I picked up a copy of GMR 2006 today and was very impressed by the Jay Polk’s MP layout. Having been in that area, I thought it was very well done. The
picture of Beebe gave me one of those, “Hey, I’ve been there” moments. The
track arrangement, the depot, the crossings, the stores across the street,
he nailed it right on.
For anybody else interested in this territory, I’d like to give some
Technicolor on the area. My comments are not in any way meant to detract
from Mr. Polk’s efforts, but to fill in with additional information.
The line over to the REA building on the real railroad was actually the
CRIP, and is now the LRWN shortline. Just past the overpass (which is also
well done) there was a connection that broke off to right (headed North
towards Bald Knob) and ran along the riverfront to the line from Little
Rock to Pine Bluff (and New Orleans). If that connection was added
(curling around behind and under downtown Little Rock) you could add the
CRIP coming across to their line across from the depot and they could
switch those industries. In addition “wood trains” of pulp wood could come
up the Little Rock Sub (from Texarkana) and head through the connection to
the McGehee Sub and the paper mills at Pine Bluff. Just a historical note,
the hotel in which then Gov. Clinton was alleged to have made advances
towards one of his staff sits right next to and almost over that
connection.
The bridge across the Arkansas River is a vertical lift bridge to clear the
barge traffic on the Arkansas River. MP bridges (and other metal
structures) were painted aluminum. If you want to match the exact paint,
use Rust-o-leum aluminum, that is the actual brand and color specified in
MP B&B instructions.
The MP is double track all the way from just south of the depot to Bald
Knob, so that single track portion could actually be double tr