Arkansas Railroad Museum is located on Port Road in Pine Bluff

Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Pine Bluff is the largest city and county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Arkansas Combined Statistical Area...

, Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

 at the former Cotton Belt

St. Louis Southwestern Railway

The St. Louis Southwestern Railway , known by its nickname of "The Cotton Belt Route" or simply Cotton Belt, was organized on January 15, 1891, although it had its origins in a series of short lines founded in Tyler, Texas, in 1870 that connected northeastern Texas to Arkansas and southeastern...

 (SSW) yard.

The former SSW shops are occupied by the historic collection of railroad equipment. This museum is about an hour's drive from Little Rock, AR, and is one of the largest displays of historic railroad equipment in Arkansas. Between the disappearance of SSW in 1992 into parent Southern Pacific and the size of the collection, Arkansas Railroad Museum can be considered an upper-level railroad preservation facility. The Museum is operated by the Cotton Belt Rail Historical Society and local volunteers. The Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9 AM to 3 PM and on Sunday afternoon by appointment.

Specific equipment

Arkansas Railroad Museum is most famous for stabling SSW #819

St. Louis Southwestern 819

The St. Louis Southwestern #819 is a 4-8-4 steam locomotive. It was completed in 1943 and was the last engine built by the railway affectionately known as the "Cotton Belt Route". It was also the last locomotive built in Arkansas to date...

, the last steam locomotive built by SSW in February 1943. The 819 operates from time to time, but needs work currently. A collection of historical passenger cars, mostly lightweight Pullman-Standard equipment, is also kept for use behind 819. The 819 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

.

Besides the 819 the following list was compiled by Mr. Lyle Smith a volunteer at the Museum. It is accurate as of mid-April 2007.
Cotton Belt 336, a D3 Mogul built by Baldwin in 1909, is in poor condition and will be cosmetically restored. This locomotive is also listed on the National Register.
The following cars are part of the St. Louis Southwestern Railway (Cotton Belt Route) Relief Train, also listed on the National Register:

• SSW 96005 a 200 Ton Industrial Brownhoist Steam Relief Crane.
• SSWMW 5682 Boom Car
• SSWMW 98501 Generator Flat Car
• SSWMW 94129 Kitchen Car
• SSWMW 96216 Tool Car
• SSWMW 96209 Crew Sleeper

Other equipment at the museum includes:

• UP Alco C-630 2907

• LS&I GE U23C 2300

• Cotton Belt GP30 5006

• Rescar GE 25-tonner

• West Tennessee Alco RSD12 #2054-exSP7012

• AT&SF 843 RSD-15

• MRAX EMD E8/9 #513- exC&NW

• Wabash Alloys GE 25-tonner, listed on the National Register (reference number 07000444)

• The tender of SSW 814 sister engine to SSW 819

• 1942 Tool Car ex-SP Baggage car St. Louis Car Co.

• 1944 Power Car ex SP Baggage 6616

• G56 Guard Car ACF hospital car from WW2, listed on the National Register (reference number 07000441)

• SN87 Jordan Snow Plow U S Army, listed on the National Register (reference number 06001273)

• 306 Lark 13 Bedroom Pullman Standard ex-SP9356

• 1947 Apple Blossom ex-GN 1121

• SSW 2214 Wood Cupola Caboose

• SSW 83 Bay Window Caboose

• SP 125 Bay Window Caboose built 11-66

• AM 1410 60' Mechanical Reefer ex-EL

• 3480 Pegasus Baggage Dorm ex-AT&SF Budd 1938 Transition Car

• CBHS 819336 Tank Car used to store fuel for the 819

Facility

The equipment is mostly housed in the former SSW shops, which was the main heavy repair and erection shop for SSW during the steam era. The shop has such heavy repair equipment as pits, massive overhead cranes, and tools for servicing large railroad equipment. On the east side of the former shops is a transfer table that is still operable. The transfer table is used to move exhibits from time to time. The best time to see the exhibits outside is the first weekend in April (unless that weekend is Easter) when the Museum has its annual show. Many of the exhibits are taken outside so that tables can be set up inside the museum for vendors.

External links

• Museum information (Archived 2009-10-25)