added welded rail to this busy agricultural/ oil products line. The Santa Fe operated doodlebug passenger service over this line as trains 53&54. With the startup of joint Frisco operation from Enid to Avard the Northern Portion of this line became less important and train frequency decreased dramatically. The BNSF merger ended the need for almost the entire line and the tracks have been removed. A sad testament to what becomes of competetive routes when the government ignores historical anti-trust laws. The portion from Enid to just South of Fairmont is now used only for westbound trains on the BNSF Avard Subdivision. East-bound trains use the ex-Frisco-ex-Burlington Northern Avard Subdivision tracks. The portion from Fairmont to Guthrie was still in place as of June 1997 but it is not in service and has been severed from the Avard Sub just south of Fairmont. A bridge washout at the Cottonwood Creek in Guthrie has ended operation over the line. Rumors persist about the operation of a regular excursion train from Guthrie to Enid but this is unlikely due to the amount of traffic on the Avard sub and the lack of a connection with the southern portion of the Enid sub at Fairmont. The BNSF never intended to reopen the southern portion of the route.

Left: former crossing site for the Frisco (later BN) Avard Sub and the Santa Fe Enid District. Note the stub end track which is now out of service. This is where the out-of-service Enid District ends today. Right: The red sign is used as warning for a train that will never arrive from Guthrie. The Santa Fe erected this sign in the middle of the Enid District just south of the former crossing site to mark the forthcoming end of track. One is left to wonder why this was necessary since the line is severed on both ends.

The line runs through some of the most beautiful portion of the state. The Northern part of the route passed through grassy plains and countless miles of wheat farmland. There is even a place known as the Great Salt Plain near Nash where you can dig for salinite crystals. As one travels further southeast on the route the plains turn into rolling hills with a 50-50 mix of trees and farmland. It eventually entered the Cimarron River Valley and crossed the Cimarron just before reaching Guthrie. For modelers, the dirt over this route becomes more and more rust-red as you travel further north-west.

Timetable from August 29, 1942

Note: sometime between 1942 and the 1950's mileposts were renumbered.
MP 0.0 Kiowa
MP 0.3 Panhandle Jct.
MP 0.8 Mo. Pac. Crossing
MP 1.5 State Line
MP 9.1 Burlington (see Wheat Lines and Super Freights p.184
MP 19.9 Cherokee (no photo)
MP 32.1 Jet (seeWheat Lines and Super Freights p.185
MP 40.2 Nash (see Wheat Lines and Super Freights p.185
MP 48.1 Hillsdale (see Garfield County Oklahoma 1907-1982 Vol II p.884
MP 53.9 Ituna (no photo)
MP 58.4 Blanton (see Wheat Lines and Super Freights p.187
MP 61.2 SLSF jct
MP 61.5 Enid
MP 62.1 SLSF jct(begin Frisco trackage)
MP 62.2 Rock Island crossing
MP 62.3 SLSF jct(end Frisco trackage)
MP 63.4 Frisco crossing
MP 63.5 Chameas (no photo)
MP 73.0 Fairmont (no photo)
MP 73.9 Frisco crossing
MP 80.6 Douglas(see also color photo Garfield County Oklahoma 1907-1982 Vol 1. p.18
MP 88.6 Marshall (no photo)
MP 95.4 Lovell (no photo)
MP 103.0 Crescent (no photo)
MP 110.6 Mudge (no photo)
MP 116.9 Guthrie YL
116.9 miles