[Mouldy Old Schmo]

If so, here's a page for you. Enjoy!

http://www.arkansasrailroadhistory.com/

[latunafish]

nice! thanks

[boulder]

Fantastic website!

[Robert_J]

My dad worked for Mo-Pac and then UP out of McGehee for decades. First on the line to Monroe,LA then to Warren, AR. We have home movies from the 70s of a huge wreck just south of Dermott on the line that runs with highway 165.

[Mouldy Old Schmo]

Originally Posted by Robert_J

My dad worked for Mo-Pac and then UP out of McGehee for decades. First on the line to Monroe,LA then to Warren, AR. We have home movies from the 70s of a huge wreck just south of Dermott on the line that runs with highway 165.

Wow! I used to drive over to McGehee from my hometown. I don't think many trains travel on that line. I know McGehee isn't a crew-change point anymore. Do you remember when the line that followed the river was upgraded for chemical trains? That didn't last long. Now most of that line is a trail.

[2nd trick op]

Not many people remember the Missouri and North Arkansas -- one of the most quaint (and painful) examples of a railroad which should never have been built.

Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

First envisioned to serve the resort area a Eureka Springs. and later headquartered at Harrison, the line slowly pursued ambitions of becoming a "trunk line" interchanging more freight with other carriers. It found its way as far north as Joplin, Mo,, via trackage rights, but the best it could do at the southern end was a connection with Illinois Central on the other side of the Mississippi, via a car ferry based at Helena.

The fledgling railroad encountered just about every setback such an enterprise could face -- a firey head-on collision in 1921, between a self-propelled passenger motor car and a freight of another line was the most damning, but serious labor trouble around the same time,
and the Great Mississippi flood of 1927 also took their toll. In the early Thirties, the line attempted to reduce the cost of passenger service with another self-propelled and semi-streamlined car, state of the art for its day, but a collision with a heavy truck at a highway crossing rendered the new equipment unserviceable within s few years.

Almost as soon as the demands on the nation's entire rail network eased at the close of World War II, the line was again damaged by serious flooding at its north end, and it was abandoned in the 1950's after attempts to salvage a few portions which were still economically viable on a local basis only. Like the Fort Smith and Western and the Colorado Midland, it was a case of dreams and ambitions beyond the capability of a largely rural area to support.

[Mouldy Old Schmo]

Originally Posted by 2nd trick op

Not many people remember the Missouri and North Arkansas -- one of the most quaint (and painful) examples of a railroad which should never have been built.

Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The alignment of Highway 49 that goes around Helena and West Helena was built on the right of way. You can still see some traces of r-o-w using Google Maps. The passenger station at Eureka Springs is there and is the base of an excursion train that uses some of the route.

Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway

[Robert_J]

Originally Posted by Mouldy Old Schmo

Wow! I used to drive over to McGehee from my hometown. I don't think many trains travel on that line. I know McGehee isn't a crew-change point anymore. Do you remember when the line that followed the river was upgraded for chemical trains? That didn't last long. Now most of that line is a trail.

McGehee shut down years ago. I think the depot is a museum now. But I haven't driven through McGehee proper in 20 years so even that may have changed.

The only rail line that I know if going near the river was the one headed out to the Potlatch paper mill. That's not entirely true though. There is a line that runs through Lake Village. Although I have no idea where it connects on either end. It has been abandoned for years.

[btoverdrive]

I am a third generation railroader. My grandfather started with the KCS in Oklahoma before moving to DeQueen, Ar where my father was born. He left the KCS and went to work for the MoPac in Little Rock. My dad started with MoPac in the Bridge and Building department before transferring to train service. He worked for MoPac for 40 years in LR, McGehee and El Dorado before retiring in 1978. He will be 97 this month.

I started with MoPac, which merged with UP in 1982, in 1969 and worked for 42 years, 10 in clerical service and 32 in management, in Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas, Missouri and Nebraska before retiring in 2011 and moving back to Arkansas.

This was the only job I ever had and it was a wonderful career. I would recommend it to anyone looking for employment that is willing to work hard and make a very good salary. Plus the retirement is excellent.

BTW, McGehee still has many trains as it is on the main line from Little Rock to Alexandria, La. It may not be a crew change point anymore but it still sees plenty of train traffic.

You were right about the Lexa to McGehee line. When I was working in Helena, MoPac spent millions of dollars upgrading the branch line, even putting in a new lift bridge over the Arkansas river, mainly to carry chemical traffic from Texas to points east through Memphis. When UP took over they decided to move the chemical traffic over a different route and that line was abandoned soon after. It is now a hike/bike trail.

[pvande55]

To anyone considering a railroad career I would say think twice. Sure the benefits are fabulous and in many cases you can stay for a long time, unlike most private sector careers. But the hours are erratic and you are often out there in all weather. If you want marriage and a family, probably a bad choice. Getting back to the question, I am interested in Arkansas railroad history, though I have never lived there.