Recent Digital Photos
by Mike Condren

53 Years of Railroad Photography 1960-2013

Mike's Main Railroad Web Site

April 5, 1013

On my way to Pine Bluff, AR to attend the Train Show at the Arkansas Railroad Musuem, I caught this loaded unit coal train at Van Buren.

Upon arrival at Pine Bluff, I headed track side and shot these photos of the Union Staion once used by both Missouri Pacific and Cotton Belt passenger trains and now used as the housing for the Historical Museum.

This westbound UP freight is running down the middle of 4th Street in Pine Bluff. AR, yellow X on the map below. The Cotton Belt had once run down the middle of 3rd Street as seen in the image below the map, red X on the map. The 4th Street trackage was used by the Missouri Pacific in 1985.

I then visited the Arkansas Railroad Museum on the day before the show to try and get some photos before the place was crowded with visitors.

Inside the former Cotton Belt backshop, the Cotton Belt 4-8-4 northern was constructed and now the locomotive still resides.

That engine was moved from a local park back to this building where it was rebuilt into operating condition in the mid 1980s. For more photos taken in 1985 during the rebuilding process, click here.

This is the overhead crane from which I took the images of SSW 819 being rebuilt.

There are three ALCo diesels on display inside, a Santa Fe RSD-15, a UP C630, and a RSD-12 painted in the colors of Paperton Junction Southern.

Here are the diesels on display outside.

The Cotton Belt bay window caboose is in fresh paint.

They moved the transfer table back and forth on the day before the show.

The former Cotton Belt CTC boards were on display

This overhead crane is over the machine shop area of the backshop.

An aerial view of the shop area in 1940.

These units were stored along the main line west of the shop area.

This is a view of the west side of the backshop/Arkansas Railroad Museum.

A couple of views of the hump area of the yard in Pine Bluff,

This trimmer set is seen working the west end of the hump yard.

These views are of the engine service area of the hump yard that I first visited in Sept. 1961.

The trimmer set working in the classification yard..

These NS units were sitting at the west end of the hump yard.

April 6, 2013

This view of the east side of the backshop/Arkansas Railroad Museum was taken from across the mainline.

This steam derrick is parked at the southwest end of the backshop.

This shows the north end of the backshop and entrance to the museum without cars blocking the view.

This westbound freight is seen near the junction of the former Cotton Belt line with the former Missouri Pacific line from Monroe, LA.

The UP train in the last sequence delayed the movement off the former Missouri Pacific line with this unit oil train.

The lead unit is one of the NS Heritage Fleet units painted to honor the Central Railway of New Jersey which was one of the railroads which was a predecessor of the Norfolk Southern system.

Back inside the show.

This "steam engine" was giving rides.

This is a very detailed model of a saw mill.

The exhibits in the museum are not limited to railroad subjects as is evidenced by this fire truck

This "critter" is seen on the east side of the transfer table.

This NS freight is seen passing the museum.

This "critter" was also on the east side of the transfer table.

This is another view of the east side of the backshop showing the snack wagon.

If you have watched the news lately, you know of the oil spill in Mayflower, AR. On my way to Pine Bluff, I could smell the oil as I passed the site. On my return I got my camera ready and got these shots of the cleanup operation. The smell of the oil was still very obvious to this chemist.

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