OIL and trains

[nachoman]

I can't read the entire article because I am not a subscriber, but is this a company railroad that is hauling it's own workers?

That makes a difference. The railroads I model, the Morenci Southern and the Coronado in Arizona, used to haul the mine and smelter workers in specially built flat cars with benches using the same tracks they used to haul ore or other supplies. That was in the 1900-1920 time frame, before the average worker had a car. Perhaps that is the case here. The oil field is remote, and they would have to upgrade the highway anyway just to bring in and out materials. For a long term investment, a railroad may be cheaper, and hauling their workers by rail using the same tracks they use to haul materials would add little to the overall cost.