St. Louis, El Reno and Western Railway

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The St. Louis, El Reno and Western Railway was a small, struggling railroad started by Guthrie business people in the Oklahoma Territory. It was built to move freight and passengers from Guthrie toward the Rock Island system hub in El Reno.

The line operated during the early oil boom, serving the south end of the Cashion Pool and the boom towns of Piedmont, Richland, and Navina. It was incorporated on January 5, 1903 and was merged into the Fort Smith and Western Railroad a few years after it opened.

After Oklahoma became a state, Guthrie lost its status as capital to Oklahoma City, which hurt Guthrie economically and slowed new railroads aimed there. By the end, the Canadian River bridge had only 2–3 pilings per bent instead of the required eight, and inspectors condemned it. Without access to the El Reno station, service declined and ended in 1923, with a brief revival in 1925 that did not last.

The railroad ceased operations for good by late 1925. Local stories say people left some maintenance cars nearby, and young locals used them to ride to the Town Cemetery and back. Inspectors later found train activity moving wheat and farm products long after abandonment. At El Reno, an old 4-4-0 locomotive without a cab was still there, and the line was reportedly scrapped in 1927.