Reader Railroad facts for kids
The 5-mile (8.0 km) Reader Railroad was a special tourist train in Arkansas. It started running for tourists in 1973. Before that, it was a longer, 23-mile (37 km) railroad that carried both people and goods. It was famous because it was the very last railroad in North America that used only steam locomotives (trains powered by steam) for all its trips!
The Reader Railroad ran through Ouachita County and Nevada County, Arkansas. The tourist part, which was five miles long, stopped running in 1991. This was because it couldn't meet new safety rules from the government. Even though it's not running anymore, the Reader Railroad was very important. It brought many visitors to the area and was even used in movies and TV shows! For example, a locomotive and a renovated station were seen in the TV mini-series "North and South". The train also appeared in movies like "3:10 to Yuma", "There Will Be Blood", and "Appaloosa".
Contents
The Railroad's Journey Through Time
The Reader Railroad started in 1889 with a different name: the Sayre Narrow Gauge. It was built to move timber (wood) from forests south of Reader to a sawmill. Reader is a small community on the border of Nevada and Ouachita Counties. The sawmill was located in Gurdon, Arkansas.
Changes in Ownership
Over the years, the railroad changed owners several times.
- In 1910, the McVay Lumber Company bought the line.
- In 1913, the Valley Lumber Company took over. They made the line longer to reach more timber.
- In 1921, A. S. Johnson bought the sawmill company.
- In 1925, Johnson created the Reader Railroad. He named it after the small town of Reader. This railroad became a "common carrier," meaning it carried freight (goods) for anyone who needed it. It helped transport things to and from new oil fields near Waterloo, Arkansas.
The End of an Era
The Reader Railroad continued to haul timber and freight until the mid-1950s. At that time, its parent company closed down. A businessman named Tom M. Long bought the railroad and fixed it up. He tried to keep it going for both passengers and freight. However, in the early 1970s, an "energy crisis" happened. This meant fuel became very expensive. A refinery (a place that processes oil) in Waterloo closed, and the railroad didn't have enough freight or tourist customers to stay open.
Long asked to close the line in September 1972. The last day the railroad operated was May 19, 1973.
Becoming a Tourist Attraction
After the common carrier closed, a group of local business people bought five miles of the track near Reader. They wanted to save this historic railroad. In 1980, they sold it to R. A. Grigsby, who focused on making it a tourist attraction. He wanted to show visitors the history of the Reader Railroad and how it helped develop southern Arkansas.
The tourist railroad had many restored train cars. These included two oil-burning steam locomotives (built in 1907 and 1913) and one wood-burning locomotive (built in 1907). It also had passenger cars, excursion cars (for special trips), flatcars, boxcars, a tank car, and two cabooses (train cars at the end, heated by stoves).
The railroad tried to operate just like it would have 70 or 80 years ago. At the end of the track, the engine was turned around by hand on a special "Armstrong turntable". Then, the engine would pick up the train again for the return trip. The whole five-mile round trip took about two hours.
Reader Railroad on Screen
The Reader Railroad has been featured in several movies and TV shows, making it a star in its own right!
- In 1972, the original Reader Railroad was used in the movie "Boxcar Bertha". This movie starred Barbara Hershey and David Carradine.
- In 1985, ABC Television and Warner Brothers came to southern Arkansas. They used the railroad cars and station for filming train scenes in the mini-series "North & South".
- Equipment from the Reader Railroad was also used in the 2007 movies "3:10 to Yuma" and "There Will Be Blood".
