Arkansas & Missouri

A&M 16 works at Fort Smith amidst debris from demolition.

The afternoon local to Rogers roll by the crossing at the JB Hunt terminal. It has just worked Zero Mountain and is now headed to Rogers.

One of the reasons I liked comnig to the home office was that the truck terminal had the A&M running through it. Here we see A&M 50 passing the yard with a local train to Rogers

A&M 66 has cut off its train and is about to pull empties and spot loads at Zero Mountain.

Todays train has spotted its loads at Zero Mountain and is ready to head for Rogers. Seen from the JB Hunt crossing at the entrance to their terminal in Lowell.

The afternoon local out of Springdale stops to switch cold storage warehouse Zero Mountain in Lowell Ark, adjacent to the JB Hunt terminal.

A&M 44 leads the local works north to Rogers in the afternoon. Here is has pulled up to the crossing at JB Hunts terminal, and is about to switch Zero Mountain Cold Storage

A&M 68 works Zero Mountain cold storage in Lowell on its run from Springdale up to Rogers and return. I was a driver for JB Hunt at the time, and this was an easy shot. Zero Mountain is adjacent to our Lowell terminal. If I was on the yard in the afternoon, Id keep an eye peeled for this train. Today I caught it.

The Monett Turn ran at night during the late 90s, getting out of Springdale in the late evening, and sometimes returning after daylight in the longer days of summer. I was a driver for JB Hunt then, and would occasionally come through our Lowell Ark terminal, which was bisected by the line. Id always park on the track side of the building. It was a thrill to watch the turn gaining speed as it headed north around midnight, usually behind 3 to 5 Alcos. This day in June 1999, it returned around 0800 with EIGHT!! What a sound!!

Zero Mountain cold storage was just north of downtown Lowell and adjacent to the JB Hunt yard there, so it was an easy catch to get the afternoon local out of Springdale if you were a JB Hunt driver as I was. Here C420 58 stops to make the set out and pick up. m

The new SD70s are numbered 70-71-72, but there was a short fling with 6 axle Alcos in the late 90s, when this ex CP unit was acquired. It was not well received and stayed on the roster only a short while. Here it is at Springdale late on a May afternoon

A&M T6 18 leads four cars in Ft Smith on a local job.

A&M is ready with three red Alcos and a green one as the Monett Turn rolls along Old Wire Rd in Rogers with 27 cars.

A single Alco rolls north through Lowell with a cut of hoppers for the Bentonville Branch. It will diverge from the main at Rogers, about five miles ahead.

The Monett Turn passes a snowy field and bare tree in this wintry scene approaching Gateway. Typical of the region, when snow falls, its not much and doesnt stay long. In a couple of days this scene will be just another drab winter day.

The Monett Turn is framed by a couple of large trees as it makes its way north with 27 cars.

The northbound Monett Turn rolls along MO 37 making its way north with its 27 cars.

The Monett Turn rolls slowly through the side streets of Rogers as it makes its way behind the buildings down town behind a set of Alcos, all 24 cars of it, catching the last rays of winter sun as it peeks from behind the bank.

The A&M did not usually have off line power, though occasionally UP or BNSF power would go to Springdale to a feed mill on grain trains. Here we see a set of power that had come up from Van Buren on a through move from UP sitting at the engine facility in Springdale. I also once caught a pair of BNSF units rolling an empty grain train north at Rogers, unfortunately, long after dark.

The road power from the Monett Turn has just dropped its train at Springdale, and will be heading to the engine house. Lead unit 62 was named "George Hockaday" for the famed Alco employee who kept many an Alco running long after the company quit in October 1969. In the 1980's and 90's, when I lived in Binghamton NY, I would occasionally encounter him while out chasing on the D&H, first under Guilford, then in CP hands. He was a real gentleman.

The Monett Turn rolls north through Gateway, and will shortly stop to work the sand pit north of town. I was here a couple of weeks ago, same thing-note the sand cars behind the power. Good to have a consistent level of business from reliable shippers.

After working the sand pit at Gateway, the train rolls north toward Monett. The tracks swing away from MO 37 at several locations, this being one of them, at the south end of Seligman. Hell head through downtown while the road will skirt town to the east, resuming its side by side path in a mile or so.

The tracks run along MO 37, in some places very close, in some a little farther away. Here between Seligman and Washburn, theyre only a few feet apart most of the way. It makes for a good chase. Train speeds are in the 40-plus range, and it can be a challenge keeping up.

A&M 30 rolls 9 cars south toward Lowell on a winter afternoon, showing the smoke that makes Alcos so endearing.

A chilly day in February makes for some cold stone, which this Alco powered local is picking up north of Apple Blossom Rd.

The northbound Monett Turn usually works at Gateway, where there is a sand pit. The other endeavor there is producing hay. The railroad does not participate in moves of this product-to my knowledge-but it does go past a lot of it.

The Monett Turn, having arrived at its destination, pulls down into the BNSFs ex Frisco yard, where it will drop its cars. The crew will go to beans, then pick up cars left for them by BNSF, and head for home, working at Purdy and Gateway as they head south.

The Monett Turn approaches the 10 MPH curve at the entrance to the BNSF yard. Thats US 60 on the bridge. Hell drop his train, get whatever cars BNSF has left to take south, shuffle them a bit, since they often work the feed mill at Purdy on the way south, and hell be headed back south after the crew goes to beans.

Despite its reputation, most of the midwest and mid south is not flat as a pool table, though some parts of it are. The Monett Turn rolls through one of them near Purdy MO with 37 cars for the BNSF.

The Monett Turn runs alongside MO 37, which follows the tracks more or less between Gateway Ark and Washburn MO. Were almost in Washburn as three Alcos roll 37 cars north.

The northbound Monett Turn seen across the fields north of Washburn, where the tracks and road separate until Butterfield.

The southbound Monett Turn rolls through Purdy on its way back to Springdale with 25 cars.

The southbound train has picked up its cars from BNSF and now takes the connecting track from the yard to the A&M main, flanges squealing as the train holds to the 10 MPH speed restriction around the curve. Its a great way to start. The first several miles of the trip are all uphill.

The Monett Turn has come around the yard connection and is now on the main. Still ahead is the climb to Purdy, seven miles ahead, though it will be less of an effort with this short 25 car train. MP 283, at far right, is mileage from St Louis.

The Monett Turn approaches Purdy with 25 cars from the BNSF as it heads south back to Springdale

The Monett Turn would often drop a T6 and sand hoppers at Rogers to work the Bentonville Branch. Here we see a T6 with a cut of hoppers heading toward Rogers and a connection to the main and Springdale. The T6 is doing what Alcos do best!!

I did not often catch a train on the Bentonville Branch, which leaves the main at Rogers, heading up to a cement plant near NWACC. T 6 #14 has a train of sand cars in tow as it heads back to Rogers and more local work.

Theres a short-now shorter, some of it was removed a few years back, and it no longer crosses Hudson Rd-spur leading out of Rogers toward Bentonville. T 6 #14 is working hard with sand cars on this March day.

The Bentonville job rolls past the park where the station once stood in a blaze of spring color.

A close up of T6 #14 passing the blooming trees in the Rogers station area.

A&M 62 the "George Hockaday" leads the Monett Turn south near Seligman Mo

A pair of A&M Alcos spot reefers at a customer in Springdale.

T 6 18 is on the shop tracks at Springdale awaiting attention. Almost ten years from now, I will see it working the Springdale yard. Only 55 of these units were sold in the us, with N&W getting 40. They were produced between March 1958 and January 1969, with a gap from 1959-1964 when none were built. The fact that it is still with us is in itself remarkable, not to mention working daily almost a half century after Alco quit.

A&M 46 sits outside the Springdale shop waiting for some attention from the mechanical department. Meanwhile, we get a good look at Alcos 251 prime mover.

A&M 30 and 50 southbound returning to Springdale Ark

A&M 30 gets the Rogers local underway after switching Smurfit Stone

A&M 15 sits in line at Springdale. The pilots are missing on both ends, and some of the parts have been removed. Looks like the end of the line.

A&M 18 sits in a line of locomotives at the Springdale shop. It appears to be serviceable, but 62 has been out of service for a long time, and 15 has parts missing, so perhaps not??

Partly blocked by flat cars, but noteworthy enough to shoot the picture, A&M 20 sits north of the shop at Springdale. I didn't think this unit was still on the roster.

A&M 62, the George Hockaday, sits in the line at Springdale. The unit has been out of service for an extended period, maybe headed for retirement??