Arkansas-Kansas City service 1959-1960

[benjamintickell53]

On July 10, 1959, MoPac implemented a new fare initiative on two struggling routes, Kansas City – Little Rock and Kansas City – Newport. A single passenger train served each of these routes, and concern over the growing passenger train deficit had put both routes in jeopardy. The new promotion offered a round trip fare for the one way coach fare plus $1.00. Small brochures were distributed along the line and newspaper, radio and television advertising was also used to spread the word.

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Unfortunately, and perhaps predictably, the promotion was too little, too late, and MP filed with the Interstate Commerce Commission in November 1959, seeking permission to discontinue the runs. Finance Docket 20860 covered discontinuance of the last passenger trains on the White River Division while F.D. 20874 covered the last Central Division passenger trains. E.E. Spencer, who at that time was Assistant Passenger Traffic Manager, provided testimony before the ICC in both proceedings, revealing that his department had actually started studies, analysis and preparation for a discontinuance application in January 1959. It could be questioned whether the dollar round trip promotion was a serious last-ditch effort to build passenger service, or merely a cover to help bolster the argument that the trains had outlived their usefulness. In any event, EES testified in both cases that the promotion had resulted in an average increase of 5.5 tickets per day purchased using the round trip promotion, and that the revenue generated to the time of the hearings in early 1960 had not been sufficient to even recoup the cost of the advertising for the promotion.

Particularly in the case of Trains 125-126, the issue of potential additional express and mail revenue might have been enough to place these trains on a break-even or slightly profitable basis if judged strictly on out of pocket losses. When the many allocated costs were included, however, it was still a lost cause and both trains were approved for discontinuance. Trains 221-232 made last runs on March 22, 1960, and trains 125-126 made last runs one week later on March 28, 1960. Particularly in the case of the Central Division trains, ending passenger service allowed a reduction in station staffing along the route. In Conway, Morrilton, Russellville and Clarksville, separate freight stations were retired or sold when the remaining LCL-LTL operations were moved into former passenger station waiting rooms which had been converted into freight storage areas. In Newport, the end of the White River service eliminated revenue from overnight layover of crews and meals provided to connecting passengers, thus helping to precipitate the closing of the Missouri Pacific restaurant (the old Van Noy restaurant and hotel) later in 1960. The loss of railway post office service was perhaps one of the more significant impacts, affecting the ability of the Post Office to provide overnight delivery for many cities along the route. The KC & Claremore RPO and the Claremore & Little Rock RPO operated on the Central Division, while the KC & Carthage and the Carthage & Newport RPOs operated on the White River Division.

In actuality, both of these services had been allowed to “wither on the vine” for a number of years. The White River service was the last remnant of the old Southern Scenic, a route which once included through Pullman cars from Memphis to Denver. The last Kansas City-Memphis Pullman, line 3291, had been discontinued August 16, 1951, and the last passenger trains on the Memphis-Newport segment operated on June 30, 1952, thus relegating the remainder of the line to strictly local ridership to or from stations on this line. These trains continued over the Eastern Division between Pleasant Hill and Kansas City, identified as trains 210-211. Trains 210-211 were discontinued in early July 1957, with the equipment of 232 continuing to Kansas City in train 15, and the equipment for 221 originating in Kansas City on train 10. The baggage car and RPO are believed to have continued to operate into Kansas City until service ended in 1960, but the through Newport-Kansas City coach was discontinued in October 1957. The loss of direct service into Kansas City meant that a passenger off the White River line destined for Kansas City would wait at Pleasant Hill for three hours before traveling the final 34 miles into Kansas City. Eastbound, the arrangement was no more conducive to through business, with the cross-platform change at Pleasant Hill occurring between 12:32am and 1:20am.

The Central Division passenger service had not fared much better. These trains were the descendants of the Rainbow Special, a premier service that once held almost equal billing with the Scenic Limited and the Sunshine Special. Pullman line 3327, Kansas City to Little Rock, had been discontinued March 6, 1954, and trains 117-124 had been restructured into day trains in each direction, trains 125-146, effective May 23, 1954. Grill coach service ended April 30, 1956, necessitating the lengthening of an already slow schedule to allow for 30-minute meal stops at Fort Smith and Coffeyville in each direction. Grill coach service was restored from December 15, 1957 until January 31, 1959, but the overall schedule remained slow due to numerous intermediate stops. A passenger leaving Little Rock at 8:10am on train 126 was scheduled to arrive in Kansas City at 10:45pm, after almost 50 intermediate stops, about 14.5 hours elapsed trip time. The same passenger could have boarded Sunshine Special #32 at 11:50pm, had a layover in St. Louis Union Station from 7:50am until 8:50am, and then boarded No. 5, the Missouri River Eagle, for a quick trip to Kansas City, arriving at 2:20pm, also about 14.5 hours elapsed trip time, but one offering a far more comfortable ride. Passengers in Fort Smith could board a KCS bus to Sallisaw at 12:25pm and be in Kansas City at 7:45pm, versus leaving on No. 126 at 1:07pm for a ride of almost 10 hours.

We don’t have sample passenger counts from the White River trains, but the Central Division trains had a heavy volume of pass riders. Between Van Buren and Coffeyville on September 12, 1956, train 126 had 3 local riders, 17 through passengers, 17 pass riders and 2 cash fares. Between the same points on May 12, 1957, train 125 had 3 local, 9 through, 27 pass and 1 cash fare.

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In their final years of operation, the normal consist for trains 125-126 was a single E-unit or Alco PA, with a heavyweight baggage-mail, a heavyweight combine and a heavyweight coach. Weekends or heavy traffic might bring an extra baggage car or an extra coach. The normal consist for trains 221-232 was a steam-generator equipped GP7, a heavyweight baggage-mail and a heavyweight coach.

Sample consists:
August 27, 1956:
Train 126 – GP7 4146, baggage 4234, baggage-mail 2581, coach 6563, coach 6164.

May 12, 1957:
Train 125 – E7 7005, baggage-mail 2560, coach 6161, coach 6174, business car 6.

January 11, 1960:
Train 221 – GP7 4241, baggage-mail 2576, coach 6315. Train 232 – GP7 4318, baggage mail 2566, coach 6408.

March 20, 1960:
Train 125 – E6 7003, baggage mail 2582, combine 3612, coach 6165.
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Additional information is always appreciated.

Bill Pollard

[Author]

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