This little shortline always looked neat and they had an all-steam fleet with mostly old logging engines and surplus stuff. I've seen from a small diamond-stacked woodburner to a tall, straight-stacked (very short stack) 2-8-0 I believe which came from the U.S. Army. The site listed in Kalmbach's guide doesn't even have a purpose...its just a picture with a caption. I was wondering if anybody knows if this railroad is still operational with steam since I haven't seen any recent pictures of steam there. One of their engines operated in Orlando for awhile. Apparently they have also done some film work.

Thanks,
Ed Kelley

Reader Railroad
GTNGRR@aol.com

The 2-8-0 you mention was i beleive 1702 That came from there to up here in Ne to Fremont & Elkhorn Valley left here & went somewhere else. Last I heard it was back east somewhere & some person or group had attempted to put roller bearings on it. Wooly

> This little shortline always looked neat and
> they had an all-steam fleet with mostly old
> logging engines and surplus stuff. I've seen
> from a small diamond-stacked woodburner to a
> tall, straight-stacked (very short stack)
> 2-8-0 I believe which came from the U.S.
> Army. The site listed in Kalmbach's guide
> doesn't even have a purpose...its just a
> picture with a caption. I was wondering if
> anybody knows if this railroad is still
> operational with steam since I haven't seen
> any recent pictures of steam there. One of
> their engines operated in Orlando for
> awhile. Apparently they have also done some
> film work.

> Thanks,
> Ed Kelley


wooly421@charter.net

> I was wondering if
> anybody knows if this railroad is still
> operational with steam since I haven't seen
> any recent pictures of steam there.

As of a year ago, there were two very small steam locomotives stored at Reader; a W.T. Carter Brothers 2-6-0 and a small 2-6-2 from the Victoria, Fisher & Western RR. (See www.steamlocomotive.info).

The W.T. Carter Brothers 2-6-2 #4 that was used in movie work and on the Mt. Dora Railroad in Florida is (or was, a year ago) stored at the Dardanelle & Russellville enginehouse in Dardanelle, AR. I believe the owner of the D&R is part of the present-day Reader organization.

There are several miles of track still at Reader but I don't believe it has operated for several years. The old Missouri Pacific line that the Reader RR connected to has been torn up, so the track is isolated.

If you can locate a copy of the March-April 1989 issue of Locomotive & Railway Preservation magazine, you will find a nice Louis Saillard article on the Reader. The old Reader quit in 1973. One 2-6-2 is in Kentucky; the other in Texas, and 2-8-0 #1702 is now operating on the Great Smokey Mountains Railroad in North Carolina.

Glen Brewer, who occasionally posts to this board, is more familiar with the Reader than I am and may have more current information.

Alan Maples

AMaples@aol.com

The old Reader, Mr. Tom Long's Reader, last ran in 1974. They had three locomotives, 2-6-2s 11 and 108, and 2-8-0 1702. They are now at Kentucky Central Chapter NRHS, Paris, Kentucky, The Rannoch Corporation, Sulphur Springs, Texas and the Great Smoky Mountain Railway, Dillsboro, North Carolina respectively.

What is left of the line after considerably scrapping was acquired by a new group of people with Richard Grisby as president. They have four locomotives: Number 1 a 2-6-2 ex W. T. Carter at Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway, Eureka Springs, AR, Number 2 a 2-6-0 ex W. T. Carter at Reader, Number 4 a 2-6-2 ex W. T. Carter at Dardanelle & Russellville Railroad, Russellville, AR and Number 7 a 2-6-2 ex Louisiana Longleaf Lumber at Reader.

As was discussed recently on this list, Reader also owns the former Moscow, Camden & San Augustine and ex Long Island wooden combine.


gbrewer@yahoo.com

Correction: that is Richard Grigsby. Sorry about the spelling.

gbrewer@yahoo.com

> What is left of the line after considerably
> scrapping was acquired by a new group of
> people with Richard Grisby as president.
> They have four locomotives: Number 1 a 2-6-2
> ex W. T. Carter at Eureka Springs &
> North Arkansas Railway, Eureka Springs, AR,

Quick question-ES&NA #1, is a 2-6-0, but is it owned by the Reader? I know that Reader had a 2-6-0, not sure of the number, that was almost an identical sister to #1. Getting back to ES&NA #1, if Reader owns it, are there plans to move it out of Eureka Springs? Thanks in advance.

Roger

q5632@yahoo.com

Roger,

Thanks for correcting that. I must have been confused since W.T.Carter had two Number 1s ( and two Number 2s). The one at Eureka is indeed a 2-6-0.

I had always thought that when a second Number 1 was assigned, that the original had been discarded, but years ago at Camden, they were all there together: two ones and two twos.

Glen


gbrewer@yahoo.com

I was lucky enough to visit Reader in 1963 as our family was on the way to a 2 week rail adventure in Mexico. Thats another story.

We rode the mixed train with 2-8-2 #11. The 1702
was also on the property as I remember.

Regarding the #11 it went to some place in the south and ran for awhile....names escapes me at the moment(Craft you were there, chime in on this one)

It ran on the TTI(trans-Kentucky Transportation) line - former L&N line where we did our 1988 L&N 152 photo special) from about 1989 through 1993. In 1993 CSX was about to reposes the line I think, thus their higher insurance requirements ended steam trips. This was a cool line too!

We have some footage of #11 on the Kentucky Central in two of our videos.

Also I rode the tender of ES&NA woodburner #1 at Eureka Springs in 1988. Had a big cabbage stack, as I remember. That footage is in another video as well if anyone is interested.

Kentucky Central used to run Santa Claus trains each winter with #11, which were kinda cool. The first year there was some nice snow. They used to put a nice wreath on the front of 11 along with a nice red bow. Santa was on the rear platform of the 4 car train. Ah the good old days of the 80's, eh!!!

Greg Scholl

sales@gregschollvideo.com

Thanks for all the info. So in 1974, the railroad was performing revenue freight moves? That's a pretty interesting story since steam had quit in most places 10 (in few places) or earlier (most places) years previous. It sounds like a neat operation. The Yreka Western in CA ocasionally had to use its 2-8-2 #19 in freight service as they had one very unreliable diesel locomotive. They have since I heard acquired a new diesel and the #19 is out of service at the moment.

-Ed Kelley

GTNGRR@aol.com

Yes, Reader Railroad’s listing in the Official Guide of the Railways proudly proclaimed, “The last remaining regularly scheduled mixed train drawn exclusively by steam locomotives.”

The Reader was primarily freight. Their major industry was the Berry Refinery. Since the Refinery was online, low grade fuel for the engines was available at a good price. I think this was the primary reason whey Mr. Long continued to use steam. When the refindry shut down, so did the original Reader.

Gret Scholl has had many wonderful cab rides. But on the Reader one did not have to have media credentials. It was only necessary to sign a waiver; then anyone could ride the engine if there was room.

gbrewer@yahoo.com

> > Regarding the #11 it went to some place in
> the south and ran for awhile....names
> escapes me at the moment(Craft you were
> there, chime in on this one)

Not Crayuft, but the locale you seek is Hartwell, Gawgie. Gymbeaux.

http://nctrans.org
Wrinnbo@aol.com

> Not Crayuft, but the locale you seek is
> Hartwell, Gawgie. Gymbeaux.

hey, y'all. Gymbeaux, I thawt that wuz pernawnced Gawger...



ssyfrett@bellsouth.net

I rode and photographed the Reader many times in the late 60's and have several hundred feet of 8mm moives I took of it. Lots of memories. There is a small paperback book put out in 1970, called "Rails to Possum Trot". You may try e-bay for a copy.

jmyers@dart.org