Red fall leaves on a shrub next to the Brinkley depot museum.
Before I left for Brinkley, I got this quick shot of UP 1996 and 1982 on the YNL75-Pine Bluff local in North Little Rock. They had come in from Fort Worth the night before. It was about 9 a.m.
Another shot of the train. 1996 and 1982 were 7th and 8th in the consist and were not running. This local always moves locomotives around between North Little Rock and Pine Bluff.
UP (Rio Grande) 1355 was also seen in North Little Rock.
I hadn't seen a train on the Brinkley sub on Saturdays in months, but today a mixed train is going around the curve to join the Jonesboro Sub at 10:42 a.m. The Brinkley Sub runs from West Memphis, Arkansas (just across the Mississippi River from Memphis) to Brinkley. It uses the former Rock Island's (SP) tracks. The following is from former Southern Pacific Public Relations head Jim Johnson:
"As you probably know (1) although the CRI&P owned the line from Brinkley to Briark (junction west pof the Harahan Bridge), which was part of the line from Memphis to Tucumcari, NM, by way of Little Rock, Oklahoma City, El Reno, and Amarillo, TX, the StLSW purchased the Brinkley to Briark portion in 1981 from the Rock Island trustee for about 2 million dollars
(interestingly enough, William Gibbons, the Rock Island trustee, spent a lot of time around Biddle Yard in Little Rock, long enough to develop a romance with and marry the asst. supt.'s secretary, whose name escapes me in my old age); (2) the Harahan Bridge was jointly owned by CRI&P, MoPac and SLSW, but was controlled by the MoPac, even though, of the three owners, it carried the least traffic; (3) both the Harahan Bridge and the parallel Frisco Bridge (just a little better than 100' south of the Harahan span) were used for both rail and auto traffic, the Harahan having highway lanes on each side of the double-tracked rail lines, while the Frisco's auto roadway was right on top of the rail line, and thus, auto traffic could not proceed when a train was close to using the bridge; (4) Rock Island's yard provided the best photographic background of the Memphis skyline of any of the several RR's which served the city, but was a one-way entry and departure yard. Trains headed eastbound had to pass by the yard (via the Southern RR's tracks) and then back their trains in, while departing trains would have to double and triple to get their trains together due to the shortness of the yard tracks. I once had a lot of photos of the Memphis Yard and Harahan Bridge, but am sure they are all long gone."
NS 9015 and NS 8766 lead the long train and looked like they were using full power on this curve.
UP 9662 and CSX 8063, 12:56 p.m.
Through the former ticket office windows from inside the depot.
String of boxcars on a siding in Brinkley.