Volume 33, No. 6 February 2020 Official Monthly Publication of the ARKANSAS-BOSTON MOUNTAINS CHAPTER, NATIONAL RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Chapter No. 188 founded in 1987 In this issue: page(s) The President’s Observation ............................................................................................................... 2 Chapter and General News, Upcoming Events ................................................................................. 3 - 6 (upcoming train shows; help the chapter; Paris locomotive move) In Memoriam: Dr. Robert D. Lundeen, George Gerrish Alison Jr. .................................................... 6 - 7 Chapter Meeting Minutes ................................................................................................................ 8 - 9 Rail Places: The Southwest Arkansas Depot Trail—Part 3 (Prescott, Hope) ................................. 10 - 21 Rail Places: The Southwest Arkansas Depot Trail PART 3 (continued from last month) The former Cairo & Fulton depot in Hope, Ark. The City of Hope website says this 1870s depot is the oldest remaining building in Hope, but it has been moved [https://www.hopearkansas.net/pView.aspx? id=6508&catid=583]. It may be the oldest surviving depot building in the state. –Photo by J. L. Gattis THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER February 2020 Page 1 THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER February 2020 Page 2 Volume 33, No. 6 - February 2020 The President’s Observation THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER - Gary McCullah is published 12 times each year by In a recent issue of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the Arkansas-Boston Mountains there was an article on the implementation of Positive Chapter (of the National Railway Train Control and how PTC would impact operating Historical Society Inc.), PO Box crew size. Specifically, the focus was on whether we would see a sin- 1303, Springdale, Arkansas 72765- gle crewman in the locomotive cab. 1303. Opinions expressed herein I can see the railroad’s point of trying to cut costs to stay competi- may not reflect the official position tive and meet the expectations of share-holders. However, I also see of the Chapter or the NRHS. the view of the operating employees. Do we sacrifice safety to save Editor …………… J. L. Gattis money, or do we reduce dividends to investors in order to keep eve- [email protected] ryone safe? It is a question that we will see answered over the next Circulation ……… Mike Sypult year. Every effort is made to provide accu- Please plan to help at the train show February 29. We will need rate and complete information in help to set up and take down. THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER Just a reminder, I have a stack of Arkansas Railroaders to give newsletters. Please send corrections away, in addition to three scanner radios that I would sell CHEAP. to the editor. Contributing to THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER: We welcome your Visitors are welcome to chapter meetings; business session input! Send content (articles, stories, followed by a railroad presentation. photos) for the SCRAMBLER to the WHEN: January thru November, the third Thursday of the editor. month, 7:00 pm. Meetings are cancelled when the Springdale DEADLINE for the SCRAMBLER public schools are closed due to inclement winter weather. is the 7th day of each month. The WHERE: At the ADA compliant J. Reilly McCarren Railroad editor reserves the right to edit, hold, Museum, next to the Arkansas & Missouri Depot in the 300 or omit material at his discretion. block of East Emma Avenue in downtown Springdale, Ark. Space for longer articles may already be committed months in advance. WELCOME ABOARD all new and renewing members! MEMBERSHIP: Local chapter membership is $12 per year. Arkansas-Boston Mountains Chapter, Please make checks payable to ABMT NRHS. National Railway Historical Society Individual membership in the National Railway Historical Society Inc. is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) educa- tional organization incorporated under is $50 per annum and Family membership is $57 per annum. Please the laws of the State of Arkansas. refer to the NRHS website www.nrhs.com for complete details. DIRECTORY OF 2020 OFFICERS President……………….. Gary McCullah Vice President………….. Larry Cain Secretary……………….. Malcolm Cleaveland Treasurer……………….. Rose Ann Hofer Membership……………. Malcolm Cleaveland Program Director……..… Hugh Harris Dist.7 National Director… Ken Eddy Visit our website at: National Representative… Jim Gattis Website Manager …….… Mike Sypult www.arkrailfan.com Editor ……………...…..... Jim Gattis THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER February 2020 Page 3 Chapter & General News Volunteer to present a program at a Chapter Meeting! E-mail [email protected] or call 479-240-3004 February 20, 2020 Chapter meeting: KCS Depots in Northwest Arkansas by Bob Stark March 19, 2020 Chapter meeting: conclusion of “The Rise and Fall of Penn Station”, Mitch Marmel March 26-28, 2020 NRHS Spring Conference, West Chester (Cincinnati) Ohio Arkansas Railroad Museum 25th Annual Railroadiana Show and Sale Sat., 4 April 2020, 9 am to 4 pm, Pine Bluff (full page flyer planned for March issue) Conference hotel: Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park, Cal. (west of Fullerton Amtrak stop) Conference rate $119/night https://reservations.knottshotel.com/knotts/?requesttype=invBlockCode&code=NRHS&start Preliminary schedule -- more information expected around March 1 THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER February 2020 Page 4 Chapter & General News (continued) 1. Annual Membership Renewal Arkansas-Boston Mountains Chapter membership: To renew for 2020 at $12 per person, either pay at the February meeting, or send it to Malcolm Cleaveland at ABMT Chapter, National Railway Historical Soc., PO Box 1303, Springdale, AR 72765-1303. Please make checks payable to ABMT NRHS. National Membership: We are having a major problem with the company that services our database and will probably have to make a change this year. In the meantime they have made it very difficult to do an on-line renewal so, if you still need to renew, it is probably best to do it by mailing a check for $50.00 (rate for one person) to: Membership, PO Box 31074, St Louis MO 63131-0074. Thanks! Hugh R. Harris, Na- tional Membership Administrator. 2. Need Volunteer to Transport Train Layout for Feb. 29 Show At the January meeting, Al Kaeppel asked for someone to transport the four 4’x4’ train boards inside of a vehicle, not exposed to the elements, to and from the Saturday, February 29 train show at the Benton County Fairgrounds. Perhaps pick the up at the A&M Museum Friday afternoon, return them Saturday af- ternoon. There are also four large plastic tubs, and maybe four folding tables, too. Unless someone has a spacious vehicle, may required two. To inquire further, please contact Al 479-927-3163. Without transport, the Chapter will not be present at the show. 3. Need Someone to Preside at Our March Meeting Ladies and Gents: There is a very high probability that I will not be at the March meeting. I am hoping that our VP, Larry Cain, will be there. In the event he is not able to conduct the meeting, next in line is Malcolm, but he may not be there. After him is Roseann. If none of the above are in attendance, we will need someone to run the show and take the minutes of the meeting. Please be willing to step up and help. Thanks, Gary 4. How You Can Contribute to the Scrambler Do you have photos or information about the trains and operations on the south end of the A&M – Fayetteville to Ft Smith – past or present? Let the editor know – your information and help can contribute to an article documenting and recording this history in the Scrambler. 5. News from the Fort Smith Trolley Museum “Trolley Report” in their quarterly Fall 2019 newsletter ... There have been ongoing problems with derailments at a curve by the Ft Smith National Cemetery. An inspection revealed rotted ties and out-of-gauge track. After repairs, the derailments have stopped. Volunteers meet at the Museum on Tuesday nights from 6 to 10 pm, to work on restoration. The Museum provides both tools and instructors. The Museum is in need of railroad memorabilia, model railroad equipment, a drinking fountain, a drill press, a paper folding machine, and Ft Smith City Directories before 1965 and after 1993. - continued next page - THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER February 2020 Page 5 Chapter & General News (continued) 6. Former Rock Island Line a Step Closer to a Rail-To-Trail In December 2019, representatives of Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), with Could Not Have Said It Better elected officials and others, held a signing in Eldon, The Rock Island was one of four companies running Missouri, to mark an agreement between MDNR and between St Louis and Kansas City, the others being the Missouri Central Railroad Company to rail-bank Missouri Pacific, Wabash, and Chicago & Alton (later the rail line, with the intent to turn it into a trail for Gulf, Mobile & Ohio). Routed through less populated public use. The route traverses 10 Missouri counties and more rugged terrain, the Rock Island’s route was in two segments: (1) between milepost 215.325, near probably the least desirable of the four. Windsor, and milepost 71.6 near Beaufoti; and (2) During the late-May to early-June 2018 Conference between mileposts 263.5 and 262.906 near Pleasant held jointly with the Railway & Locomotive Historical Hill. Along with the existing 240-mile Katy Trail Society and other rail history groups in St Louis, one and other portions of the former Rock Island line speaker quipped that as their rail system was expand- corridor, this could ultimately lead to a 400-mile rail ing, the Rock Island wanted to reach St Louis in the -to-trail loop in central Missouri. worst way, and they did. The east end of this former Rock Island line con- tinues in operation as the Central Midland Railway. 7. Paris Moves 10-Wheeler from Park to Museum Bob Stark forwarded a story from the Paris, Ark., Resident Press. In January, a 4-6-0 and tender on display for over half a century at the Paris City Park were hauled over city streets to the Paris/Logan Coun- ty Coal Miners Museum.