Eureka Springs and North Arkansas Railway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Eureka Springs and North Arkansas Railway |
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Depot of the Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway, originally built in 1912-13.
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| Locale | Carroll County, Arkansas |
| Terminus | Eureka Springs |
| Coordinates | 36°24′49″N 93°44′02″W / 36.413573°N 93.733871°W |
| Commercial operations | |
| Name | Eureka Springs Railway |
| Preserved operations | |
| Owned by | Eureka Springs and North Arkansas Railway Company |
| Stations | 1 |
| Length | 2.5 miles (4.0 km) |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1882 |
| 1899 | Becomes St. Louis and North Arkansas Railroad |
| 1906 | Becomes Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad |
| 1913 | Current depot built. |
| 1922 | Becomes Missouri and North Arkansas Railway |
| 1935 | Becomes Missouri and Arkansas Railway |
| 1949 | Becomes Arkansas and Ozarks Railway |
| Closed | 1961 |
| Preservation history | |
| 1978 | Preservation begins. |
| 1982 | Filming of The Blue and the Gray. |
| 2007 | Demolition of engine shed. |
| Headquarters | Eureka Springs |
| Website | |
| http://www.esnarailway.com/ | |
The Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway is a fun train ride in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It's a special kind of railway called a tourist railway. It was started in 1981 by Robert Dortch, Jr. and his wife Mary Jane.
This railway offers exciting one-hour train trips from April to October. You can even enjoy a special lunch or dinner on the train! The trains travel along about 2.5 miles (4 km) of old tracks. These tracks once belonged to a railway called the Arkansas & Ozarks Railway Co.
Contents
History of the Railway
The first railway in this area was the Eureka Springs Railway, started in 1882. It connected Seligman, Missouri, to Eureka Springs. Over the years, the railway changed its name many times:
- In 1899, it became the St. Louis & North Arkansas Railroad Co.
- In 1906, it was renamed the Missouri & North Arkansas Railroad Co.
- In 1922, it became the Missouri & North Arkansas Railway Co.
- In 1935, it changed to the Missouri & Arkansas Railway Co.
- Finally, in 1949, it became the Arkansas & Ozarks. This railway closed down in 1961.
The Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway (ES&NA) has now used this track for the longest time! In its busiest days, the original North Arkansas Line stretched about 360 miles (579 km). It went all the way from Joplin, Missouri to Helena, Arkansas.
Bringing the Railway Back to Life
Robert Dortch, Jr. loved trains. He had already created a railway called the Scott and Bearskin Lake Railroad in the 1960s. After he passed away in 1978, his son decided to close that railway. He then started moving old steam locomotives, train cars, and tracks to Eureka Springs.
Robert's son, his wife Mary Jane, and their sons David, John, and Robert worked hard. They restored the old stone train station, called a depot. They also rebuilt several trestles (special bridges for trains) over Leatherwood Creek. They added a steel water tank and other small buildings. A special kitchen was built to prepare meals for the lunch and dinner trains.
They also put in a large turntable, which is a spinning platform that helps turn locomotives around. At the end of the route, there's a "wye" at "Junction, Arkansas." This is another way to turn the trains around.
Locomotives: The Engines That Pull the Trains
The Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway has had several interesting locomotives. Some are no longer used, while others are still there today.
Former Locomotives
These are some of the locomotives that used to be at the railway:
- No. 1: This was a 2-6-0 type steam engine, also called a Mogul. It was built in 1906. It burned wood for fuel. It was retired in the late 1990s because it was too expensive to burn so much wood. It also needed a costly repair. In 2011, it moved to the Reader Railroad in Arkansas.
- No. 8: This was a special two-truck Shay engine built in 1918. It is now on display in Croghan, New York, waiting for repairs.
- No. 201: This was another 2-6-0 Mogul steam engine, built in 1906. It originally burned coal but was changed to burn oil. It's one of only three known surviving locomotives that worked on the Panama Canal! It was retired because it also needed a big repair. No. 201 was given to the city of Anna, Texas, and has been fixed up to look nice. It moved to Sherley Heritage Park in late 2022.
Current Locomotives
These are the locomotives currently at the railway:
- No. 226: This is a large 2-8-2 type steam engine, called a Mikado. It was built in 1927. It burns coal but was changed to burn oil. This engine has always been on display at the ES&NA and has never been used to pull trains.
- No. 4742: This is an EMD SW1 diesel-electric switcher. It was built in 1942. For many years, it was the only working engine at the railway. Now, it pulls both the regular passenger trips and the lunch/dinner trains.
- Un-numbered Engine: This is a small 0-4-0 narrow-gauge (24-inch) switcher. It was built in 1935 in Germany. It used to burn coal but was changed to burn oil. This little engine is often used on a spinning sign to advertise the railway!
- No. 700, Oscar: This is an 0-B-0, 25-ton diesel-electric switcher. It was built in 1950. It was upgraded in 2006 to be more powerful. It arrived at the railway in December 2018.
Rolling Stock: The Train Cars
The railway uses several different types of train cars for its trips and displays.
Six passenger coaches are used on the railway. They are about 80 feet (24 meters) long. These cars were originally designed to seat 100 people.
- Two coaches are on display: a light-gray one (No. 2515) used as a snack bar, and a red one (No. 2523) used as an office.
- Two green coaches (No. 1, The Eurekan; and No. 2) are used as dining cars for meals.
- Two coaches are used for regular trips: one maroon (No. 2560) and one green (No. 2585).
- Another 80-foot long red car is used for storage.
The railway also displays three cabooses, including one made of wood. You can also see two tank cars, two flat cars, a coal car, and a special cage car. The cage car was used for transporting circus or zoo animals. There are also five box cars, with one used as a kitchen car for the meal trains.
You can also find at least three yellow motorized speeder cars. These are small cars used for maintaining the tracks. One of them still works! There's also a 1951 Chevrolet car that was used by track inspectors.
Facilities: What You Can See at the Railway
The working train yard has many interesting things to see. There are switches, lights, and small buildings. It also has a working electric-powered 75-foot (23-meter) turntable and a water tower.
Around the yard, you'll find many old items on display. These include two steam-powered tractors and early gas-powered tractors. There are also compressors, pumps, train wheels, and other railroad items. You can see a two-man handcar, a "tricycle"-type one-man handcar, bells, signals, and luggage carts.
The owners hope to make the train line longer in the future. They would like to extend it about 3 miles (5 km) east to an old tunnel. Or, they hope to extend it about 5 miles (8 km) west to Beaver, Arkansas.
The train station, or depot, was built in 1913. It's full of old railroad items. Some of these items were used as props to make the Mogul engines look like 1860s American engines. This was for filming scenes for the 1982 TV mini-series The Blue and the Gray.
Images for kids
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Track Inspection Car, a converted 1951 Chevrolet wagon, is among the exhibits at the Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway.
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ES&NA Diesel Engine No. 4742 is turned on this former Frisco turntable.
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ES&NA No. 201 is displayed on a siding in the railyard; she was formerly the iron workhorse of the excursion trains. Depot of the Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway, originally built in 1912–13 to replace a wooden depot built in the 1880s.
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ES&NA Speeder, still operational, assists in the yard.
