Benson Arkansas

[Broadoak]

The crew of the Alco are told to pick up a boxcar loaded with bagged chicken feed for a farm some distance away.  The farm is situated on a trailing spur from the I&W main line to Rosston, so it won’t take long to uncouple the car and back it into the spur. They can also return the now empty fuel oil car at the same time to save another working.
Arkansas Feeds is situated at the end of a long track at the back that has other industries on it, so it means extra work clearing the headshunt to enable the removing of the box car full of feed. This adds a little operational interest.









Peter M
 

[Broadoak]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here we see the Alco clearing the long siding next to the Redwing Milling elevator to collect the box car of feed from Arkansas Feeds.

 

 

 

 

 

Peter M

 

Edited February 2, 2019 by Broadoak
missing pics

[Broadoak]

Having got the box car of feed out and returned all the cars back in their original positions, the Alco makes up it small train. The box car of feed to the chicken farm and the empty fuel tank  car back to Rosston

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter M

 

Edited February 2, 2019 by Broadoak
missing pics

[DanielB]

You're making me regret not having a layout I can have set up at home anymore. Sometimes being able to kick back and run some trains is a luxury I miss having.

 

Great photos as always, Peter.

[Broadoak]

Daniel, 

 

When I still worked doing a normal if somewhat stressful job, I found that thirty minutes or so spent switching the yard a good way to set yourself up for the horrors of the real world. I still do find shuffling a few cars round the layout relaxing.  It’s a benefit I had never thought of, having a model railroad at home so it can be operated whenever the mood takes.

 

Kind regards Peter M

[DanielB]

I'll have that same luxury sometime in the next few months, with any luck. Just waiting on a completion date for my house move.

[Broadoak]

This session features the second I&W GP 38-2 # 382 the one without dynamic brakes, I don’t know why but I prefer the clean lines on the long hood on this one. 

 

She is seen arriving with a cut of mixed cars that will be loaded at Benson later. The first job on arrival is to spot the RI covered hopper of wheat at the Trisco flour mill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter M

 

Edited February 2, 2019 by Broadoak
missing pics

[Broadoak]

The Rock Island covered hopper is cut out of the train and pushed into the Trisco flour mill siding for unloading.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter M

 

Edited February 2, 2019 by Broadoak
missing pics

[Broadoak]

# 382 sorts out cars to be removed to make up an outbound train and inbound loads to be spotted at their respective customers.

 #382 GP38-2 has made up its outbound train in the loop at Benson. Runs round its train then heads out of town for the I&W main line to Hope.










Peter M
 

 

Edited February 2, 2019 by Broadoak
missing pics

[Broadoak]

In the area surrounding Benson in south west Arkansas one of the most important source of revenue for the railroad is the lumber industry. When the open cast bauxite mine at Colonel’s Crossing became exhausted the overburden was replaced and the whole area planted with Pine and Aspen. These trees are fast growing, reaching maturity in three to five years and are a renewable resource that provides much of the lumber shipped out on the Rock Island via the I&W main line.









A RI U33B arrives with a train of empty pulpwood flats which it spots in the loop and runs down to the loco servicing area.  The yard goat that day, a RI SW1500 pushes the cars into the pulp loading track.

Peter M
 

[Broadoak]

While the crew of the RI U-boat have a break and a meal in a local diner the switcher crew make up a train for the U-boat to return to the RI main line with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter M

[Broadoak]

A Rock Island chop nose GP 9 arrives with a small train of loaded hoppers full of grain. The CRP as a whole did not approve of chopped noses which were deemed to be an unnecessary expense even in 1975.
She leaves the cars in the loop and runs round the train then backs into the pulp wood loading siding and couples up to pulp wood cars that are still being loaded.

 

Peter M
 

Edited February 2, 2019 by Broadoak
missing pics

[dave1905]

A Rock Island chop nose GP 9 arrives with a small train of loaded hoppers full of grain. The CRP as a whole did not approve of chopped noses which were deemed to be an unnecessary expense even in 1975.

She leaves the cars in the loop and runs round the train then backs into the pulp wood loading siding and couples up to pulp wood cars that are still being loaded.

 

Peter M

 

 

In my experience, the crossways loaded pulpwood was a smaller diameter, the short pieces were made from the parts of the trees too small to be lumber, so were more in the 4-8" diameter range, rather than the 18-24" range.   Plus the trees themselves tended to be smaller diameter pines that weren't big enough for lumber.  The trees would often be "farmed", and were new growth.  Larger logs were usually shipped whole and chipped at the paper mill.  This is based on my experience in SE Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana.  Not being critical, but you probably haven't seen that many actual pulpwood cars.

 

PS.  I hated the pulpwood, it was a real pain in the butt.  It was always shifting or falling off the cars.

[Broadoak]

Thank you for the information Dave it is most interesting. You are perfectly right I have never seen a loaded pulpwood car. In fact  I have never seen any sort of American freight car of any sort, having never been to the States. I have relied for information  by reading articles in the American press about real and modelled railroads and watching videos. Therefor my information is very limited from the bits and pieces I have found over the years.

So any shortcomings you will have to put down to ignorance on my part.

I am pleased that you have looked at the thread. Once again thank you for your interest.

 

Kind regards Peter M

[Broadoak]

As the loading of the pulpwood is being completed the yard goat, a Rock Island SW1500 wearing a coat of bankruptcy blue spots the grain cars at the flour mill.
While the SW1500 spots the incoming grain cars the chop nosed jeep leaves with the loaded pulpwood cars for Louisiana and the Continental Can Mill.





Peter M
 

Edited February 2, 2019 by Broadoak
missing pics

[Broadoak]

Having spotted the covered hoppers the crew of the SW1500 head back to the yardmaster’s grounded caboose to have a break for some beans and await their next assignment.








Peter M
 

[Broadoak]

This post is by way of an experiment using Imgur which I am slowly getting the hang of. This picture was taken long ago but it proves the method I am using works.

I shall post some new pictures in due course but they will feature my existing roster as my pension doesn’t run to buying any new ones. That said I am quite happy to continue running my existing locos and stock.

I have also gone through the thread and removed all references to missing photos due to a limit of 1000 images by flickr.

Regards Peter M

 

[Alcanman]

1 hour ago, Broadoak said:

This post is by way of an experiment using Imgur which I am slowly getting the hang of. This picture was taken long ago but it proves the method I am using works.

I shall post some new pictures in due course but they will feature my existing roster as my pension doesn’t run to buying any new ones. That said I am quite happy to continue running my existing locos and stock.

I have also gone through the thread and removed all references to missing photos due to a limit of 1000 images by flickr.

Regards Peter M

 

Great to see you posting pics again, Peter. Look forward to seeing more.

[Broadoak]

By way of a change from its usual maintenance of way duties #53 a TVRR 60 tonner arrives at Benson with a short cut of cars. It spots the cars in the long loop in the west yard uncouples from the front and runs round its train and couples up to the RI boxcar at the rear of the cars.

Peter M

[Broadoak]

The tanker full of fuel oil is spotted at the minimal service facilities. The next load to be spotted is the green Texas Mexican Railway box car at Talbot Valley Farmers Coop where it will be loaded with pink tomatoes. To accesses the TVFC a Simpson Timber Company must be moved first. Having done that the Tex Mex boxcar is spotted at the TVFC so loading can begin. The Simpson box car is picked and spotted at the Bantex Box Co so they can continue loading it.

Peter M

[Broadoak]

#53 runs round the empty Rock Island box car and propels it into the team track in the east yard. Here it will be loaded with palletised drilling mud which is used to seal the drill bit shaft when drilling for oil.

Peter M

 

[Broadoak]

#53 then trundles to the pulp wood loading track and picks up two loaded racks and pulls them into the loop in west yard.  She runs round her small train and sets off past the yardmaster’s grounded caboose to the SP interchange.

Peter M

[JAMO]

Happy to see you here again Peter! I like to follow your operating stories!

[DanielB]

Seeing your updates always brings a smile to my face, Peter. Glad to see more photographs of Benson. :)

[Broadoak]

Agriculture and Lumber especially are big business for the I&W railroad. As it is surrounded by large forests of trees suitable for paper pulp making and in the manufacture of particle board. Much of the land that was open caste mined for bauxite in the past has been made into forest by replacing the overburden and planting trees. These various trees reach maturity in three to five years so it is a continuous process.
We see #145 a Burlington and Northern end cab switcher arriving at Benson from Hope with a cut of empty pulp wood cars and an empty DRGW covered hopper. Although well into the 1970’s the little switcher has managed to avoid being re-painted in corporate green and black and still sports its GN livery. You will note on the deck of the pulpwood cars debris from previous loads, it is sawdust really on the model but I think looks quite effective.

 

 

 

Peter M