Steam In Eureka Springs, AR

[hf1001]

Is the ES&NA RR still running their steam locomotives on tourist trains?

[JamesP]

The last time I was down there, no steam was in operation.  I was told that #201 (the oil burning Panama Mogul) needed boiler work before the inspector would allow it to operate - I believe that it needed flues, among other things.  I do not know the condition of the cabbage stack Mogul.  All trains (excursion and dinner trains) were run with an EMD switch engine.  Also on site is a somewhat disassembled former Dierks Forest 2-8-2, IIRC.  It is too bad that the steamers aren't running, I had a memorable cab ride in #201 when I was a teenager in the mid-80's.  By the way, the 0-4-0 that was at the railroad at Beaver, AR back in the '80's (just down the road from Eureka Springs) is now at Springfield, Missouri at a photography studio for use as a prop.  Anyone have any more current info on the ES&NA RR?

[Steve Hughes]

About 1987 while I was a student in Kansas City, I used to drive down to Eureka Springs just to ride behind steam.  They ran out of the beautiful old stone depot in Eureka Springs going about 7 miles down the valley with round trips every hour.  On week days they used the cabbage stacked, wood fired, Baldwin mogal with a heavy weight pax car and caboose, and on the weekends they added another pax car and used the larger, oil fired Alco mogal.  I always tried to get there before anyone so I could walk around with the fireman as he got the engine ready for the day's runs. I was there one hot summer morning when the local woodman arrived with a two ton truck filled with oak.  There was nobody to unload and stack it except the fireman and the woodman so I borrowed a pair of gloves, and we loaded two chords into the tender and stacked at least two more on the ground.  By the time we had finished, it was time to go railroading so I headed for the depot to buy a ticket.  The fireman stopped me saying that I could spend the rest of the day riding in the cab and so I did.  He was always the fireman there and everytime I was there he introduced me to the engineer and invited me to join them.  I loved every mile and tried to make myself useful.  As the train backed out of the depot, we would uncouple from consist, move to the turntable, reverse the loco, fill with water from the tank, and move to the head of the consist.  We would pull the train to the end of the line, uncouple again, and turn the loco on the wye.  While we were on the wye, I would go out on the running board and blow down the boiler, while the passengers photographed the show.  I have ridden in many cabs but my experiences at the Eureka Springs & North Arkansas are my favorite.  

[hf1001]

Now a days, it seems like there are so many rules and laws against stuff like that, too bad. : (

[spokyone]

We were there 3 years ago for the first run of the year. We had a great time. Anyone could ride in the cab if they wanted. The generator on the locomotive was bad, so they ran an extension cord from the coach HEP for the headlight. LOL. The ticket lady was not sure about the future of the line, much less the steamer. Here is the manual turntable in action.

 

[gbrewer]

Steve,

Was that the 201? For a little more about the origins of this engine and others at Camden, Texas, see my photo essay, Iron horses put out to pasture, on RailroadGloryDays.com

RailroadGloryDays.com

 

[bartman-tn]

Although there are the three steamers on the property, the line is all diesel (1) now.

 

After Mr. Dortch died a number of years ago, the sons took over but with much less interest.  The line has been for sale off and on for a few years now.

 

Bart Jennings

[hf1001]

....Thats too bad