Arkansas & Missouri
Cab Ride on Ft Smith Turn
Northbound

The power for the north bound Ft Smith Turn is seen preparing to head out on Oct. 24, 1988.

We first backed down onto our train in South Yard in Ft Smith

When the lift span gets down, our train heads on across. I stepped out on to the front pilot and shot the headlight and number board assembly.

The train is then seen approaching the signals for the crossing of the UP and the connection into their yard.

The lead unit is about to cross the UP and then take the connecting track to the right.

A MP switcher is seen sitting on the passing track under the viaduct for the old Ft Smith Van Buren Free Bridge.

We then back down onto the cars that we are picking up in Van Buren.

We then back down onto the cars that we are picking up in Van Buren.

We then see the long string of hoppers of sand as they are pushed back onto the bridge before heading north.

This is the thru truss bridge north of Mountainburg over the Frog Bayou creek. One night I we in the cab of the passenger train when we noticed a tree leaning over the tracks on the other side of the bridge. Everyone in the cab hit the floor as the locomotive knocked the tree out of the way. No one was hurt.

This bridge was a favorite spot for deer to get water. Many was the night when the engineer set the Mars light to the lower right quadrant as we crossed this bridge so that we could see any deer drinking in the creek.

The next shot is from one of the high trestles south of Winslow.

The next scene is just south of the tunnel at Winslow.

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