volume 33, no. 5 january 2020making a reservation, please select roast chicken or roast beef for...

THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER January 2020

Volume 33, No. 5 January 2020

Official monthly publication of the

ARKANSAS-BOSTON MOUNTAINS CHAPTER, NATIONAL RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Chapter No. 188 founded in 1987

In this issue: page

The President’s Observation ................................................................................................................... 2

Upcoming Events; Membership Renewal; Submit Your Photos ............................................................. 3

Holiday Dinner Train; Heritage Grants; Chapter Meeting Minutes ........................................................ 4

RailCamp Information and Deadlines ..................................................................................................... 6

Rail Places: The Southwest Arkansas Depot Trail—Part 2 ....................................................................... 7

Rail Places: The Southwest Arkansas Depot Trail PART 2 (continued from last month)

The preserved MoPac caboose in the small park across the street from the century-old Arkadelphia depot,

which now houses the Amtrak station and a historical society museum. –Photo by J. L. Gattis


Arkansas-Boston Mountains Chapter,

National Railway Historical Society

Inc. is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) education-

al organization incorporated under the

laws of the State of Arkansas.

The President’s Observation

- Gary McCullah

I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter Christmas party and that you

had a blessed and peaceful holiday.

The year 2019 saw a Big Boy return to service and make two ex-

cursions. A new steam operation, The Kentucky Steam Heritage Cor-

poration, came on line and acquired C&O 2716 and intends to restore

it to operation. We celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Golden

Spike. There are many live stream railroad video channels. You may

have other items to add to the list.

Unless somebody suggests otherwise, we will have the same offic-

ers in 2020 as we did in 2019.

On a personal note, in addition to the three Radio Shack scanner

radios I have that are excess to my needs, I also have a collection of

Arkansas Railroaders, the newsletter of the Arkansas Railroad Club,

available if someone wants them.

Volume 33, No. 5 - January 2020

THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER

is published 12 times each year by

the Arkansas-Boston Mountains

Chapter, National Railway Historical

Society Inc, PO Box 1303, Spring-

dale, Arkansas 72765-1303. Opin-

ions expressed herein may not reflect

the official position of the ABMT

Chapter or the National Railway

Historical Society.

Editor ……………… J. L. Gattis

Every effort is made to provide

accurate and complete information in

THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER

monthly newsletters. Please send

corrections to [email protected].

We invite your input!

Contributing to THE ARKANSAS

SCRAMBLER: Submissions to the

newsletter are welcome. Send con-

tent (articles, stories, photos) for the

monthly SCRAMBLER newsletter

to the editor at [email protected]

DEADLINE for the SCRAMBER is

the 7th day of each month. The edi-

tor reserves the right to edit, hold, or

omit material at his discretion. WELCOME ABOARD all new and renewing members!

MEMBERSHIP: Local chapter membership is $12 per year.

Please make checks payable to ABMT NRHS.

Individual membership in the National Railway Historical Society

is $50 per annum and Family membership is $54 per annum. Please

refer to the NRHS website www.nrhs.com for complete details.

DIRECTORY OF 2020 OFFICERS

President……………….. Gary McCullah

Vice President………….. Larry Cain

Secretary……………….. Malcolm Cleaveland

Treasurer……………….. Rose Ann Hofer

Membership……………. Malcolm Cleaveland

Dist.7 National Director…Ken Eddy

National Representative…Jim Gattis

Program Director …….… Hugh Harris

Website Manager …….… Mike Sypult

Editor …………….…..... Jim Gattis

Visit our website at:

www.arkrailfan.com

Visitors are welcome to chapter meetings; business session fol-

lowed by a railroad presentation.

WHEN: January thru November, the third Thursday of the

month, 7:00 pm. Meetings are cancelled when the Springdale

public schools are closed due to inclement winter weather.

WHERE: At the ADA compliant J. Reilly McCarren Railroad

Museum, next to the Arkansas & Missouri Depot on East Emma

Avenue in downtown Springdale, Arkansas.

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.arkrailfan.com/


Volunteer to present a program at a Chapter Meeting! E-mail [email protected] or call 479-240-3004

January 16, 2020 Chapter meeting: Ozark & Cherokee Central by Mike Sypult

February 20, 2020 Chapter meeting: KCS Depots in Northwest Arkansas by Bob Stark

March 26-28, 2020 NRHS Spring Conference, West Chester (Cincinnati) Ohio

A New Year Means Membership Renewal Time

Time to renew your Arkansas-Boston Mountains Chapter annual membership, $12 per person. Please make

checks payable to ABMT NRHS, and send to Malcolm Cleaveland at ABMT Chapter, Nat. Railway Historical

Soc., PO Box 1303, Springdale, AR 72765-1303.

If you have not already done so, consider joining [https://nrhs.com/membership/ ] the National Railway Histor-

ical Society. The $50 annual dues lets you receive the Bulletin multiple times per year, plus the NRHS News -

covering preservation, railfan, and chapter news - six

times per year. But as they say on the late night infomer-

cials, wait, there’s more! Your national membership card

is good for discounts at over 100 railroad and transporta-

tion museums. Each year, NRHS conducts two confer-

ences and a national convention, to indulge your railroad

hobby. But most of all, supporting the national organiza-

tion allows you to “give back”, and actually play a part in

railroad history preservation, with activities like these.

• NRHS Railway Heritage Grants. Since 1991, the Na-

tional Railway Historical Society has been awarding grants for projects which preserve, research, educate,

or publish railway history. In 2019, nine recipients received a total of $48,000.

• NRHS Heritage Film Collection. NRHS is preserving and digitizing both movies and still shots.

• NRHS Roundhouse Survey. An ongoing effort to identify and post a list surviving roundhouses.

• RailCamp. Hard-working NRHS volunteers conduct two one-week long sessions, one on each coast, to

promote railroad interest among high school age campers. In 2019, the NRHS partnered with short line

railroads, rail transit operators, Amtrak, and museums to provide a railroading experience for 36 campers.

Unlike commercial publications that have to

squeeze out content to make room for advertis-

ing, the NRHS Bulletin is 40-44 pages of full color,

ad-free content for railfans and preservationists

alike. And because we understand our readers,

we offer plenty of railroad history and subjects

that are off the main line, covered to a depth that

no commercial magazine can do.

https://nrhs.com/membership/


Annual Christmas Party

Train ̶ December 19, 2019

As in years past, Al Kaeppel organized

the Arkansas-Boston Mountains Chapter’s

holiday train ride, held in lieu of a Decem-

ber chapter meeting. The catered dinner,

followed by a gift swap, was enjoyed by

30 as Arkansas & Missouri parlor car

“Explorer”, No. 107 − with its intricate

ceiling detail − glided along the rails.

Thanks to Brenda and her staff for the

privilege of having our party on the A&M

train, and for the excellent service

–Photos by Gary McCullah

ABMT NRHS Chapter Meeting Minutes ̶ November 21, 2019

Meeting of the Arkansas-Boston Mtns. Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society at the J. Reilly

McCarren Transportation Museum, A&M Depot, Springdale, AR.

Meeting was called to order at 7:05 PM by President Gary McCullah. Present were 20 members and two

visitors, Garon and Allison Lee; Garon is a potential RailCamp candidate. October minutes were approved

with one change: it was someone else, not Tony Anderson, who reported that Mike Sypult’s presentation to the

Ft. Smith Historical Society went well -- Mike is a terrific ambassador for the chapter.

Treasurer. Rosanne Hofer, was not present, but the Treasurer’s report: Checking account $1,308.89.

Chapter Meeting Programs. Hugh Harris said the January program is by Mike Sypult. Hugh is looking

diligently for people to present. His email is [email protected].

NRHS National Membership Chair. Hugh Harris explained that National has proposed cutting the num-

ber of directors down to 11, with 9 elected at-large for two-year terms and two ex officio (Pres. and V-P). The

reason is that the attendance has averaged about nine and that many people would not run because the four-

Heritage Grants Applications −

Deadline January 31, 2020

(Adapted from NRHS Telegraph)

The 2020 NRHS Heritage Grants application form, as well as

more details, are available on the NRHS website (https://

nrhs.com/programs/heritage-grants/). Deadline for submission

is January 31, 2020. The maximum award is $5000.

The application is a PDF form with required sections. It

should be downloaded, filled out, saved, printed, and signed for

submission. The signed application can then be scanned by the

submitter, sent either via email to [email protected] , or via the

US Postal Service. Grant award announcements are expected to

be made at the 2020 convention.

https://nrhs.com/programs/heritage-grants/

https://nrhs.com/programs/heritage-grants/


ABMT NRHS Chapter Meeting Minutes ̶ Nov. 21, 2019 (continued)

year term was too long. The change must be voted on by the members.

Scrambler Newsletter. Editor Mike Sypult said that we now have 159 on-line subscribers. He has experi-

enced changes compelling him to step down as the editor.

Mike Condren’s photos. Mike Sypult also discussed conditions that Jan Condren has placed on digitizing

the collection. They are (1) attribution must attach to photos from other photographers (meticulously annotated

on slide mounts); (2) slides should be cataloged and returned in good order; (3) veto over the firm doing the

scanning; (4) insurance. There was a lot of discussion on the last item, no one was sure how that will work.

Gary will talk to an insurance agent. These items are negotiable. Hugh Harris suggested that Mike contact Al

Weber at National about archiving because Al has recently done several big projects. Mike will ensure that the

collection is cataloged in an Excel spreadsheet for ease of use and reference.

Secretary. Time to renew your membership. Chapter membership is $12. Give it to the Secretary or the

Treasurer, or mail it to the chapter at the CHAPTER ADDRESS: ABMT Chapter, Nat. Railway Historical

Soc., PO Box 1303, Springdale, AR 72765-1303. You can renew your membership with national NRHS on the

secure website www.NRHS.org , or you can mail a check to NRHS Membership, PO Box 31074, St. Louis,

MO 63131-0074. Annual dues are $50 for an individual or $57 for a family. Family members are sent separate

$50 dues renewals.

Old Business. (1) Al Kaeppel asked that the following about the 2019 Christmas party be included in the

minutes: “The Christmas party on the train is an annual tradition and will continue in 2019. Our train will

leave the Springdale Depot at 6:30 PM on Thursday, Dec. 19 (get there early). Wine and beer will be available.

Food will be a catered supper with vegetables and choice of meat, plus dessert. To make a reservation, you

must give $10 per person (cash or a check made out to ABMT) to Al at the November meeting or mail it to

him at: 3831 Tara St., Springdale, AR 72762. You do not have a reservation until he has cash in hand. When

making a reservation, please select roast chicken or roast beef for your meal. Let’s have a big group and a very

good time.” We will continue the tradition of Secret Santa gifting where people can select and exchange gifts

in the process and Claire McCullah will preside as usual. So bring a gift in the $10-$15 range wrapped anony-

mously to participate. (2) We will set up the G scale RR on Dec. 7 for the A&M Xmas train. Sign-up sheet was

passed around.

RailCamp. Deadline for application with a scholarship is March 1. Jim Gattis brought RailCamp brochures

from the recent Conference in Dallas. He had read that minors can fly unaccompanied but need airline permis-

sion, and the airlines charge an extra fee above the ticket cost. The Secretary volunteered to contact guidance

counselors and others at local high schools but has not been taken up on this.

New Business. (1) Gary got a letter from the Arkansas Historical Association announcing their 79th Annu-

al Conference, with the theme “Arkansas without barriers: Pursuing equity in the Land of Opportunity” in

Conway April 16-18, 2020. “Papers exploring the history of self- and collective advocacy among Arkansans

with disabilities are especially encouraged”. Contact: Blake Perkins, Pgm Chair, bperkins @ williamsbu.edu.

(2) Discussion of liability insurance: Mitch suggested that we talk to Brenda about paying a nominal amount to

be covered under A&M’s policy since we’re using their facilities.

Train Talk. (1) Hugh Harris: January program is by Mike Sypult. (2) Mike: the business car Traveler is

back in the A&M shops, will be used for special occasions. (3) The UP Big Boy went through Van Buren. (4)

Mike Sypult will lead an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute class and subsequent field trip to ride the Branson

Scenic RR March 20 & 27; sign up at olli.uark.edu when their catalog is published in January.

Program. Mitch Marmel showed a DVD about The Rise and Fall of Penn Station. Due to running late, he

stopped the video midway; the remainder is to be shown at a later meeting.


Attention High School Age Students:

A Summer Camp With a Railroad Theme!

Interested in railroads? The Arkansas-Boston Mountains Chapter of the National Railway Historical

Society (NRHS) plans to fund a scholarship for one person to attend a Summer 2020 RailCamp session.

The camp activities include many aspects of railroading, ranging from railroad history to train operations. For more information, go to https://nrhs.com/programs/railcamp/

WHAT IS RAILCAMP? The NRHS’s annual RailCamp program is for high school-age boys and girls who

have an interest in railroads and railroading. It offers campers a unique opportunity to learn about 21st century

railroad operations, dispatching, and maintenance, while also providing a simultaneous experience in the early

history of U.S. railroads in the development and settlement of our country.

Programs can vary slightly, but during the one-week program campers typically will learn about railroad

history, historic preservation, how track is built and maintained, equipment maintenance, train operations, and

career opportunities. Campers will interact with railroad employees and experience firsthand how to couple

rail cars together, inspect equipment, and maintain steam and diesel locomotives.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR RAILCAMP? The program is open to high school boys and girls, ages 14 through

18, who are currently freshmen, sophomores, juniors, or seniors (class of 2020). Individuals who enter their

freshman year in 2020 are eligible to participate. Applicants do not have to be NRHS members to attend.

WHEN AND WHERE IS RAILCAMP?

RailCamp East: June 21– June 27, 2020 (based at the University of Delaware in Newark, DE)

RailCamp Northwest: July 26 – August 2, 2020 (based at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA)

APPLYING FOR RAILCAMP The cost for attending either camp location is $1,390 per camper, including a

non-refundable $50 fee when an application is submitted. For more details and an application form, go to:

https://nrhs.com/programs/railcamp/

The Chapter scholarship will cover housing, food, transportation while at the camp to camp venues, insur-

ance, and camper shirt and hat. The applicant will pay the $50 application fee. If you wish to apply for the

scholarship and have not otherwise met with chapter officers, then arrive about 6:45 at either a January or Feb-

ruary chapter meeting (times at top of page 3) and meet officers, AND apply to National before February

28. Note that actual selection of attendees is made by the NRHS, and is based in part on telephone interviews

and three references.


THE SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS DEPOT TRAIL - Part 2 by J. L. Gattis

There are five counties between Texarkana and Little Rock (not counting the counties that these two cities

are in). Rail station structures that are over a century old remain in the county seats of four of the five counties;

in addition, there is another in a rail junction town. These structures account for two operating railroad offices,

three Amtrak stops, and three museums that include some railroad content – yes, some buildings presently are

serving more than one function.

If you have a news story about a railroad place, submit it to the editor at [email protected]

Map of southwestern Arkansas railroads in the mid-1900s, with the five featured

towns in the Texarkana-to-Little Rock corridor highlighted.

Last month’s issue

described the history of

the rail lines – “the

common thread” – that

linked these five towns.

It was first the Cairo &

Fulton, then the St Lou-

is, Iron Mountain &

Southern, next the Mis-

souri Pacific, and now

the Union Pacific.

Now, the focus shifts

to the towns themselves

and their depots. In this

issue: Malvern, Arka-

delphia, and Gurdon.

The next issue will dis-

cuss Prescott and Hope.

Many of these de-

ports, nominated in

1992 for the National

Register of Historic

Places (NRHP), were

dated to around 1917.

However, other sources

suggest some buildings

were actually construct-

ed a few years prior.


Along the Southwest Arkansas Depot Trail - In the Early 1900s

Malvern - 1913

Maps from the Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, provide a glimpse of the railroad station

layouts in the early 1900s. Most were by the Sanborn Map Company, for fire insurance purposes.

Note that in maps still showing “older” depots (Malvern, Gurdon), the depots are typically placed between

pairs of tracks. In the maps showing the “replacement” depots from the 1910s, the new stations are situated to

one side of the main tracks, although a side track stub may still remain to the front of the building.

Rock Island rails are above the depots; the tracks below the depots are Iron Mountain. The former Hot Springs Railroad roundhouse is labeled as “vacant”. Freight depot. Passenger depot, near the corner of Main and 1st. Today, a viaduct carries Main Street over the tracks, and the replacement depot was placed a block to the northeast, at the foot of Ash Street. Baggage room. A hotel, livery stable, and wagon yard are conveniently operating across the street from the depot.

1

3 2 4

5


Arkadelphia - 1911

A number of sources date the present de-pot to “around 1917”. But this map, dated June 1911, suggests an older date. (The over-all roof length of both this and of the present depot on Google Earth measure slightly over 200 feet.) A website [LandmarkHunter.com] photo dates it as 1910. Furthermore, this map shows the now-enclosed northeast end as once being an open porch.

cattle pens

flour mill

vacant hotel

RR water tank

cotton platform

http://landmarkhunter.com/


1

3 2

4

Along the Southwest Arkansas Depot Trail - In the Early 1900s (continued)

Arkadelphia - 1911

(continued)

The Clark County His-

torical Association website

describes navigation by

river – and before the Cai-

ro & Fulton arrived, the

Ouachita River was the

only economical means to

transport sizeable tonnage

– as a dicey operation. Wa-

ter levels on the upstream

reaches, particularly north

of Camden, were subject to

seasonal vagaries, and

many a time there was not

enough water to float a big

boat. The site says upon

arrival of the first train in

June 1873, people traveled

from great distances to see

the special train pulled by

the locomotive E Johnson.

The event was marked by

speeches and a dinner.

When the C&F encoun-

tered Arkadelphia, an es-

tablished town, it laid its

rails near the periphery,

and even today, most of

the developed town lies to

one side of the tracks. This

layout in stark contrast to

that of many other similar

towns along the route that

were created by the rail-

road, in that the rails often

divide these town in two.

Gurdon - 1909

Compare similarities and differences of this snippet from the 1909 map in

the immediate vicinity of the depot with the 1914 maps on following pages.

The 1909 water tank is drawn with a smaller diameter, further north than in the 1914 version. The track on the left side of the depot is labeled as the “El Dorado Branch”.

However, the line to El Dorado diverges from the main to the right. The 1909 map shows only one track to the right of the depot, labeled as

the “Main Line”. In addition to the depot between the tracks, there is a restaurant below

the depot.



Gurdon - 1914

map is split among

three pages -- this is

upper part of map

The railroad’s pres-

ence in Gurdon was

more than a couple of

stations. The Iron

Mountain, later Mis-

souri Pacific, had shop

facilities here.

The 1924 version

(not shown) mapped a

number of changes.

(a) The now-Missouri

Pacific passenger sta-

tion was near the top

of this map, at the

Walnut Street inter-

section, and on the

right side of the

tracks.

(b) A freight depot

was in the lower part

of the map, just north

of Joslyn Street, on

the left side of the

tracks.

(c) The 1924 map

showed a water tank

on the left side of the

tracks, north of Wal-

nut.

(d) The rails were

configured differently.



Gurdon - 1914

middle map - The

upper edge of this

map matches with

the lower edge of

the preceding map.



Gurdon - 1914

lower map

The shops of the

Iron Mountain were

in the southwest

part of Gurdon.


Arkadelphia – Mile 411.0

Among these five towns, only Arkadelphia was

well-established before the railroad came, but it has

the fewest number of rail lines – just the through UP.

The Arkadelphia depot is one of two MoPac sta-

tions remaining trackside and in use in Clark County.

The edifice is No. 92000599 in the National Register

of Historic Places. The exterior brick at the north end

differs from the rest, so some change has transpired.

A 1994 Federal grant helped restore the depot. The

depot building houses both an Amtrak station and the

Clark County Historical Museum. A museum staff

person said their railroad-related items include a large

railroad map of the area, locomotive drawings, and

other “mechanical items”; many of their railroad in-

terest pieces are in two glass cases.

A MoPac caboose sits out its retirement in the

small park across the street from the depot.

Chapter member Ken Eddy recently used this sta-

tion as his base for an Amtrak trip. He spoke well of

the Amtrak op-

eration here.

A trait of many Missouri Pa-cific depots of this size in Arkan-sas is the ample covered porch at the end. A small Amtrak room is located adjacent to the porch, while the museum occupies the larger area past the Amtrak space. –Photo by J. L. Gattis

Malvern – Mile 388.7

The arrival of the C&F boosted Malvern. Another

boost came from being chosen as the main line con-

nection point for the 3.5-foot gauge branch line Hot

Springs Railroad; travelers from all across America

changed trains at Malvern so they could continue on

to their final destination and take the waters in the

resort city of Hot Springs. Brick manufacturing, alu-

minum processing, and mineral mining activity even-

tually arose in the Malvern area.

The structure was entered into the National Regis-

ter of Historic Places (No. 92000615) in 1992. The E.

First and S. Ash downtown location is about 2.5

miles southeast of Interstate 30, a block off old US

Business 270 – NOT the new “main” 270 bypass.

In addition to serving as an Amtrak station, it ap-

pears that Union Pacific still uses the building.

Across the tracks and a few hundred feet to the south-

west, on the other side of the Business 270/Main

Street overpass, is a former roundhouse, once owned

by the Hot Springs Railroad, later by the Rock Island.

Along the Southwest Arkansas Depot Trail - Today’s Surviving Depots

These five surviving trackside railroad stations in their original locations date to the 1910s. The one depot

that has been moved dates to the mid-1870s; it is trackside and houses a civic organization.

The following stated mile post numbers are from a 1970s employee timetable, and are about three miles less

than numbers from 1960s passenger schedules.

TO VISIT The Clark County Historical Museum is south of downtown Arkadelphia at 750 South 5th. The telephone number is (870)230-1360. The museum is nor-mally open 10 am to 3 pm, Wednesday through Friday, and on Saturday 10 am until noon. There is no admission fee.


Passenger trains no longer call at the Gurdon depot. –Photo by J. L. Gattis

In the distant past, passen-ger trains on the branch to Camden and El Dorado were scheduled to connect at Gurdon with MoPac’s fleet of St Louis-to-Texas trains, and there was through overnight El Dora-do—St Louis sleeper service. This is from a 1960 timetable.

Gurdon – Mile 426.3

After the arrival of the railroad, Gurdon became

not only a rail hub – with lines emanating in four di-

rections – but also a hub of lumber mill activity.

There soon was a St Louis, Iron Mountain & South-

ern branch southeastward to Camden on the Ouachita

River. The Southwestern Arkansas & Indian Territo-

ry incorporated in 1884, and from the mill town of

Smithton (less than two miles northeast of Gurdon

along the SLIM&S) it built westward for 33 miles to

Pike City. Going into receivership in 1896, it

reemerged in 1900 as the Arkansas Southwestern.

This line became the root onto which the Iron Moun-

tain’s Gurdon & Ft Smith was grafted, although rails

only proceeded to the northwest as far as Womble

(now Norman).

Today, little remains of either branch. To the north

is Genesee & Wyoming’s Arkansas Midland short

spur from Gurdon to a nearby Georgia-Pacific plant.

To the south, a short stretch with a yard survives.

The station at Gurdon also appears to be still used

by the railroad. Its NRHP number is 92000609.

Today’s Surviving Depots (continued)


Arkansas Midland No. 728, seen in 2011 standing ready to serve the Georgia-Pacific plant along US 67 north of Gurdon. –Photo by J. L. Gattis

End of Part 2

PART 1 was in December 2019.

PART 3 is scheduled for February 2020.

volume 33, no. 5 january 2020making a reservation, please select roast chicken or roast beef for...

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