THE ARKANSAS & MISSOURI Alamo for Alcos BY JAMES P. BELL/PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR
RAILS FIRST REACHED THROUGH Spring- dale, Ark., in the 1880s, as an early pre- dessor of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (the “Frisco”) built their line through the northwest corner of Arkanas. An aggressive postwar mod- ernization program kept Frisco com- petitive, and the railroad was acquired by Burlington Northern in 1980. Look- ing to shed some secondary lines, BN transferred the139-mile route between Monett, Mo., and Fort Smith, Ark., to the newly created Arkansas & Missouri Railroad in 1986. A group of invetsors led by Tony Hannold organized the purchase, after selling off the success- ful Maryland & Delaware short line. In
the years since the start of operations, the railroad has attracted movie mak- ers, politicians, and legions of train en- thusiasts from around the globe. This jewel of a railroad in the Ozark Mountains became a microcosm of big- time railroading in America. Passenger service returned to the line in the form of regular excursions equipped with streamliners and heavyweight coaches. For a season in the 1990s there were weekly mixed trains with a vintage combine on the rear of regularly sched- uled freights. During this time, the A&M’s extensive passenger operations made it stand out from its peers. In 1987 Hollywood came to north-
west Arkansas to make a motion pic- ture because of the area’s scenic moun- tain terrain and the railroad. A steam engine from Georgia was brought onto the A&M and gave Arkansawyers a glimpse of the 1940s during the filming of Biloxi Blues.
Over the years politicians couldn’t resist delivering campaign speeches from the rear of the A&M’s open plat- form observation cars. University of Arkansas Razorback football specials on the shortline transported sports fans to downtown Fayetteville within blocks of the stadium.
There have been Veterans Day ex- cursions and train shuttles for motor-
OPPOSITE: On August 15, 2012, Arkansas & Missouri Railroad Alco C-420 No. 52 emerges from the south portal of the Winslow Tunnel during filming for the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism’s television promotion. TOP: A&M’s “Valentines Special” arrives at Winslow, Ark., on February 12, 2011. The train runs through a melting snow on the pass at Winslow and will return southbound to Van Buren. Regular passenger excursions add to the charm of this colorful short line.
29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60