gKThggbsb /8' to\

t o

LITTLEROCKCHAPTER
NRHS
BgltlLs.@gw@B
V^ 6./

VOLUME30 NUMBERII NOVEMBER1999

A groupof youngrailroadsoldiersposewith MissouriPacific4-6-2No. 6624neartheyardofficeat

Van Buen, Arkansasin the springof 1943.Theywerepan of the759thRailwayOperatingBattalion
(GeneHull collection)
 ''
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 (fhe war-time ad on the prcrious page was sent in by Jitn Bennett)

RAIIREADII'GSETDIENS
by: Gene HUII

Almostassoonasthe smokeandwatersettledaftertheJapanese visitedPearlHarboron 7

Dcccmber1941,the AmedcanWar Departmont realizedi1wouldneedsomerailroadingsoldiers.
Menliom manyrailroadwerecalledfor acliveduty.Everytypeofrailroadexperience uas
nccdcd, fron ofiicial ofllcesto trackgangsOnewasasimportantastheother.Theywere
assrgnedto thenewlylbrmedTranspo(ationCory.CampClaibome,Louisianawasselected to bc
theArmy postfrom whichrailroadtroopswouldbetrained.CampClaibornchadits own railroad
wherethemenreccivedtheirbasictrainingThentheywereassigned to civilianoperating
rarlroadslor moreintensetraining

Onosuchoutl'i1was thc759thBattalionMilitaryRailwayService. Theywcrcstationed at Van

Buren.Arkansas, oDthe MissouriPacific,CcrtralDivision.Afler thislraining,themcnwouldbc
ableto operaterailroadsin anyzoneof mtlitaryoperationsThe 750thhad26 officersandmore
than1,000menandthecampat Van Burenhad35 framebuildingsabouta mile from downtown
Everycivilia.nrailroaderon thedivisionhada militarycounterpartandtherailroadsoldierssoon
wereknownasthe "MissouriPacificBattalion."Two officersin the battalionwereMissouri
Pacificexecutives - MajorLutherL. Lowewasassistant superintendent ofthe Mo.P.a1Pueblo,
Colorado,andCaptainJohnJ. Walshwasa Mo P. officerat St.Louis

Thebattalionsailedto NorthAfrica in July 1944andbeganrebuildingwar-wrecked railroadsfor

useby UrlcleSam'sarmy.Underthe commandof Lt. Col Enest M Priceof Tacoma,
Washington, themenoperated trainsoverthe,{tlasMountains.Theyworesteelhelnetsinslead
ofslripedrailroadcapsandcaniedsidearmsandcarbinesalongwith handoilemandscoop
'funrsia,
shovcls.In trainsranat nightunderblackoutconditionstakingtroopsandsuppliesto the
fiolt, prayingthenextbridgeor tunnelhadnot beenbombedOne50-mileslretchoftrack had20
tunnels

In October1945,the 750thwason its wayhome After discharge, themenwouldcontinuein

inactivereservestatus.Thebatlalionhadservedwith lrench lroopsin railwayserviceandthc
Frenchgovernment grantedthemthe Croixde Guerrewith Palmfor militarybravery.

Forseveralweeksduringthewinterof 1942-43theauthorworkedwith severalofthesefellows

Thedemandfor railroadmenoverseas requiredmanyto departwith a veryminimumof
experience.
Quite a few failedto retum.

Thephotoon theliont covershowsa groupofthe MissouriPacificBattalionin theyardat Van

Buren,posedwith 4-6-2No. 6624,a passenger
Pacificconscripted
for freightservice.&

Azkansas RaiTzoader
 V o l u mXeX XN
, u m b 1e 1r - N o v e m b1e9r9 9

1999OFFICERS/PIOSITIONS
OF TIIE ARKANSASRAILROAD CLUB
PRESIDENT- LeonddL Thalmueller, 2| HanolerDr,LinteR@kAR 72209-2 159(50| -562-823
|)
-
VICE-PRESIDENTJohnHodkin,Jr, 506GordonSt,N LittleRockAR 721l1 (5Ol-945-212E)
TREASURER - WalterB Walker,8423LindaLn, Little RockAR 72227-5983 (50t-225-0826)
SECRETARY- CaroleSu€Schafer,103Thay€rSt,LrttleRockAR 72205-5951 (501-371-0034)
EDIIgR - KenZiegenbein, l023ClaycutCir,NLiltleRockART2ll6-3728(501-758-1340)
N RHS DIRECTOR- Jim B€nned,I 002 SouthLeslieSt,Shrttgart AR 72I 60 (870)-6'73-6751)
-
e!!.gIQe84lEEB JotMC. Jones,I l7 cononwood,Sherwood AR 72| 20401| (501-835-3729)
l RlP ADVERTISING. DavidP Hose,372| ldlewild,N Linle RockAR 721| 6 (501-7?l- 1025)
DOARD'99 - StanleyWoz€ncmn,108N Palm,Linle RockAR 72205(501-664-3301)
gqlBqt0o - GeneHull, 3507E Washington #31,NorthLinl€ RockAR 72 | l4-6455(501-945-7386)
gq\Bq!! - Tom Shook,I7l6 Alb€rtaDr Lrdle RockAR 72227-3902 (501-225-8955)
Bq!RDf!2 - Bill Bailcy,8318Reymere Dr, Little Rock4R 7222'7-3944 (501'224-6828)
BOARD'03 - RobinThomas,I09t0 Rivercrest Dr #26,Little R.ock
AR72212-1412

Thc AItKANSASRAILROADCLUBis ! non-profitorgrnlzetlon ofrailrood.ndtreinenthusiasts(protollpetraiDs,nol modcl

trains)lhrt wss lormedio 1969.We !re !ho the Little RockChrpter of (heNelionrl Rtilway Historicrl Society.We mcclor thc
secondSondrysofmosl monlhs3t 2 p.m.
Ducsto join the ARKANSASRAILROAD CLUB 8re currenlly S20r y€rr, which iftlud€s the monlhly l6-24 pageArhnsrs
Rrihoadcr ncwslc(er.lfyou'd lik to ioin lh€ NRHS throughour club (lhos beinga mcmberofthe Lillle RockChaplerNRHS
Andn{tional NRHS),you musl pry $17s yerr more,bringinglh€ lotol to $:l?a yerr for both. Duesar€ alwayspryableon
.IAnuaryl^'otcachycar,but youmry pay!l anytime(n€nbcrshipwillextendthroughth€ followingycrr).
1o join,scndyournam€,addrcss 6ndphonenumberplusduesto th€ARKANSASRAILROADCLUB, PO BOx 9151,
NORTI{LITTLE ROCK AR 72119. Crll 501-758-1340 for infornrtion.Th€newslctter€ditor'semailaddrctsis:
ken.zrw@ix.netcom.comThe Arkrns.s REilrotd€r is put o'| lhe w€b monthly,cnd thrt addressis:
htlp://www.arritrwc!lher.com

Thc nexrmectingof the ArkansasRailroadClub will be SUNEIY,NQyEMBEL!! at the PulaskiHeights

PresbytcrianChurchat 2 p.m.The programwill be given by Jim Wakefieldand will be 8mm moviestakenover20
ycrrsagoof the CamasPrairieRailroadtakenin Idahobackin 1974.
DIRECTIONS: From I-630,takeExit 4, Fair Park Blvd, north towardthe river.You'll passthe Little Rock Zoo
aDdwar MemorialStadium.Keep straightasyou crossMarkham.(lfyou don't like drivingon the Interstate,you
can !akeMarkhamStreetto this intersection).The streetnamechangesto Van Buren Streetafteryou cross
Markham.Keepstraighrfor 3/loth (.3) mile until you hit Woodlawn,then turn right on Woodlawn(there'llbe a sign
for PulaskiHeightsMethodistChurchat the rurn). Go straiShton Woodlawn4/10th(.4) mile,paslPulaskiHeights
MerhodistChurch,until you seePulaskiHeightsPresbyterianChurchon the right. We'll meet in the buildingon the
westsideofthe churchat 2 p.m.

2000OFFICERS NOMINATED - Naomi Hull sentthe followinglist of proposednew officersfor 2000.Theywill

be installedat the annualchristmasparry.PRESIDENT:JohnHodkin, Jr.; VICE-PRESIDENT - Jim wakefreld;
SECRETARY:SharonDoyal;TREASURER: Walrer Walker;NRHS DIRECTOR: Jim Bennett(GeneHull will
do his annualreport thisyear);NEWSLETTER: Ken Ziegerbein;NEW BOARD MEMBER: Ron Esserman;
PHOTOGRAPHER:JohnJones,

NOMINEES WANTED for the SecondAnnual ArkansasRailroadClub Personof the Year Award (Naomi and

ARKANSASRAILROADER- Little RockChapter NRHS

V o l u n eX X XN
. u m b e1r1 N o v e m b1e9r 9 9
GeneHull won lastyear).The winnerwill be announcedat our ChristmasParty The Board needsany nomrnations
by our NoVEMBER meeting.Sendnominationsto our club address.

MEMBER NEWS - POLLY HAMILTON wantseverybodyto know that sheis very illwith her heart and eyesand
can'tdrivehe$elf and can't cometo our meetings.Shewantsus to know shemissesus very much.Her addressis:
2725ValleyForgeDr, BentonAR 72015-2781,501-716-3122.

CHRISTMAS PARTY will be held SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18 at the sameplaceand time we had it lastyear,
namelythe UniversityPark Adult LeisureCenter,6401West 12rhStreet,Little Rock. Costis $15per person It will
beginat 6 p.m.We need to know how manywill attend,so pleasesendin your $15per penon aheadof time to the
ArkansasRailroadClub, PO Box 9151,North Little Rock AR 72119or call our treasurerWalter Walker at the
numberabove,

LETTER OF APPRECIATION wasreceivedfrom Union PacificEmployeeClub #54 regardingour donationto

the 5'hannualMemorial ScholarshipGolfTournament.This tournamentbenefitsyoungadultsby helptngthem
their education.

NEW MEMBERS - The MAMMOTH SPRING DEPOT MUSEUM in MammorhSpring,Arkansasrsnow a

memberof the Little Rock Chapter.Their addressis PO Box 36, MammothSpringAR 72554;PHILLIP E
SCHIRMER, PO 1954,Hot SpringsAR 71902(joinedat the ArkansasValley Model RailroadClub'sSale),DAN
ROBERTSON,16LedgeLawn Dr, Little Rock AR 72212(alsojoined at the modelclub'ssale) WELCOME
ABOARD.

DEADLINE FOR THE DECEMBER NEWSLETTER is November14.Target datefor mailingthis issueis

November4.

INSERTSAND SUCH'Postalregulations havebeengettingstricteroverthepastfewmonths,sowhenI inserta

flyer iDone envelope,I mustput one in all other envelopesaswell. So,evenifyou've paid for a calendaror paidyou
duesalready,you will still be gettingthe sameinsertedflyer ln somerssues.

NRHS NEWS ADDRESS CHANGE - Their new addressis NRHS NEWS, PO Box 6144,Rivcr ForestIL 60305

FAX NUMBER - Even thoughI'd reportedthat my fax numberhad changedalmosta yearago,apparently

someoneis still trying to sendme faxesat the old number.The NEW far numberto get railroadnewsor orher
informationto me is: 501-758-4301. Thanks.

YEAR 2000CAIENDARS READY - The ArkansasRailroadClub'syear 2000calendaris readyfor shipping-It

has14blackand white photosof railroadsin Arkansas,pastand present.Cost,whichincludespostage,is $7 for one
or $6 for two or more.Order from the ArkansasRailroadCIub,PO Box 9151,North Little Rock AR 72119.

WANTED - CHOCTAW STATION
HELP An email liom Terry Rasco,an
architect
beginningworkon thePr€sidential
Library in Little Rock, has asked the
Arkansas Railroad Club for help in
obtainingphotosor plansofthe old Rock
IslandChoctawRouteStationin LittleRock
This buildingwill be incorporated rn the
hbrarysone way and theywant to pfes€rve
and restore it as close to its ongmal
conditionas possibleAt leasttheyaren't
t€armgit down.Ifyou canhelp, contacthim
atrEas€o@wERarch.cotrr.
WANTED - Informationon Missouri
Pacific'sMail TrainsNos 3&4 thai ran
between StLouisandLrftleRockthenon to
Fo.t Wonh. Phorosafe especially
wanted
This informahonwill be used in an
upcomrngrssueof the Teminal Railroad
Associationof Sl Louis Histoflcaland

MILROADER - Little RockChapter NRHS

ARKANSAS
6 Volu|Ile
XXX.Number
11..November
1999

Technical Sociely's magazine Conlact book You can order ftom Wlite River S4.50 poslageandhandling (totalof$3445
LarryThomas, EditorTRRA,POBox 1688, Producdons,Ioc-, 24632 Alrchor Ave, ifyou're havingit maiied).Mastercardor
St LouisMO 63188 BucklinMO 6a631 or.all 817- 18l-2467. Visa accepledYou can call White River
Cost$ $24.95plus$5 shipping(or youcan Productionsa! E77-787-2467
WAN I ED - Naneof buildingconstruction pick oneup at a club meetingandsavethe
conlractor, dateconstructed, op€ningevent poslage) FOR SALE - JamesR Fair's book frc
dateol CottonBelt Rarlway140'x 324' La isiana& Arkan\asRailway This 176-
MachineShop Building locatedin €ast FORSALE - TheArkansas RailroadClub's pageclolhboundbook has 80 black and
yards. Pine Bluff, Arkansas.B€lieved hardbound,120-pagebook calledRdilrood whiteilluslrations
andcovenlhe Louisiana
consrrucrcd lE93-l898Contact BillBailey, Stationsand kains thrcugh Atleansasand & ArkansasRailwayliom ils beginningto
C B R Il Society lnc, PO Box2044,Pine theSouthwest lt\\as \+rittenbyCliftonHull themodernera You cannoworderdireclly
A l u f f A R7 l 6 l l with help liom Tom Shook,arnongother from Mr Fa; H€'ll €vcnautographir lbr
club memb€rs Kevin EuDaly of While you Costdrrectly Fomhimisonly$14 llrs
FORSALU-TheArkansas RailroadClub's Rivef Produclions did the graphicdesign address is JamesR. Fair,2804
Nonhwood
reprin(of Gen€ llull's classic,t o./1de and artwork You can orderfiom White Rd,Austin,'tX7E703-1630 Call512-451-
Roihoudt af Atktnsds, over 400 pag€s, River Productions,24632 Anchor Ave, 6194ot 512-47l -J689.
hardbound, foilslamped, limit€drun,6"x9" BucklinMO 64631.Costis S299J plus

ofthe Surfhce
fhc addfcss Transportat;onBoardis:OfTice CaseControlUnit,1925K Strecl,
ofthe Secretary, Washington
DC20423TheSTBphonenumber for abandonment (Office
procedures ofPublic Services)is:202-565-1592 Ilyou
contactthcm,it wouldbe handyto uselhe DockelNumbersTheir Webaddress is: http://wwwstb.dol.Sov
ifyou'd likc lhc
complclc
ISLlnSs

'lhcsc proposalshavebeenprintedin theFederalRegist€ror havecomedircctlyfromlhc Surface

abandonncnt
'IransDorlatioD is
lloard.Theywill go in effectunlessoneofthe followingoccurs:l) an offerof fl,rancialassistarrcc
rcceived; 3) pelrlronsto reopenlhecascis
2) a rcquesrfor publicuseofthe landis received(for inslance,rails-to-trails);
flled.Rarlroads,beforetheycanfilethese"noticesofexemptionLlnderCFRll52SubpartF,"mustcer
traffichasmovcdov€rthe line for at least2 years;2) anyoverhead kaffic canbe routedoverotherlines;3) no lbnnal
cornplaintfiled by a useris pendingand;4) environmentalreports,historicreports,transmittallefter,ncwspaPer
publicltion,andnoticeto gov€rnmental agencies havebeenmet.Eventhoughapprovalis grantedfor therailroadsto
abaDdoD, it maybemonthsoryearsbeforetrackis actuallytakenuP.

KANSAS- UNION PACIFIC - To abandona 57,72mile lineknownastheBeatriceBranchfrom m.p.66 nearJamaicato

m p. 125DearMarietta,Kansas.This includestwo segmentsr the 29-milenorthernsegment between m.p.66 and
mp95northofBeatric€andlhe2E.T2milesegmentbetweenm.p95andl25.ltincludesthestatio
Princeton, Cortland,Pickrell,Beatrice,Holmesville,Bluf Springs,andBamestonOpposition/comments mustbc
tiledby October15,1999 (This is moredetailofthe abandonment requestfiledJuly 29. STB DocketNo AB-33,
SubNo 140,decidedSeplember 9, filed September 20, 1999)
ILLINOIS- BNSF- On September 21, 1999,rheSTBdenieda request of theBNSFto abandon 2.38 milesof linewithin
theciry limirs ofChicago.Two businesses along the line challenged BNSF'S assertion that it waslosingrnoDcy.
(STB DocketNo. A8-6, Sub No 3E2X, served September 2l, 1999)
OHIO- NOnFOLK SOUTHERN- To abandon a 03 milelinebetween m.p.LM-1208 andm p LM-l2l I at
Cincinnati.Ohio.EffectiveOctober2?, 1999 (STB DocketNo AB-290,SubNo 207X,dccidedSeptember 20,
servcdScpt€mber 27, 1999)
UTAH SALT LAI{E CITY RAILROAD CoMPAlry, INC. - To adversely
- abandon a line from m P 798.74at Ninth
SourhStreet Lake
in Satt Ciryto rn p. ?75 19 al rheSalt Lake County/Utah Countyboundary nearMount,including theI 4 mile
LovendahtSpur wrth
connecnng rhe main lineat m p. 790.52,a totaldistanceof24.95 miles Includes the ofsalt
stations Lake
Cfty,Murray, Sandy, andMount,Utah.Theli.e maybeusedasa lightraillme (STBDocket
Draper No.AB-520, d€cided
September16,served September 28, 1999)

ARKANSASRAILROADER- Little Rock Chaprer NRHS

Volu]reXXX.Nuflrber
11- November
1999
NORTHDAKOTA - BNSF- To abandon itslinebetween BNSFm.p.69.05 andBNSFm.p 6l.19nearValleyCit),
Nonh Dakota,a distanceof 7 86 miles.EffectiveNovember14, 1999(STB DocketNo AB 6, SubNo 3E6X.
dccidedOctober6, servedOctober15,1999)

NEW Lf,ASEDLOCOMOTIVtrS
UnionPacificplanslo lcast1,000newhigh-performancelocomotiv€s
1oreplace1,500old unils Mark DavisofUP saidthesewould
be moreefllclentbu! lhe 500theywouldreplacewouldn'1meanfewerjobsat UP'sNorlhLittle RockJ€nksrepairshops.tJPhas7,000
loco orives ThenewSD-70unitsbeingleasedhavedirectDC tractronandar€rated4,000horsepower. / kdnlasDeno(ot-Gd.etIe.
f/.1
Octabu 8 b, RandyTardr)

MEMPHIS-KNOXVILLE RAIL LINK

(Meryhis)- Con8If.ss
approved
$500,000to studya Knoxvilleto Memphisrail link. Thc fundingwill allow the
Kno\villeandEaslernRailroadAuthorityto studywhetherit is feasibleto rehabilitate
theold rail linebetwecnNashville
nlrdKDoxvilfeto Memphis.(MenphisDusiness Journal,October5, 1999)

I veleurncdthal ewn whenI havepain,\,I don t hayelo beone (age82,anon" via email- thanksDebbie)

oLD ROCK LINE SOLD

lKutl\o.t( itj) - UnionPacifichasagreedlo sellthecentralportionof lhe old Rocklslandlinc (244miles)ac()ssccDtr:tl
Ivlissouri to theMrssouri CentralRailroadThisIin€has['tbeenusedsincel9E2whenSoutheoPacific obtaincd il iionl
lhc b0nkruptRock.lt wAsneverformerlyabandoned, but housesandneighborhoods havebuilt up nextto rhogrllsscovcrcd
l m c k s ( s e e l h e p h o t o s ) . U P w i l l k e e p t h e l i n e b e t w e e n V i g uL
s (owu ei ss)taonfSS
dtt L o u i sr n db e t w e cPnl c a s a D t l l i l l
andKaDsas City. MissouriCentraltookovcr "operation"October7. furion Pocijc new$rclease)

Here arc lwo views oflhc lbnncr

Rocklslandline soldby Union
Pacificin Missouri.This ponionis in
LeesSurnmit, just outsideKAnsas
City and you can seethe lvork Deeded
to rehabilitaleth€ line. 1(?,
Ziegenbcirt photos)

I ye leumed lha! you uu tell u ht

aboul u nan bl lhe \ray he hqnllle\
thele thrce things: a ruiny duy lotr
luggag(, and tangled Chrishtt($ trce
/tgr^ /age52, anon - via cDrail)

TARANTULA STtrAM.OFI'
(Forl lYorth, Tsrarr - Afler ne$
owners,CoeSunofMichgan,tookovcr
the Tarantula Steam ltain at the Foa
Worth Stockyardsin April, all of lhe
railroad'smechanics andengrDeers quir
because of changes in working

RAILROADER- Little Rock ChaDterNRHS

/1RK4NS,1S

condrrions th€ new operatorsplan dinner
rrains and may lake off the popular Fon
Worth to Gfapevinc sleam excursions
,^pparenllr lhey don'1favor steamand will
conccnlrateon dinncr lrain operationsonly,
bLrlthat rcmarnsto be scen DerrnisLafson,
(icncral Managcr,disputesany lhough that
l r e ) w i l l d i s c o n l i n u cs t e a mr u n s H e s a y s
lher plan to have up lo six sleanrand two
linner traLnsa day 6y 2043 (lort Worth
Stdt ltltNtdtn. SepteDlhet21, l9t)9)
( u rlrlrRlis & TOLTEc t RouBLES
t { t r l \ l t . t ! . o )' i h e C u ' n b r c s& T o l t e c S27l beginningin latcoctober
S c c n i cN n r o w G a u S cn c a r C h l \ n l a .N e w
Mcxico wrs giver l0 days back in
scptcnrbcrro complclcrouline rrainlcnance beallrainslo crossingsThe ncw finesar€
r n d s h o q i t i s c a p r b l eo f r u n n i n g T h c
( u m b r c s& ' l o l l c c I { a i l r o a dC o n r m r s s i o n CounfyolLos Angelesin oneyear(l didn'l
e i l c d r l r e l i n e ' s o \ r n e r a s b c i n g ' n o t do thc rnath, but how many crossing
l l n . n c , r l l ) r c s p o n s i b l co r c a p a b l e l o
Nothinglo p in this month
PI]8 LI(' IXCU RSIONSIN AIIKANSAS
. AITKANSAS & MISSOURI
llAlLllOAD (800-6t7-8600)' Runs
!inrasc prssengcrcars usrng ALCO
locomolivcs betwccnSprirgdalc dndVan
lhtren, Arkansas a d between Spri'rgdale
d Purdv,Missouriove. formcr Frisco
uacks through rhc beaulilll Bosbn
Mounrains, goinglhrough runnelsandovcr
highucsllesWcb^ddress:
ht tp://www..rkansasnissouri- rr.comand
rhcirelndiladdrcssis: drlmoa4liponct
WTIITE RIVER SCENIC
RAILROAD(88E-31l-6224) - Runsalong
rlrc tbmousMissouflPacificWhit€ River
ARKANSASMILROADER - Litie Rock Chdpler NRHS
V o l u mX
eX XN
, u m b e1r1 ' N o v e m b1e9r 9 9
operale"lhetouristlin€ In I 998thelinehad
a recordridcrshipof 70,000However,due
to del-efi€dmainlenance, threeof the six
sleamlocomotiveswere out of servicein
September i999.
Happ), trail! and blesslhdt bia ltdin with
thebe rfull ofuoalahdthej olly .onductot
lhtt th.ovs thunbtack!at thetabb s
CROSSING FINESWAY UP
(Las/1neele, - Motoristsrunnrngpasl
crussingSatesor signalswill facea fin€of
'lhafs
an
increaseof$16?fromthecuffcnlline They
hopeit willmakesome people stoptryinglo
expectedtogenerate5200,000 in finesroth€
incidentswoufd this.ovetz) (LosAngeles
line (now thc Missouri and Norlhenl
Arkansat rhrouShlhc beaulifulArkansas
ozzrks The trains run year round ftom
CalicoRockandFlippin.Arkansas
WebSile:http//www.1rainfiD.concmail
0lem at. wrsr@soulhshorc com
EUREKA SPRINCS AND
NORTH ARKANSASRAILWAY (50I.
253-9623) Aikansasruns
in EurekaSprings,
slcamexcursions along a two mile track
alongrhefornerMissouri& NonhArkansas
Railroadright of way It runs through
October30 on MondaysthroughSaturdays.
DURANGO,COLORADO- TheDuranSo
NASA'S TRAIN TO SPACI
A p p a r e n t l yt h c r ci s s o m et a l k a b o u tu s i n g
a magnctjc levitation (naglcv) track ro
acceleratea rocker up a nrcunlain lo the
s p c e do l s o u n d w j h c r c b yi t s ' r o c k c rc n g i n 0 s
would sla.l, takirrg thc ship thc rest of Lhc
way nrlo orbil This would saves tons ol'
moneyand cnergy8€ningpayloadsro space
Currently, thc Space Shuttlc uscs enough
c n e r g yl o p o w c r l w o m i l l i o n l i r m i l y c r r s
e a c h s e c o nodf l a u ' r c ha n d a n )$ i r \ r o r e d o c c
this cncrgy would ltclp (Sr.lkt. /tutodlttl
Mo/nins llerultl, Octt )et l), 191)t))
& Silvcrton conrirrrcs
rodo vcrywcll n rhc
excursionbusincssbetwecnl)Lrrngo nd
Silvenon,Colorado Wanrro ridc') wrilc
Durango & Silverton Naffo$ Galge
Railroad,479 Main Ave. l)urangoCo
'l
8130| ot .allg 70-24'1
2'133 rrijrsrunMny
throughOctobcrCosris S5i roo'rdrripper
adulior S88ifyou ridethep rbr cnr
MEXICO 'CoppcrCanyon l-ir|rlenon rhe
Chihuahua PacillcRaihvay'Iin ir)lbrnarur
andrickcts,callMexican-AnrcricLrnRalway,
800-659-7602 or 281-872-0190
 REMEMBERINGSHERRII.[. I9!7
P. B. Vfoold.ridoe

Poor peoplehavcvcry poor w&ys,r fact known to all exceptthe rich. I had no crir so
it wasdiflicult to get to all the jbbs I prot€cledfrom thcie.Xl!|board.SomewecksI didn'f
g€t to work at all. It wasdmost.aiainstthe law for regular men,working 365dayss y€ar,
to lay off. But comefall everyyear back in the 30sand 40swerybody got to work at
tcmporarycottonjobs. The CoatotrBelt handledlots of cottotr,hencethe name.
I rccciveda wire from the ChiefDispstcbcraoprotecathe Agencyat Sherrill,
Arkansas.I rode No. 6 to Pinc Bluff. Awaiting my bus connectionio Sherrill, I sat in thc
cafddrinking coffee,a smalltown boy in thc big city. A vcry goodlooking )oung fcmalc
camein and satbesidem0.I wondredat that timcwhy,with sucha longcountcr,$hc
would do th{t, asI was thc only pcrsor al thc counter.
Later, in borrding thc bus,I discovcrcdmy billfold misslng.I'll alwaysbelicvcth{t
goodlooking gal got it.
I arrivcd Sherrill aboutmidnigbaand cvcrythingwar in drrkness,atrd thc strccls
had becnrolled up.I was carryhg a suitcasc,my semi-automStic telegraphkey, alrd m] old
Undorwoodtypcwriter, rs th€ rsilroad companydid not furnish a typcwritcr. It wa$
October,1937and a cold witrd wa! ltrcaking acrossthc Grand Prairic,I had no idcr whcrc
thc railrold was,much les! the depot,Fortun{tcly about20 minutcslater I heard o trlrin
whistl€.[t was a footballspecialbringing the I'inc Bluff Zebrasand their fans hom€rftcr n
{ramcin Little Rock
Having found the railrord, I followcdi( to tbc dcpot.Peerirg through tbe window, I
couldscca hot firc in thc pot-bclliedstovc,and disccrnedthe figurc ofa persoDslccpingon
^ tablc. I rappcd on the witrdowand Agert T. R. Simsopencdthe door, and I spcntthc
rcmrindrrofthe nighton anothertablp.
Whcn wc ncw menbired out on thc railroad mostof uswcfe ill preparedfor rll thc
complcxiti€sof railroad operatior.Every ststioowasdifferent,and thc lirst day on cach
iob, brcakingin, was hell. I had ncverhandlcdcotaonbeforc,and cottonwasking that fall
in Shcrrill, Borcrrs were spottcdat a hrge loadingdock or platform, lnd a Ncgro crcw
would loadcottonfrom the platform, beiogpaid 2l for eachbaleoDahelower dcck,rnd 5f
for cachbrle loadedon upper dccks.I h&dto bc or thc platform lo checkcachbalebcing
Ioaded,jotting do;daiilddhbrlc t&g.number.
llflck th€n all abeiielittle cottontownswere burtling rnd oyeryotrewas busy,cvonthc
childrenrverein the ficlds pickirg cottotr.And on Srturdaysth€ populationwould triplc.
Thc first MediciDeMrn I everlrw wts rt Sberrill He h.d set-uphis highly
decoratcdvan on a vacantlot He had s little pet motrkeywho performedto the delightof a
very largc crowd.He wassellinga $1 bottlc ofclixir that he claimcdwould cure all physical
ailmcnts,includingindigestion,colds;fever6,arthritis and rhcumatism,and othcrs,{nd hc
wasdoinga land-office busincss.I've s€€nsuchsccncs rep€ated manytimesill oldwcstcrn
movies,
How timeshavechangcd!The depot,thc railroad and evcnthe MedicineMan have
all disappcared,victimsof progress..&

A.rkarrsag RaiTioader
l0-
10. Carthage. Joplin and Short Creek Rallv/ay Comr,anv:

This s6lnpsly as incorporated utder the general raj-hoad lavs of

Itrissouri by artictes of assocj.ation-fil€d in the office of ifre Secret"ry of
State of Missouri, September 6, 1881. It constnjrcted the line;f
ro.Lal froE
Uarlhage to Jo!]in, Iiissouri, conpteting BameJune 19, 1892. ljileage .,., 17.5g

Termini: Fron south lrolerty.,lj.ne of Central Street at Carthage to a potnt

0.01 mile east of Prisco crossiDget Joplin; analfroi
H.S. on nain
linc to Frisco right of Vay tiDe at JoDlin.

?his lin€ vas built vith Missouri pacific noney and \7as operated by z
that companyby virtue of stock o,rnership up to the tri"
ii" F{richase by
the parent conpony. "i

The pr.olerty, rights anC franchr:jes of the cor,rpeny\7ere purclEsoit by c

The issouri ?acific Railvay Companyby d.eeddated.S"pi"^i"i-ii, .
tE8J, and tbo
orgohization of the C.J. & S. C. Ry. Co, vas no longer naintainJO
ond ceased.
to exist. o
11. Laclcde and Creve coeur Lake hailroad Conpany: o
F
This comlany vas ir,corporatoal un(l.er the generaL tailioail
N i s s o u r i b J a r t i c l e s o f a s s o c i a t i o n f i f e 4 i n t h e office
l,avr's of z
of the S€cletary of
S t a t c o f l , l i s s o u r i , S e p t e n b e r 2 ? , 1 8 8 0 . I t s l i } ] e of roacl,
from Lakc Junction
to Crcve Coeur lake, \vas conpletea Juty 1, 1881.
MiLeage ...,............ 11.99
o
Teinini: !ronl H.B. connection vith hain lilte at l,al<e Juhction ijo eniL of ;rack
at Crevc Cocur l,ake.

This conpany vas started by outsiale capital but the line nas tuilt by F]

The lrlissor!i Pacific Rai\7a"r Comlany and !]as olerated by that c.nrpany by vi!'tue
of o\/nershi! of a majority of the capital stock up to the tirE of lts p1rlchase.

The lrolerty. riShts and. fianchi.ses of the compahylrere F)rchascdlby

a
'!he i\iissorri Pacific Railvay Companyby doed dated Septenber 12, 1883, end tbe
orJtrnization of the L. a C,C.!, R.R. Co. \?as no longer l-'Eintainealand ceaseal

."-2,tsrocalvavto Vulcan Street:

?his line vr'asconstncted by the St.l,ouis' fron trlormtainanalSouthern

lajl\lc.y conpany (Incorporeted.Nay 16, 1874 - See lage 68) as a connection vith
the Ccrondelet lranch of ?he liissouri Pacific Rai]rray Com]Eny, and uas compLeteal
Jun€ 1, 1892 (total length 0.39 nilo). ghis portiolr of tbe line, lihi cI \7as
truilt o. Missouri Pacific ri8ht of way, r'/as ?urc\ascd by The ltrissdlri Paciflc
R a i l . , , r aCy o r n p c nJyu n e 1 , 1 9 0 4 . t r l l l e a 8 p . . . . . . , . . ......... O.11

Tenninl: Fron I{.B. at BroathroyJunction to tTest liDe of Vulcan Street.

T o i 2 1 M i l e a 8 e " P u r c h a s e aLl i n e s " - . . . . . . . . . . -...'........ 6e.90

trxtcnsions Constructeci by The lilssouli

Pecific Rail\'ray ConDanY {1880)

lq:-L-S=e-E BL ilee\-.q!e!4e-e,
::ileage . ".. -.. ' (teduc! l 10'36
".
 1l
14' Glepcoe Sranch, froh headblock on nain Line at Glencoo Junctiolr to end of
track at Line l(ilns; conpl-eteaJanuary 15, 1882. t l i L e a g p . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4'00

15, Blach?ster Eranch, fro! h€ealblock on rBin line 0.56 E[fe east of center of
depot at l:?rreDsbur8 to enal of tlack at stone quarries; conDleteal Januery 15,

&.'-E-$9!CI9!_!9!C494_9I9I94, froln center of depot at Coops to endl of tlack

gLlagt1eil; conptetedl August 2+ , LAA4. Hileage . . . . . . . . . , . . . . - . . . . . . . . . . - . 5.79

Il-Llnco1n Sranoh, fron a point 0.65 nlLe lvest of center of alepot at lleeplng
lY4ter) Nebras)e, to enal of track at Lincolh; coE]pletedAugust 25,.1886.
..............- 33.92

18. Sartrv county Eatengion, frorn PapilLion Junction, 0.15 'nile south of Union
Pacific cxossing at ?ortal, Neblaska, to Sefw-Douglas Coul1ty Liho; comPletetl
Deoenber1, L886, Mlloag€ ,....,.,..2.09

19, llebraska Citv Blanch, flon a loint on section line be'tveen Secttons 19 cnd
20, Tovlship 6 N., Range 14 E. (joinin8 the lails ol The Nebraska Southern Ry. -
See XIII.-4, pag€ 461, to Ueepihg \7ater fi:nction, 1.12 h1]€ east of center of
depot at lyoepint l.'Llater,Nolraskai cor4r1€teclAugust 2 8 , 1 8 8 7 . L l i l e a g e . . 2 6 , 7 6

20. Jefferson City. loonville and lexi[gton Branch:

Dato
Frorn To Comploteal L[iles

l,{arshatt llyrlck 4- 9-88 45.2A

llarshall Jct. 3oonvi11e 7JZ-88
Cole Junction d 3-.oz
Including aaljustrlgrt s in mileage: 6-1-05 .11
9- 7-06 .06

Iermini: (a) Frorl)I{,8. on ll.ain line at Cole Junction to rr&d of Boonvill'e

lranch,'| on est l1ne of Fifth Street at Boonville, 41.21 niles.
{bl Fron 'J.C.B.& L. Juncti.od' at goorffille to a poitrt 817 feet
. oast of H.!. connectlon viih Loxir€4on Sranch at llyrick Jot.,
75,85 lniles; Vest loonville lvyo, 0.26 nilei Mars}lall S]trr, 2.22
llilesi West leg v/ye at lvlarshallr 0.25 m11o,

21. crete Branch, flon Ialnage to crete; conpleteiL NoveEber' 1, 188€'\

lelrnini: Fronr coDnection vith OrE}a nain llne 0.55 ntle aorthftoi center of
tle!ot at IalInage_lo end,if track at Cret€, Nelrasl€-
12
jl!- !__.\ -C,ljf !:!!S!1, fron l,ar{. ..ri:-r luncuio:1 io:i-T. & S.F. rigit of 1r:i:: lir:c
ii fti:r, :.ia. (?.13 nilcs), ::r(: i: -\E-!.T- ,. 5"1'. ri:-.rri cf i;c)- 11ne :t Cor:;:., ::o.,
'i. I.ll^
co.n"-c:r{jrvii)::r::i11 lj:rj .: locl.: Crcct --rict.:on (0.63;rrle)j cr:.trl.,jc\l
,r'). :1. lr{l:. Totrt |rileoae ...

:9r-!ll: i,rirr0l] _r-r,a.lil}!!!l]--i]]q:.:!]l:- , frar:r Icv.,dn r,o 3hclrion, conr.ri!ic(l ,nr1;"

; d , 1 8 0 1, l b . r ' 5 n i l e s ; i i c , r : ,, j . r ! t . t i r r i o c u r r i : g e , c o r p t . r , L c c, . ! u l ! : t ? t 1 , t t t .
33.1.?)rilci; c!.neot.ron :,i :'l'rr:!ri jlrli, c o r i , l l ! i j e L lI f e b r u J r t z l r , 1 ! . 1 6 , ' l . r i ,
nile, anC:,hi.e Illvcr c(in:c.rLor: :rt C2.thage, co-rlrleted J:nuary 1, 1.10.. .l5
rilei o ;orr1 r_:ilea3e of ..,-.-..--. .!7...14

4ernrni: Frcrn cen"ei of delot rt Nevada to south pr.:erty line of CentraL

Streci .t CBrthagc {46.9C xrilcs ) -
I: 5. ?y" 0,?B inilc south of centcr
Pac. souirl l.ioht of r/ay line - No, 36; and llon H.3. on main line
ne'rr Ccrlh.-e l. ;lo.)r.. ri'ht of \7ay line - No. 43.

23.,rr.gtq!tr!!ti.rrt-4 jt.1,.!i._3rij
lL lIo. 51, JcntrEry 22, I9r4, t.JtLe.l

,15. CDlxrcc,io'r bcr,/ecj i.lt(j jt,j,, & te:<. i!..IL(],J o. 2 ) axd (.-CrqiJ. Itl/_r ilro" J l"

lcr-r'iirrli: lr.n r .rojnt ll,3z? tcct cast nf ]t,8. conncctlon at ltyr-ict( to

"cl,.
p o i n t 6 , 0 9 ? f c c t o r s t o f c a r ) e? o i ) r c , L : r c a s u r e o
d n L c i : 1 n f i t o nB r r r l c ] r .

-J. le

yu4latx
ul nilca:Ir of lhc lrii.souri Pacific ilail\/ay Co.
1 1 8 0 0 ) r ; t h ' l tirire ol the consolid.ation of

5 9 1 -1 n
1 4 8 .9 l
':i ,il .:ji( r: LirL!-; r)0-9il

1
i1
ti
i: ;
1
 13

*:' ' .r"tl i i ?i'r*,,. rrr:

t L-'_"

, l*-rE E-'€ ts til Er

jd^drdd!.^& :

4=-

*:

ItL.l\--.
.2

occ:i:ilH,s:'$: Hf",8lloi&fi':31-i:::

l|
{

Sevenloungegrill coacheswere deliveredto the Missouri Pacirtc Lines and lhe Texasand
Pacific Railva, by American Car and Foundry Company'sSt Charles,Missouti pla lin
February 1948-Thecoachseats41 passengersin individually reclining seatswhile I can be
set'yedin the lounge. The grill provides refreshments and light meals (American Car and
FoundryCompanyphoto, Ken Ziegenbeincollection)
74

A Rocklslandaccidentinvestigation
phototakenar Biddteyard, Ljnle Rock,between
8 and9 a jn
Ocrober9, I952 TheywerernvesligaLing
a personalinjuryofa brakeman lhathadoccurr€d9 monrns
carrcr lhe sleneshowswharanengjnecrcanseeofthc {iontofhis enginewh€nlookina
out ahead
rhroughde righr-hand
windoet.(L T. Watkerco ection)

A RockIslandaccidentinvestigationphoroofRI Motorcar9070 al Et Do.ado,A*ansas, no ctat€grven.

Theyw€reinv€sligationdamag€ lo theraitcarcausedby anautonobilewhenit hitrhe si;e of#9070 The
autorakedalongthesideofihe motorcarfor a disrrnceof25'3" doingconsiderable damage to the
equipment./, T. Walkercollection)
ARMNSASMILROADER
 l!

15

,1 Kada! City Southem 800-class engine and caboose went into lood \|oters at Flot Crcek Bridae G15i sonrh ol
Widhrc2 /t*dnsas in 194i os it wds heodikg to DeQueen h hod j ust unloaded I 5 Pu nan ca^ litll ol An,r W,4(S
nTerltkana. (Phihp L Moseleycollection)

WREtrK AT FLAT trREEK ERIDE;E tr-453

Custsouthof Winthrop, Arkansas)

by: Philip L. Mos6ley

WIen I fist startedworkingfor lho Kes8l City This wa in theLaino!do!dayswith no bk'ol,siSddls

Soutlcmass operdtorin 1968,I mela f€llow,ihe lalcC. E. on thclinh Subdilkionofthe KCS Needlcss ro $y lhrc wcrc
''Cel Scagnves al DoQueen, Arkansas, {here I w[s working ballinsthcjackrowud DeQu€en andwith rhes0GclrNs
Sccond Tdck Mr Seagavos wasa rathercolorfulcharacter, a pNsengcrlocomolive, the' *ere lickingolfthc mllcs
sron lcistymo vith a gravelyvoicowhoseregularassignmcnt Lilue did theyknowthatlherehadbcc a llrdr lkx,d
\ ! n sl n s i n e c r o n
N o I a n dN o . 2 ,t h eo l d S o u t h e m
Bcllc' anda washout0' FlarCreekBridgeC-453jusl sourho1'
bcrwcon DeQueen andShreveponHe hcldthaljob unlilthc Win'hrop,Arkmsd As lhe enginetoppcdLiplonllillmd
llcuccmc or in NoveDberI 969(30'i r r niverorrythh slaneddownhillrowdd FlatCrcck,Mr Sea8laves noliccdtlrc
mo.th),evenlhrouthhc did lay off Lheldt trip it made wahou( ycllcdal lhe ongin@rto plugherandjump lhcy
Mr Seagov6w6 a Etherspe.ialfriendofminc Hc borhdrd,ighr into theealer Theengineed caboosc rcnr o(I
Bavcme my firsr cab ride on a pasmAer t_.in otr th. "B.llc" into lhe waleralsoThc 800twed overon hersideandthc
bctweenDeQueenmd Ashdom on night not long boforc thc @b@salmostsunk,droMing bElemo t@k lluckabccof
''llellC'cmc otrat 75 dd E0mphmortoflie way.Somctrmcs Tcxdkma He wN tlleonly crewnemberkillcdin rhc$ruck
rhc Bclld wouldb. a lrtlle l6le,say15or l0 minutes, andhc Mr Seagraves losrhis goldrailro.dw.rchin rhcvarcr
\louldrcllme l ll lakehq in on limc." ard il is srilllheresoneplacero thisday Hc 8orourol rhcNsrcr
Mr Seagmves roldDe a EtherinreEting storyone md walkedbacklo Allenc,Arkms, Dileposla5?andcallcdrr'c
rimeaboula wrcckin l94l He wdcall€d asa Flagmrnon a dispalch.rat a phonebox md nagged
rloopftainof Amy WACS Theidin consisted ofd E00typc Mr Seagraves €fted a fewyear ane thc Bcllc'
rasscnger engine.I 5 Pullmmcds dd a cahooscThc sctthc camcoffmd wo.kedthroughAeightsfor awhilc&d cvcntually
P-llmmsoura(Te\dkea to be drliveredro rheMssouri retiredoflofaswilch enginein Dermls Yed He passcd away
Pacific,thenploceedcd to DeQueoD withjusta caboose. in t973 >
ARKANSAS
M]LROADER
A coolandfoggy,drizzlydaylits themoodasthelastNo. 2, KansasCity Southcrn's .s'.rrthem
Belle.Vepucs
lbr anon timedeparturcfrom DeQueen, Arkansas, Novembcr4, 1969,30 yearsagothismonth.Fromleft to
rightrPorterLucienStewart,Ca.rrnan
P. Brooks,ConductorR. P. MeredithandBrakemdn Jim Bales
(Photographby John Craig,fron the colleclion ofP L. Moscley)

. ,' :1",*g
Missollli & Arkansds Pqssenger Train No. 202, lead by 4-6-0 No 20 al Harrison, Arkansas,
June 1938(Huold,K. Vollrathcollection)