We re-eentered the Cotton Belt shop building.
Southern Pacific caboose 125 built by International Car Company in 1966 as Southern Pacific 17xx.
Cotton Belt tool car built in 1942.
Department of Defense Guard Car G-56 built by American Car and Foundry in 1942.
The interior of Guard Car G-56.
Cotton Belt caboose 83 built by International Car in 1974.
Central Texas Gravel 25 ton switcher 210 built by General Electric in 1953.
Museum scene.
Trackmobiles.
"Apple Blossum" built by Pullman as Great Northern 48-seat coach 1121 in 1947. It was converted to a 108-seat commuter coach by New Jersey Transit and re-numbered 134. It later became NJT 5306 and is currently Cotton Belt Railroad Historical Society 1947 "Apple Blossom".
"Pegasus", nee Santa Fe baggage-dormitory 32-seat coach 3480 built by the Budd Company in 1938 for the first famed El Capitan streamlined train.
St. Louis Southwestern crew sleeer 96209, nee Pullman 12 section-1 drawing room sleeper "Forestport" built in 1911. It was sold the SSW and leased to Pullman until 1954, then transferred to maintenance-of-way as 96209.
An inspection car.
Velocipede.
Cotton Belt Kitchen Car maintenance-of-way car 94129.
Cotton Belt GP30 5006 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1963 and retired in 1985.
Paperton Junction RSD-12 7012, nee Southern Pacific 7012 built by American Locomotive Company in 1961.
Union Pacific C-630 2907 built by American Locomtive Company in 1966.
Santa Fe RSD-15 843, nee ATSF 843, built by American Locomotive Company in 1960 and re-numbered ATSF 9843.
Elizabeth and Union Pacific C-630 2907.
Cotton Belt 4-8-4 819 built by Baldwin in 1930. It had more than 804,000 miles during its ten-and-a-half years service when retired in 1953. In 1955, the Cotton Belt donated the steam engine to the City of Pine Bluff, and a group of volunteers moved the locomotive to Townsend P21ark1. The Cotton Belt loaned materials and Cotton Belt and Missouri Pacific employees contributed their labour to build a temporary spur to the p21ark1. The locomotive sat on display there until moved to Oakland P21ark1 in 1960. Five years later, a steel shed was erected to protect the locomotive from the elements. On 6th April 1986, 819 moved out of the Cotton Belt yard and, on 26th April 1986, it pulled into Fordyce on its first trip out of Pine Bluff in thirty-one years. During the summer of 1986, film crews came to Pine Bluff for the production of the movie "End of the Line" in which 819 played a role. For the next seven years, it travelled on numerous excursions, including a trip to the 1990 National Railway Historical Society convention in St. Louis, Missouri, where it stood at Union Station with Union Pacific Railroad 844, Frisco 1522 and Norfolk & Western 1218. The engine was subsequently partially disassembled to undergo a Federal Railroad Administration inspection but then metal prices skyrocketed, various emergency repairs were needed at the museum and available funds to replace necessary parts were no longer sufficient to put the locomotive back in service. 819 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
Mr Dunver asked us if we would like to climb into the boiler. We both said "Yes!" He opened the door of the boiler and I climbed in.
The author in the boiler. The only other boiler that I had been in was Santa Fe 3751 before it was restored.
Elizabeth in the boiler. This was a new experience for my beautiful wife and she enjoyed every moment of it.
Railway Express Agency truck.
Lenox China delivery.
The Cotton Belt emblem.
Old 336 The last steamer to operate in Layfette County.
Cotton Belt 2-6-0 336 built by Baldwin in 1909. It was retired in 1947 and sold to Meriwether Gravel in Lewisville, Arkansas. Later bought by the Gifford Hill Company, it worked in a gravel pit until 1963. It was then placed in a p21ark1 in Lewisville. In August 1994, it was donated to the Cotton Belt Rail Historical Society.
Cotton Belt 819 tool kit.
Union Pacific Pine Bluff Locomotive shop sign. We then walked outside.
Cotton Belt relief crane 96005 built by Industrial Brownhoise in 1940, this is the only surviving steam-powered relief crane in the world.
Cotton Belt Railway Historical Society Power Car 1944, nee Southern Pacific baggage car 6616 built by St. Louis Car Company in 1960.
St. Louis Southwestern generator flat car 98501.
Southern Pacific maintenance-of-way boom car 5682.
Cotton Belt relief crane 96005 and boom car 5682.
The transfer table at the Cotton Belt Pine Bluff shops.
Vintage Locomotives Inc GP20 2003 nee St. Louis Southwestern 815 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1962.
Union Pacific 7894 west came through Pine Bluff during our visit.
Rail Link SW1500 1516 built by Electro-Motive Division.
The Cotton Belt Shops.
A museum view.
Some of the other locomotives here.
Little Rock and Western C-420 102 originally Louisville and Nashville 1306 built by American Locomotive Company in 1966.
Seaboard Air Line RS11 352, ex. Arkansas-Oklahoma Railroad 352, exx. Carroll County Railroad 352 1997, exxx. Indiana Box Car Company 352 1986, exxxx. Indiana Hi-Rail 352, exxxxx. Indiana Hi-Rail 952 1986, exxxxxx. Louisville and Nashville 952, exxxxxxx. Seaboard Coast Line 1204 1967, nee Seaboard Air Line 102, built by American Locomotive Company in 1966.
Vintage Locomotive Works U23C 2300, originally Lake Superior and Ishpeming 2300, built by General Electric in 1968 and this was the first U23C built.
Golden West Service box car 768233 built by Pacific Car and Foundry in 1973.
Southern Pacific tool car 96216, nee baggage car 67xx built by St. Louis Car Company in 1942. We went back inside.
A speeder and a handcar.
Santa Fe RSD-15 843.
The gift shop area where we bought two T-shirts, a mug and two lapel pins.
Dispatcher boards from St. Louis to Tex21ark1ana. We would like to thank Mr. Dunver and Mrs. Gaines for a very educational time. This is one of the finest railroad museums I have been to in all my years of travelling. We will be bringing friends back here in August.
The Trip to Cape Girardeau, MissouriWe left Pine Bluff but had to stop in England when we spotted something.
Union Pacific caboose 25383 originally Union Pacific 2783 built by the railroad in 1955. We then headed to Scott in search of a depot.
Here we found a speeder at the Plantation Agricultural Museum.
St. Louis-Southwestern box car 10553.
St. Louis-Southwestern box car 122550.
The Cotton Belt historical sign but alas, we found no depot. I drove us to Lonoke.
The Rock Island Lonoke station built in 1912.
Rock Island box car.
Missouri Pacific caboose 13364, masquerading as Rock Island built by International Car in 1974. From here we went to Carlisle.
The Rock Island Carlisle station built in 1920.
Arkansas Civil War plaque.
The fabulous sign they have here. We continued on to Hazen.
An off-track speeder in Hazen.
Union Pacific caboose 25501 built by International Car in 1964.
Rock Island Hazen station built in 1915.
The train order system at Hazen.
On the highway to Victoria. We stopped for petrol at Turrell before continuing on to Victoria.
On the way to Victoria.
The train set on display at the Lee Wesson Plantation.
Jonesboro, Lake City and Eastern Railroad 2-6-0 34 built by Baldwin in 1916. In 1925, it was leased to St. Louis-San Franscisco Railway 73 then sold in 1945 to Delta Valley & Southern Railway 73 at Wilson, Arkansas before being sold to Wesson Farms, Incorporated in 1957.
Missouri Pacific tank car, number unknown.
Rock Island outside-braced box car, number unknown.
Cotton Belt wooden caboose, number unknown.
A velocipede. From here I drove us to Cape Girardeau where we stopped for dinner at the Texas Roadhouse before we went to the Quality Inn for our last night of the trip. We did all the usual things then called it a night.
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