Eureka Springs and North Arkansas Railway
Encyclopedia
The Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway is a for-profit passenger tourist railway established by the late Robert Dortch, Jr. and his wife Mary Jane in 1981 in Eureka Springs, Arkansas
. The railway offers excursion tours, a catered luncheon train and a catered dinner train - each lasting a little less than one hour, from April through October. It operates along 2.5 miles (4 km) of restored track right-of-way formerly belonging to the defunct Arkansas & Ozarks Railway Co - the last incarnation of the North Arkansas Line.
, to Eureka Springs. In 1899, it became the St. Louis & North Arkansas Railroad Co.; in 1906, the Missouri & North Arkansas Railroad Co.; in 1922, the Missouri & North Arkansas Railway Co.; in 1935, the Missouri & Arkansas Railway Co.; in 1949, the Arkansas & Ozarks - which closed in 1961. In 2011, the ES&NA will be the road name attached to this trackage for the longest period of time in its existence. At the height of the North Arkansas Line's career, it extended 360 miles (579.4 km) from Joplin, Missouri
to Helena, Arkansas
.
Robert Dortch, Sr. had established the Scott and Bearskin Lake Railroad as part of the Plantation Agriculture Museum near Scott, Arkansas
, in the 1960s and after his death in 1978, his son closed it and began moving steam locomotives, rolling stock and trackage to the Victorian
tourist destination Eureka Springs. He and his wife, Mary Jane, and sons David, John, and Robert set about restoring the historic stone depot, and re-building several trestle
s over Leatherwood Creek on the pike. A steel water tank was added, as well as a few outbuildings and a commissary adjacent to the old ice house/electric plant building to prepare meals for the luncheon and dinner trains. A 20-hp turntable from the Frisco railroad was installed near the original location of one used by the North Arkansas Line; a wye at "Junction, Arkansas" enables the turning of a locomotive at the far end of the route.
At one time, the railroad owned and displayed #8, a two-truck Shay engine
(serial #2977) built by the Lima Locomotive Works
in 1918. It now resides as a static display at the Railway Historical Society of Northern New York, Croghan, NY, awaiting a boiler re-build.
Three caboose
s, one wooden, are displayed. There are two tank cars, a pair of flat cars, a coal hopper, a cage car suitable for transporting and displaying circus or zoo animals, and five box cars - one of which is used as a commissary car on the luncheon/dinner trains.
There are at least three motorized yellow speeder
maintenance cars (one still functional) on-site, as well as a 1951 Chevrolet track inspector's car.
The owners have long had hopes to extend the line east 3 miles (4.8 km) to the old Missouri & North Arkansas tunnel and/or west 5 miles (8 km) to Beaver, Arkansas
through the Narrows, a gap in the rocky ridge short of the old railroad river bridge there.
Built in 1913, the depot is a repository for dozens of railroadiana items, including props which helped disguise the two Moguls as 1860s 4-4-0
American engines for the filming of scenes from the 1982 television mini-series The Blue and the Gray
.
Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Eureka Springs is a city in Carroll County, Arkansas, United States. Along with Berryville, it is one of the two county seats for the county. It is located in the Ozark Mountains of northwest Arkansas. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 2,350...
. The railway offers excursion tours, a catered luncheon train and a catered dinner train - each lasting a little less than one hour, from April through October. It operates along 2.5 miles (4 km) of restored track right-of-way formerly belonging to the defunct Arkansas & Ozarks Railway Co - the last incarnation of the North Arkansas Line.
History
The original railway chartered at the site in 1882 was the Eureka Springs Railway, extending from Seligman, MissouriSeligman, Missouri
Seligman is a city in Sugar Creek Township, Barry County, Missouri, United States. The population was 877 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Joseph Seligman, a prominent 19th Century businessman.-Geography:...
, to Eureka Springs. In 1899, it became the St. Louis & North Arkansas Railroad Co.; in 1906, the Missouri & North Arkansas Railroad Co.; in 1922, the Missouri & North Arkansas Railway Co.; in 1935, the Missouri & Arkansas Railway Co.; in 1949, the Arkansas & Ozarks - which closed in 1961. In 2011, the ES&NA will be the road name attached to this trackage for the longest period of time in its existence. At the height of the North Arkansas Line's career, it extended 360 miles (579.4 km) from Joplin, Missouri
Joplin, Missouri
Joplin is a city in southern Jasper County and northern Newton County in the southwestern corner of the US state of Missouri. Joplin is the largest city in Jasper County, though it is not the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 50,150...
to Helena, Arkansas
Helena, Arkansas
Helena is the eastern portion of Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, a city in Phillips County, Arkansas. As of the 2000 census, this portion of the city population was 6,323. Helena was the county seat of Phillips County until January 1, 2006, when it merged its government and city limits with...
.
Robert Dortch, Sr. had established the Scott and Bearskin Lake Railroad as part of the Plantation Agriculture Museum near Scott, Arkansas
Scott, Arkansas
Scott is a census-designated place in Lonoke and Pulaski counties in the central part of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The population was 72 at the 2010 census...
, in the 1960s and after his death in 1978, his son closed it and began moving steam locomotives, rolling stock and trackage to the Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
tourist destination Eureka Springs. He and his wife, Mary Jane, and sons David, John, and Robert set about restoring the historic stone depot, and re-building several trestle
Trestle
A trestle is a rigid frame used as a support, especially referring to a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by such frames. In the context of trestle bridges, each supporting frame is generally referred to as a bent...
s over Leatherwood Creek on the pike. A steel water tank was added, as well as a few outbuildings and a commissary adjacent to the old ice house/electric plant building to prepare meals for the luncheon and dinner trains. A 20-hp turntable from the Frisco railroad was installed near the original location of one used by the North Arkansas Line; a wye at "Junction, Arkansas" enables the turning of a locomotive at the far end of the route.
Locomotives
- No. 1, a 2-6-02-6-0Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Mogul...
(Mogul), built 1906, Baldwin Locomotive WorksBaldwin Locomotive WorksThe Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
, Philadelphia, PA; serial #29588; wood-burner; 75000 lb (34,019.4 kg); 200 psi (1,378,951.5 Pa); 12000 lb (5,443.1 kg) tractive effortTractive effortAs used in mechanical engineering, the term tractive force is the pulling or pushing force exerted by a vehicle on another vehicle or object. The term tractive effort is synonymous with tractive force, and is often used in railway engineering to describe the pulling or pushing capability of a...
. Retired in the late 1990s because of the expense of burning 1½ to 2 cords of wood each workday. An expensive boiler re-build was also mandated by the state boiler inspector. In early 2011, the loco was moved to the Reader Railroad in Reader, Arkansas for evaluation and possible repair. - No. 201, a 2-6-0 (Mogul), built 1906, American Locomotive CompanyAmerican Locomotive CompanyThe American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO or Alco , was a builder of railroad locomotives in the United States.-Early history:...
, Paterson, NJ; coal-burner converted to oil; 185 psi (1,275,530.1 Pa); 21000 lb (9,525.4 kg) tractive effort. It is one of three known surviving locomotives that worked on the Panama Canal; originally built to 5-foot gauge. Retired early in the 21st century because a boiler re-build was mandated by the state boiler inspector. - No. 226, a 2-8-22-8-2Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
(Mikado), built 1927, Baldwin Locomotive Works, Philadelphia, PA; coal-burner converted to oil; 180 psi (1,241,056.3 Pa) (superheated); 200000 lb (90,718.5 kg) with tender. Has always been a "display" engine at the ES&NA; never restored to operating condition. - No. 4742, an EMD SW1EMD SW1The EMD SW1 was a diesel-electric switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between December 1938 and November 1953. Final assembly was at EMD's plant at La Grange, Illinois. The SW1 was the second generation of 600 hp switcher from EMD, succeeding the SW and SC...
first-generation diesel switcher, built 1942, Electro-Motive Division of General MotorsGeneral MotorsGeneral Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
, LaGrange, IL; serial #1379; diesel; 34000 lb (15,422.1 kg) tractive effort. The only remaining functional locomotive on-site; now handles both passenger excursion and luncheon/dinner trains. - (un-numbered), an 0-4-00-4-0Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven...
narrow-gauge (24-inch) switcher, built 1935, Buescher & Sons, Berlin, Germany; coal-burner converted to oil. Used atop a sometimes-rotating sign to advertise the railway.
At one time, the railroad owned and displayed #8, a two-truck Shay engine
Shay locomotive
The Shay locomotive was the most widely used geared steam locomotive. The locomotives were built to the patents of Ephraim Shay, who has been credited with the popularization of the concept of a geared steam locomotive...
(serial #2977) built by the Lima Locomotive Works
Lima Locomotive Works
Lima Locomotive Works was an American firm that manufactured railroad locomotives from the 1870s through the 1950s. The company took the most distinctive part of its name from its main shops location in Lima, Ohio. The shops were located between the Baltimore & Ohio's Cincinnati-Toledo main line...
in 1918. It now resides as a static display at the Railway Historical Society of Northern New York, Croghan, NY, awaiting a boiler re-build.
Rolling stock
Six arch-roofed former Rock Island P-70 passenger coaches are used on-site. They are 80 feet (24.4 m) long and weigh 92000 pounds (41,730.5 kg), originally designed to seat 100 people. Two are static displays (a light-gray one - No. 2515 - used as a snack bar; a Tuscan red one -No. 2523 - used as an office). Two Kelly-green coaches - No.1, The Eurekan; and No. 2 - are dining cars. Two are excursion coaches; one maroon - No. 2560 - and the other Kelly-green - No. 2585. At one time No. 2593, white with dark red trim, served as a passenger coach but is no longer on the railway grounds. Another 80 ft Tuscan red clerestory-roofed combine is used for storage.Three caboose
Caboose
A caboose is a manned North American rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train. Although cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train, their use has declined and they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads.-Function:The caboose provided the...
s, one wooden, are displayed. There are two tank cars, a pair of flat cars, a coal hopper, a cage car suitable for transporting and displaying circus or zoo animals, and five box cars - one of which is used as a commissary car on the luncheon/dinner trains.
There are at least three motorized yellow speeder
Speeder
A speeder is a maintenance of way motorized vehicle formerly used on railroads around the world by track inspectors and work crews to move quickly to and...
maintenance cars (one still functional) on-site, as well as a 1951 Chevrolet track inspector's car.
Facilities
The working yard - with many switches, lights, outbuildings, a functional electric-powered 75 feet (22.9 m) turntable and water tower - is punctuated with dozens of static displays: two steam-powered tractors, early gas-powered tractors, compressors, pumps, wheelsets, and assorted railroad paraphernalia - a two-man handcar, "tricycle"-type one-man handcar, bells, signals, and luggage carts. An engine house was planned and never built; a shed built to shelter the restoration of engine #226 was dismantled in 2007.The owners have long had hopes to extend the line east 3 miles (4.8 km) to the old Missouri & North Arkansas tunnel and/or west 5 miles (8 km) to Beaver, Arkansas
Beaver, Arkansas
Beaver is a town in Carroll County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 95 at the 2000 census. Beaver contains the Beaver Store Inn, a bed and breakfast and general store, located next to the waterfront town-operated Beaver RV and Camping Park....
through the Narrows, a gap in the rocky ridge short of the old railroad river bridge there.
Built in 1913, the depot is a repository for dozens of railroadiana items, including props which helped disguise the two Moguls as 1860s 4-4-0
4-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels...
American engines for the filming of scenes from the 1982 television mini-series The Blue and the Gray
The Blue and the Gray
The Blue and the Gray is a television miniseries that first aired on CBS in three installments on November 14, November 16, and November 17, 1982. Set during the American Civil War, the series starred John Hammond, Stacy Keach, Lloyd Bridges, and Gregory Peck as President Abraham Lincoln...
.