ABOVE: Siloam Springs, Ark., is the location of a passing siding and (in the mid-1990s) the crew starting point
for the dodgers that
worked north to Pittsburg, Kansas. The north- bound dodger is getting its train together to head north on the morning of July 25, 1997, behind a matched set of KCS subsidiary Texas Mexican Railway GP60s. This pair of units worked dodgers on the KCS in 1997 before being sold to Helm Leasing. The white crew trailer sits beside the main line and the side tracks the dodgers used to build their trains. RIGHT: Near the center of Decatur, Ark., right alongside Highway 59, is the KCS depot along with nicely repainted KCS F-unit 73B and a ca- boose. On the morning of July 9, 1993, south- bound loaded coal train No. 95, heading for the nearby Flint Creek Power Plant, is well into the last hill as it blasts through town with a trio of SD60s with KCS 719 working with Oakway 9047 and 9067.
making it easy to get multiple shots of a southbound move. At Lanagan, the road snakes its way up then down a hill into Ginger Blue, while the tracks fol- low the Elk River. At Ginger Blue, one must look for the sign for Elk Springs Road to access the photographic oppor- tunity at Elk River Bridge.
South of Ginger Blue, the highway is
on one side of the Elk River, while the KCS main is on the other. The next place to access the tracks is in the small
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town of Noel, located just north of the Arkansas state line. Just north of town, Highway 59 joins up with Highway 90 right after crossing the Elk River. As the road follows the river toward Noel, it passes under some cliffs, making for some very interesting scenery. To ac- cess the old KCS depot in Noel, follow Highway 90 across Butler Creek into town where the train station sits just south of the crossing. Between Noel and just north of Sul-
phur Springs, Highway 59 and the KCS main are located on different sides of Butler Creek, making for limited ac- cess. Just after
entering Arkansas,
Highway 59 crosses over to the east side of the KCS main and stays there into Gentry. Between Sulphur Springs and Decatur, the only place Highway 59 comes close to the KCS main is in the small town of Gravette, home to a restored KCS caboose on display be- tween the highway and the tracks.
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