Does anyone know who abandoned the former MoPac line from Lexa to McGehee Arkansas? MP or UP? And what was the purpose? Just by looking at the map, this line looked alot shorter for UP trains travelling between St. Louis, Memphis, and New Orleans versus routing trains through Little Rock and Pine Bluff.
The MP did the first time and probably the UP the 2nd time. I worked for a fellow who’s first job on a signal gang was to install the block signals on the line when the MP reactivated it and who’s last job on a signal gang was to remove the signals the 2nd time it was abandoned. The line was built through swamps and floodplain so had lots of subgrade and bridge issues.
I am going to try and answer your question about Lexa, Ar.
The current operator is the Arkansas Midland RR and operates the Helena Branch of a 5 seperated short line owning firm operating former UP tracks ( nee- MoPac). The Helena branch is about 19 miles long ( Lexa to Helena)
I am not 100% sure, but this line may be part of the M&NA ( Missouri& North Arkansas RR completed in 1909) it ran from Seligman, Mo. via Harrison,Ar to terminus at Helena, Ar. (There was car ferry service across the Mississipi R. to Lula, Ms( Friars Point) on the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley- Connectoing North and South from that point. ) The M&NA RR showed a station stop at North Lexa, Ar. before Helena.
Accordng to Google Map there still is an existant line showing south from Jonesboro,Ar. thru Forest City,Ar. and at Lexa,Ar shows a"Y" branch Southwest(South towards McGeheee,Ar and Southeast ( probably the AKMD to Helena). From N.Lexa it continues on South to McGehee, Ark, and on down into Louisiana to a crossing of the KCS ‘Meridian Speedway’ at Rayville,La. and continues south to Baton Rouge .
There is another short line that operates out of McGehee and goes southeast from Mc Gehee,Art to Tallulah, La. It is the Delta Southern Railroad.
And the abandonment was most probably under the direction of the Union Pacific after the 1986 purchase if the Missouri Pacific. The terrain in that south east corner of Arkansas is all former Mississippi River flood plain, and it is full of old Ox-Bow lakes and swampy areas with virtually no bottom under them.
If you look at the roadmaps of that area, most of the roads are county maintained, and secondary State # roads. The farmland is a “buckshot gumbo” variety, and would make maintaining a railroad down there a mudchicken’s nightmare.[banghead]
The line he’s asking about is the Wynne Sub which ran from Pargould to McGehee, Arkansas.
The line from McGehee to Tallulah was the Lake Providence Sub.
The line west out of Helena was the Holly Grove Industrial Lead.
The Wynne Sub was considered part of the MP’s route from St Louis to Lake Charles. Even today the station numbers on the Wynne Sub between Wynne and Paragould, the Monroe Sub between McGehee and Alexandria and on the Lake Charles Sub between Alexandria and Lake Charles are in the same sequence and series as the Chester Sub from E. St Louis to Poplar Bluff, MO. (Dupo = C009, Lexa = C349, Monroe = C525, Lake Charles = C720).
Thanks for the responses everyone. That clears it up.