Arkansas & Ozarks Railway: anyone have timetable of it?

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

Anyone out there have a timetable of the long abandoned Arkansas & Ozarks Railway? Am just curious about the distance in miles between the communities served by the defunct arkansas short line. Can not find any information online that shows the distance in miles between communities on the line.

2

I have a 1957 Official Guide - was the A&O running then?

3

Do you have any idea as to when this railroad was operated? It is not listed in the 1917 Guide that I have.

4

http://www.frisco.org/shipit/index.php?threads/arkansas-ozarks-railroad-1954.1418/

5

Thanks, Balt. However, when I was able to pull my February, 1953, Guide out, I found that there was no listing of the waystations–only “From Seligman, Mo., to Harrison, Ark. (65.04 miles). Branches Freeman, Ark. to Berryville, Ark. (1.81 miles), Junction, Ar. to Eureka Springs, ark. (2.52 miles).”

However, when I looked at the SPV map of the area, I saw that it was a part of the former Missouri and Arkansas Railway Company, and I found (in my issue of the July, 1943 Guide, the following: Seligman (MP 61.3), Beaver, Ark. (MP 73.7), Elk Ranch (MP 75.1), Junction (for Eureka Springs) (MP 77.5, Tunnel (MP 83.6), Grand View (MP 88.2), Freeman (MP 92.3) (with Berryville at MP 94.9), Urbanette (MP 100.9), Cisco (MP 104.5), Green Forest (MP 109.3), Coin (MP115.1), Alpena (MP 119.8), Batavia (MP 126.2), Capps (MP 128.8), Harrison (MP 135.1).

I would not be surprised is the same mileposts were used for the shorter road.

6

That part of Arkansas is loaded with little lumber railroads with an identity crisis. Tried about a year ago to help a USFS surveyor with a problem at Bonnerdale, AR (Memphis Paris & Gulf RR). Seems they played a game back around WW1 of either being a lumber railroad or common carrier, whichever suited their purpose. Some of the line I was looking for (Bonnerdale AR Between Glenwood and Hot Springs parallel to US-70) didn’t survive past 1922. We never could document what happened and where the maps went. Other parts of the same line became Graysonia, NAshville and Ashdown (later KCS), but not this weird little piece.

Bonnerdale AR Between Glenwood and Hot Springs) US-70

7

The current issue of TRP magazine has an article on the A&O.

http://trpmagazine.com/arkansas-ozarks-railway/

Jeff

8

Yes the Arkansas & Ozarks would be listed in your 1957 official guide. The Arkansas & Ozarks operated from 1949 until 1960. Would have been interesting had the A&O never been abandoned and kept operating.

9

https://books.google.com/books?id=kzk_m4P9Y6kC&pg=PA26&dq="after+a+group+of+investors+from+the+east+coast"&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj85or06IzVAhULbz4KHUgjCYMQ6AEIJjAA#v=onepage&q="after%20a%20group%20of%20investors%20from%20the%20east%20coast"&f=true

https://books.google.com/books?id=RJdyCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA60&dq="short+lived’++“may+never+arrive”&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiuks_964zVAhWBrD4KHZi4B_AQ6AEILzAC#v=onepage&q=“short%20lived’%20%20"may%20never%20arrive”&f=true

10

Assume from the references to Hot Springs this was the Ouachita NF - correct? I worked on the Ouachita from 11/82 to 3/86 (and on the Ozark-St. Francis NF, headquartered in Russellville, AR, from 3/86 to 9/89). Seeing the USFS mentioned brings back some old, dusty memories.

11

Yep (the issue came down to who owned what and the railroad was called out, but not well defined… Nobody knows how the railroad was allowed to occupy what it did and what happened after the bankruptcy/ giant mess)

12

To add atouch to the geneology of the A&O RR (Nee: M&NA)

Here is a link @http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=5103

It indicates that the M&NA did not’ die off,completely’ until sometime in the 1970s ( line from Fargo, Ar to Cotton Plant,Ar.)