They are located at Noel, Dorsey (locat- ed just north of Decatur), Gentry and Siloam Springs. There are also five de- fect detectors along this section of the Heavener Sub. They are located as fol- lows: Hot Box/Dragging Equipment Detector (HB/DED) at MP 195.5 Lana- gan; DED at MP 197.6 Ginger Blue; HB/DED and Oversize Load Detector at MP 205.6 Sulphur Springs; HB/DED at MP 218.4 just north of Decatur; and HB/DED at MP 226.7 north of Siloam Springs. On the Heavener Sub, the trains use AAR channel 10 (160.260), while the dispatcher uses channel 16 (160.350). The Heavener Sub normally sees be- tween 12-16 trains a day, split between coal, grain (both loaded and empty) and merchandise trains. In the mid-1990s, the KCS was running a pair of dodgers through this area, working between
RIGHT: Before the KCS picked up their trio of F-units, they already had passenger cars in Southern Belle colors. A southbound KCS Of- fice Car Special has passed through Decatur and is about a mile south of town, seen from the shoulder of Highway 59 on the morning of July 9, 1993.
BELOW: The Petterson Spur
leaves the Heavener Sub just north of Decatur. This mile long spur climbs up a hill and ends at a feed mill which can be seen from Highway 59. On the afternoon of July 8, 1993, south- bound dodger No. 107 works the feed mill be- hind a matched set of a white SD40-2s.
Siloam Springs and Pittsburg. A dodger crew would work one direction one day and return the next day, usual- ly powered by one or two six-axle EMD’s. These dodgers ran during day- light hours and were very easy to fol- low, as they dodged road trains and worked industries in the area.
From 1993 to 2013 and beyond The more things change the more things stay the same. That statement is
very true on one part of the KCS’s oper- ation on the Heavener Sub. In the 1990s, most of the KCS coal trains were powered by mixes of KCS, Burlington Northern and Union Pacific power. This still holds true as 2013 turns into 2014, with most of the KCS coal trains powered by mixes of KCS, BNSF Rail- way, and UP power. The grain and merchandise trains of today are mostly powered by KCS units, with brightly painted “retro-Belles” now in control.
46 APRIL 2014 •
RAILFAN.COM
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