Arkansas Railroad Museum

[SSW9389]

The Arkansas Railroad Museum is in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. It is operated by the Cotton Belt Rail Historical Society and its volunteers. If you should happen to be in the area be sure and stop by, the Museum is open Monday thru Saturday. You might want to call first to confirm 870-535-8819 is the number.

Exhibits at the Museum include:

Cotton Belt 819 a 1943-built L1 Northern. She is kept in the bay she was built in.

Cotton Belt 336, a D3 Mogul built by Baldwin in 1909, is in poor condition and will be cosmetically restored.

UP Alco C-630 2907

LSI GE U23C 2300

Cotton Belt GP30 5006

Rescar GE 25-tonner

West Tennesee Alco RSD12 #2054-exSP7012

Indiana Hi-Rail 443 Alco RSD15 #443 exAT&SF #843 was repainted to Santa Fe in August of 2007.

MRAX EMD E8/9 #513- exC&NW

Wabash Alloys GE 25-tonner-

The tender of 814 sister to 819

SSW 96005 a 200 Ton Industrial Brownhoist Steam Relief Crane.

SSWMW 5682 Boom Car

SSWMW 98501 Generator Flat Car

SSWMW 94129 Kitchen Car

SSWMW 96216 Tool Car

SSWMW 96209 Crew Sleeper

1942 Tool Car ex-SP Baggage car St. Louis Car Co.

1944 Power Car ex SP Baggage 6616

G56 Guard Car ACF hospital car from WW2

SN87 Jordan Snow Plow U S Army

306 Lark 13 Bedroom Pullman Standard ex-SP9356

1947 Apple Blossom ex-GN 1121

SSW 2214 Wood Cupola Caboose

SSW 83 Bay Window Caboose

SP 125 Bay Window Caboose built 11-66

AM 1410 60' Mechanical Reefer ex-EL

3480 Pegasus Baggage Dorm ex-AT&SF Budd 1938 Transition Car

CBHS 819336 Tank Car

The above list was compiled from a roster that Mr. Lyle Smith had at the Arkansas Railroad Museum on April 13 and 14. Mr. Smith is a volunteer at the Museum.

In a recent conversation with Peter Smykla, a Director of CBRHS, Ed Bowers may soon bless Pine Bluff with an ALCO cab and booster set and another E unit. These units are currently at Danbury, CT.

Ed Cooper

Cotton Belt Rail Historical Society

[SSW9389]

Here is a photo from a wall display at the Arkansas Railroad Museum. It shows the development of the Cotton Belt over the years. This same illustration appears in Joe Strapac's excellent Cotton Belt Locomotives on page 2. The illustration itself looks like it originally appeared in the Cotton Belt News, perhaps from the 80th Anniversary of the Cotton Belt Edition in 1957. There is some trackage missing that passed into obscurity before this map was done and the service to Sherman, Texas is shown over the T&NO starting in 1953. The Cotton Belt's own line to to Sherman was built in 1887, was abandoned in 1953 and is not shown on the map.