The Streetcars Of Arkansas

Central Arkansas Transit; June 17, 2014

We're continuing our two-week foray into the upper midwest, turning back east from the National Railway Historical Society convention in Springdale, Ark. So far we have ridden a photo freight charter on the Arkansas & Missouri, visited tourist railroads in the Ozarks, chased the Amtrak display train behind A&M Alco diesels, and headed south along the Kansas City Southern in three states. We are now in Little Rock, Ark., home to the decade-old River Rail Streetcar of Central Arkansas Transit.

Central Arkansas Transit; Little Rock, Ark.; June 17, 2014

The River Rail Streetcar opened in November 2014 and operates 3.4 miles of track in Little Rock and North Little Rock. The original line operated 2.5 miles between the downtowns of the two cities. In 2006 an extension was opened to the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library. Three replica trolleys were used when the line initially opened and two more were added with the extension. The cars, built by Gomaco Trolley Company, resemble the Birney cars that operated in Little Rock (which previously had electric streetcar service between 1891 and 1947); the original Birneys were numbered 400-407 and the five replicas continue that series, numbered 408-412.

Central Arkansas Transit; Little Rock, Ark.; June 17, 2014

The line is broken down into two "routes," the Green Line and the Blue Line. The Green Line operates a loop through downtown, and continues on to the Clinton Library (except in the evening). The Blue Line covers the exact same loop downtown, but also crosses the Arkansas River to make a loop in North Little Rock; it also goes to the Clinton Library during the day. This two-route system means that North Little Rock only gets half the service that Little Rock gets. All the above photos were taken on the primary loop in downtown Little Rock. The photo below takes us out near the Clinton Library.

Central Arkansas Transit; Little Rock, Ark.; June 17, 2014

All trackage is one-directional, running clockwise in Little Rock and counter-clockwise in North Little Rock. The Clinton Library extension is double-track with rail on both sides of the street. The exception to one-directional running is the bridge over the Arkansas River, where both northbound and southbound cars share a single track.

Central Arkansas Transit; Little Rock, Ark.; June 17, 2014

North Little Rock has a picturesque downtown, and the system's car barn is located here.

Central Arkansas Transit; North Little Rock, Ark.; June 17, 2014

Fort Smith Trolley Museum; Fort Smith, Ark.; June 12, 2014

This concludes our look at the River Rail Streetcar, but while we're on the subject of Arkansas streetcars let's backtrack to the other operation in the state, the Fort Smith Trolley. While River Rail serves as a means of transportation to tourists and residents, the Fort Smith Trolley is primarily a tourist ride. This is part of the Fort Smith Trolley Museum, and the trolley ride was inaugurated in 1991 on a quarter mile of track. Subsequent extensions now gives the line a distance of about 3,000 feet.

The car in use in Fort Smith is an actual Birney car (unlike Little Rock's replicas), built in 1926. It served Fort Smith in regular service until streetcar service was discontinued in 1933. Several more streetcars (including a couple of Little Rock Birneys that are being combined into one operable car) are undergoing restoration. Much of the collection is native to Fort Smith.

The museum also owns three locomotives of various types, the most notable being Frisco 2-8-2 No. 4003.

More photos of the River Rail Streetcar in Little Rock can be found here. More photos of the Fort Smith Trolley (and the NRHS convention train that went there on the Arkansas & Missouri) can be found here.

Fort Smith Trolley Museum; Fort Smith, Ark.; June 12, 2014

Train Rides In the Ozarks

Silver Dollar City; June 11, 2014

As part of the 2014 convention of the National Railway Historical Society, we had the chance to visit three tourist railroads in the Ozark Mountains of southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas, each one quite different from the others. First up was Silver Dollar City outside Branson, Mo., and its Frisco Silver Dollar Railroad. Silver Dollar City is a family theme park established in 1960, and the steam-powered railroad is one of the oldest rides in the park. The two-foot gauge railroad uses foreign-built steam power such as No. 13 (above), built by Orenstein & Koppel in Germany in 1934.

During the busy summer season two trainsets are in service making the loop through the park. We see No. 43, built by Orestein & Koppel in 1938, as it backs out of the shop to begin its daily duties.

Silver Dollar City; Branson, Mo.; June 11, 2014

The railroad has one U.S.-built locomotive, No. 76, which sits on display near the shop. This diminutive 4-4-2 was built by Davenport in 1922 and operated in New York state before coming to Silver Dollar City. Acquired in 1961, it was the park's first locomotive. It was retired in 1980.

Silver Dollar City; Branson, Mo.; June 11, 2014

The line forms a circle and features impressive grades, some over six per cent. The little locomotives are realy put to the test on the route.

Silver Dollar City; Branson, Mo.; June 11, 2014

Branson Scenic Railway; Branson, Mo.; June 11, 2014

Branson Scenic Railway; Branson, Mo.; June 11, 2014

Just a few miles away is a railroad that is an operational opposite of Silver Dollar City. the Branson Scenic Railway is a standard-gauge diesel-powered line that operates out of its namesake town using a streamlined passenger train.

The railroad operates over a freight short line, the Missouri & North Arkansas Railroad. Like many short lines, the M&NA was spun off from a bigger railroad, in this case the Missouri Pacific (later part of Union Pacific) in 1992. Depending on freight needs, the Branson Scenic can operate in either direction out of Branson. It can head north to Galena, but lucky riders will get a trip south over the much more scenic part of the line to Barren Fork Trestle. The decision on whether to go north or south is made usually about 15 minutes before departure, so it's always a guessing game for both the rider and the chaser.

To facilitate moves in both directions, the train operates in pull-pull mode. On the north end is Electro-Motive Division F7 No. 98 (above crossing the White River). It was built in January 1951 as No. 369 for the Baltimore & Ohio, and later operated in commuter service for Maryland Area Commuter Rail (MARC) out of Washington, D.C. Interestingly, it has the nose from a Canadian National F9 after the original nose was damaged in a wreck. On the south end is EMD GP30 No. 99. This is also a former B&O locomotive, built as its 6973 in January 1963.

We finish off our tour of the Ozarks in north Arkansas at Eureka Springs on the appropriately named Eureka Springs & North Arkansas. This tourist operation was establisjed in 1981 on a branch line that was never part of a major rail system. Primary power for the railroad is EMD SW1 No. 4742, built by EMD in 1942.

Eureka Springs & North Arkansas; Eureka Springs, Ark.; June 11, 2014

Three steam locomotives are scattered around the property, none of them serviceable. One of those locomotives is 2-6-0 No. 201, built by the American Locomotive Company in Paterson, N.J., in 1906. Among its claims to fame is it worked on the Panama Canal and is one of only three survivors from that service.

Eureka Springs & North Arkansas; Eureka Springs, Ark.; June 11, 2014

Another steam locomotive on the property is a German-built 0-4-0T (Buescher & Sons, 1935).  This locomotive is mounted on top of a pedestal adjacent to the historic Eureka Springs depot. Reportedly, the locomotive can spin on its mount.

Eureka Springs & North Arkansas; Eureka Springs, Ark.; June 11, 2014

In addition to the SW1, a 1951 Chevrolet track inspector's car is functional and can carry a passenger or two on special occasions.

Eureka Springs & North Arkansas; Eureka Springs, Ark.; June 11, 2014

The ride covers about 2.5 very slow miles. Passengers are carried in  former Rock Island P70 coaches, of which there are six on the property. At the north end of the serviceable trackage the train takes one leg of a wye just before it finishes its journey. Both legs of the wye feature timber trestles.

Eureka Springs & North Arkansas; Eureka Springs, Ark.; June 11, 2014

That concludes our look at three Ozark tourist railroads. Additional photos of all three lines can be found here.

The Scenic Arkansas & Missouri

Arkansas & Missouri; Winslow, Ark.; June 10, 2014

The 2014 Convention of the National Railway Historical Society was based out of Springdale, Ark., in early June, with most of the activity centered on the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad. Trips covered almost every inch of the line, but perhaps the most impressive was the afternoon trip on the convention's first day, June 10. Two of the A&M's diesels built by the American Locomotive Company led a mixed freight/passenger train south from Springdale, with several photo stops made in the scenic heart of the railroad between Winslow and Mountainburg.

The trips were planned by NRHS rail operations coordinator Bart Jennings, who really picked some good locations. Your writer assisted in keeping the photo lines organized. Despite a day that was 95 percent cloudy, most of the photo stops had the sun pop out at just the right time to make for some well-lit scenes.

The first stop of the trip was at Winslow Tunnel just south of its namesake town. Alco No. 44 led the train, a C420 built in May 1965 for the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. The train was spotted in three different locations to give different perspectives of the train and tunnel (below).

Arkansas & Missouri; Winslow Tunnel, Ark.; June 10, 2014

The second photo stop was at the first of three large bridges below Winslow. The sun came out nicely for this shot (top photo). As the passengers were reboarding the train, the clouds moved in and a slight drizzle started. By the time the train was moving, it was a full-blown gully washer. But as the train slowed for the next photo stop, at the second large bridge, the rain slowed to a drizzle. It stopped as passengers unloaded and by the time the train was backed into position on the bridge the sun was back out again.

Arkansas & Missouri; Winslow, Ark.; June 10, 2014

All the photo stops up to this point had been just that -- stops for still photography. But with videographers on board, there was a need to do a full-blown runby with the train moving. This was accomplished at the location known as Schaberg, north of Chester. The first runby was zoinked by a cloud, but with plenty of time in the schedule a second runby was held in nice sunlight.

Arkansas & Missouri; Schaberg (Chester), Ark.; Juen 10, 2014

Not done with bridges yet, another stop was made at a lower bridge north of Chester. This was a "going away" view that allowed trailing unit No. 68 to be seen better. No. 68 is a C420 built in November 1964 for the Lehigh Valley. After the stop, the train was backed up for yet another video runby.

Arkansas & Missouri; Chester, Ark.; June 10, 2014

The train continued on to Mountainburg where some passengers were dropped off and others added for the return trip. The train pushed back to Chester, where the locomotives ran around the consist so No. 68 could lead north. With darkness falling, a night photo opportunity was held at Winslow Tunnel with No. 44 poking out of the south portal.

Arkansas & Missouri; Winslow Tunnel, Ark.; June 10, 2014

The train then proceeded through the tunnel, with the final stop of the day just north of the north portal in Winslow. No. 68 posed next to a retaining wall for the final scene. From here, all the passengers were put on a bus for the return to Springdale.

Arkansas & Missouri; Winslow, Ark.; June 10, 2014

Thanks to the folks at NRHS and the A&M for making this trip possible. It was a great chance to capture scenes that are well off the beaten path. More photos from the trip can be found here.

Random Ramblings - When Runbys Were Runbys

Union Pacific 8444; Narrows, Colo.; July 16, 1982

A staple of the railroad excursion is the photo runby, where passengers are unloaded from the train (often at a scenic location), the train is backed up and then makes a furious run forwards past the passengers as cameras click away. No Class I railroad was better at the photo runby as Union Pacific. Operating in the wide open spaces of Colorado and Wyoming, there was plenty of room for 200 or more people to unload and get photos of the train with no other photographers in the shot. UP's trips over Sherman Hill between Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyo., were legen -- wait for it -- dary!

The 1982 convention of the National Railway Historical Society was held in Denver, Colo., and one trip operated during the event was a steam excursion from the Mile High City to Sterling. The trip was powered by UP 4-8-4 No. 8444 (originally numbered 844 and since returned to that number). The steam crew really knew how to put on the show; being an oil-burner, it was easy to get a black plume of smoke out of the stack for the benefit of the cameras. But perhaps no runby was quite as spectacular as the one at Narrows (above). This remains the largest plume of smoke I have ever seen come out of a locomotive during a photo runby. You can probably go back to Narrows now and still smell the oil in the air. There are still steam-powered rail excursions and there are still photo runbys, but nothing quite like this.

Cool Chromes -- Cotton Belt 819

Cotton Belt 819; Bernie, Mo.; June 12, 1990

Cotton Belt 4-8-4 No. 819 -- the classic example of a locomotive all dressed up with no place to go. The Northern-type locomotive was built in the shops of the St. Louis-Southwestern Railroad (better known as the Cotton Belt) in Pine Bluff, Ark., in 1943, the last steam locomotive built by the railroad. It was to some extent a copy of ten Northerns that Baldwin had built for the railroad in 1930 (Nos. 800-809). Cotton Belt built five additional Northerns (Nos. 810-814) in 1937. The last five (Nos. 815-819) were slightly different from the rest, as they had steel number plates and numerals, and no chrome plating (war time restrictions were in effect). No. 819 served the Cotton Belt only slightly more than a decade, and was retired in 1955 and presented to the City of Pine Bluff to recognize the important role the town had played in the history of Cotton Belt steam.

In 1983 the locomotive was removed from display and taken back to its birthplace, the Pine Bluff shops, for restoration as an excursion locomotive. It returned to service in 1986 and ran until 1993. In 1990 it ran to the National Railway Historical Society convention in St. Louis, taking two days to get there. That's where our photos begin. The first day (June 12, 1990) saw the train run from Pine Bluff to Illmo (Scott City), Mo., including a meet with a Cotton Belt freight at Bernie, Mo. (above).

The next morning the photo line was huge at the Cotton Belt bridge over the Mississippi River at Thebes, Ill. Photographers were stacked about five high to get the shot. Fortunately, maintenance work had one track shut down (the equipment was parked on the bridge, so the photo line knew there would be no interference from trains) making for some room at the end of the bridge for a shot.

Cotton Belt 819; Thebes, Ill.; June 13, 1990

From here the photo line quickly dispersed into all directions. The next time we caught the train was just up the road at the signal bridge in McClure, Ill. The train made several servicing stops along the way, allowing the photo line to skip ahead for additional shots (the train was authorized for 55 m.p.h., so the stops were a good thing).

Cotton Belt 819; McClure, Ill.; June 13, 1990

In St. Louis, No. 819 shared the stage with three other steam locomotives -- Norfolk & Western 2-6-6-4 No. 1218, Union Pacific 4-8-4 No. 844 and St. Louis-San Francisco (Frisco) 4-8-2 No. 1522. The quartet was parked at Union Station for the convention, and each evening you could find one or more resting along the platforms.

Union Pacific 844 and Cotton Belt 819; St. Louis, Mo.; June 1990

My last encounter with 819 would be at the Pine Bluff shop in 1993. The locomotive was mere months away from its second "retirement." The Cotton Belt was purchased by Union Pacific, and the UP has a pretty strict policy that only its own steam locomotives can operate on its lines (this rule has been broken only rarely). Firmly entrenched on the UP, No. 819 found itself landlocked. Today, the Cotton Belt shops are the Arkansas Railroad Museum and No. 819 is undergoing another rebuild. Where will it run once the rebuild is finished? That is the question....

Cotton Belt 819; Pine Bluff, Ark.; March 27, 1993

Moving a GG1

Amtrak; Harris Tower, Harrisburg, Penn.; April 5, 2014

On January 15, 1938, the city of Harrisburg, Penn., saw the arrival of its first electric-powered passenger train. On the point of the Metropolitan that day was GG1 No. 4859, built by PRR in its Altoona shops just a month earlier. This sleek GG1, designed by Raymond Loewy, would primarily power passenger trains for the Pennsy until 1964, when it was transferred to freight service (although it could be occasionally found pulling passengers on New York-Philadelphia "Clockers" or in commuter service on the New York & Long Branch in New Jersey). No. 4859 went from the PRR to Penn Central in the 1967 merger, then on to Conrail in 1976. Conrail phased out electric freight operations, and No. 4859 powered the last Conrail GG1-powered freight before being retired in November 1979.

Noting the historical significance of the locomotive to its city's history, the Harrisburg Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society purchased No. 4859 and donated it to the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority. It was cosmetically restored, deeded to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and moved into the Harrisburg Transportation Center (the former Pennsy station) on November 13, 1986. For the next 27 years it would sit on display under the train shed, ultimately being joined by caboose ("cabin car" in PRR terminology) No. 980016. It has the distinction of being listed on the National Register of Historic Places twice (once in 1982 while undergoing restoration in Strasburg, Penn., and again in 2004 in Harrisburg) and was bestowed the title of the official electric locomotive of  the  state of Pennsylvania in 1987. The Harrisburg Chapter once again became owners of the locomotive in 2009 when it was deaccessioned by the Museum Commission.

The Harrisburg Transportation Center is slated to undergo a massive improvement project, including new trackwork, signals and platforms, and No. 4859 was in the way. Amtrak and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation devised a plan to move the GG1 and cabin car 1000 feet west of the station, where they would be "cocooned" for a three-year period; the cocooning will protect the equipment from the elements while still allowing air to circulate.

April 5, 2014, marked the day of the move. The sun was trying to peek through the clouds as rail photographers gathered at Harris Tower (also owned by the Harrisburg Chapter NRHS). On the radio scanner, the crew of Amtrak B32-8 No. 514 could be heard switching to get ready for the move. Amtrak greased the rails on some curves and switches so the long wheelbase of the GG1 could slide on through.

Amtrak; Harris Tower, Harrisburg, Penn.; April 5, 2014

Norfolk Southern's busy main line passes next to the station complex, where freights swing off the former Reading Company main at Capitol Tower (just railroad east of the station) and onto the former PRR to continue west.

Norfolk Southern; Harris Tower, Harrisburg, Penn.; April 5, 2014

First out was the cabin car. The display track is stub-ended, so Amtrak No. 514 had to first pull the equipment east, change tracks, and then push west past Harris Tower to the final storage location. A group of Amtrak and PennDOT employees, as well as members of the media, were documenting the move from the ground and from the back of the caboose.

Amtrak; Harris Tower, Harrisburg, Penn.; April 5, 2014

As the cabin car approached the end of the Market Street Running Track, where it would be uncoupled and left, a Norfolk Southern eastbound freight made an appearance.

Amtrak and Norfolk Southern; Harrisburg, Penn.; April ,  2014

No. 514 went back to the station to retrieve No. 4859. Meanwhile, on the other side of the State Street Bridge, an eastbound Norfolk Southern train led by NS's Norfolk & Western heritage locomotive, was getting ready to head out. The photo line on the bridge watched as the nose of No. 4859 poked out from under the station canopy at the same time as the freight started moving. Was there time to run across State Street to shoot the freight and get back across State Street in time to shoot the GG1 passing Harris Tower. Everyone looked south, then north, then south again, then north again. As soon as it became apparent that there would be time for both, about 25 photographers charged across State Street to get the heritage unit.

Norfolk Southern; Harrisburg, Penn.; April 5, 2014

Racing back across State Street, the photographers got a Pennsy electric locomotive passing a Pennsy tower as No. 4859 gingerly stepped through the switches on its way west.

Amtrak; Harris Tower, Harrisburg, Penn.; April 5, 2014

Things stayed busy, as empty intermodal cars at the rear of the train pulled by the N&W unit, a second eastbound freight and the westbound GG1 all passed. In a few more minutes, No. 4859 would be reunited with its companion cabin car and the two would await cocooning. They will emerge from their cocoons sometime in 2017 and once again a GG1 will briefly move along the rails of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Amtrak and Norfolk Southern; Harrisburg, Penn.; April 5, 2014

A complete photo gallery of the day can be found here.

Cool Chromes - Switching Around

Cool Chromes is a semi-regular feature where we look at slides that have recently passed through the scanner.

New York, Susquehanna & Western; Little Ferry, N.J.; August 1988

Today's edition of Cool Chromes celebrates the lowly switcher, the workhorse of the railroad. We'll start things off with an NW2 built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in June 1948 (above). This engine originally ran for the New York, Ontario & Western, which was abandoned in the late 1950s. The locomotive subsequently became the property of the New York, Susquehanna & Western, which painted in back into the NYO&W colors. It is seen here at the Susie-Q's now-gone engine facility at Little Ferry, N.J., in August 1988 during a night photo session for the convention of the National Railway Historical Society.

Elgin, Joliet & Eastern; Joliet, Ill.; October 1990

Next up is a pair of SW1200s, also products of EMD, working for the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern. No. 322 was built in June 1964 for Kansas City Terminal while No. 300 was built in June 1960 for the EJ&E. We see them switching in front of the EJ&E shops in Joliet, Ill., in October 1990.

Harvest States; Superior, Wisc.; September 1991

Our third chrome features at least two SW1s (also from EMD) working the Harvest States mill along Lake Michigan in Superior, Wisc. No. 15 was built in December 1941 and began its life working down south for the Louisville & Nashville. In the background is No. 200, built im March 1953 for the Portland Railroad & Terminal Division in Oregon.

Potomac Electric; Alexandria, Va.; September 1979

We'll finish off with an unusual locomotive. Potomac Electric Company used a steam locomotive to switch its Alexandria, Va., facility until late 1979. No. 43 was built by Heilser in 1938 and is a "fireless cooker" -- it burns no fuel of its own, but instead would plug into the power plant's steam line for a charge of steam that would keep it running for a couple of hours. We see it here in September 1979 during a tour for the NRHS Convention. No. 43 would be retired shortly thereafter and now resides in the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore.