New book from the Missouri Pacific Historical Society

[peggyrothschild]

Coming this September.
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Down the Iron Mountain Route – Hardcover
A Pictorial Railroad History through Arkansas
By Charles A. Duckworth
This is a pictorial history book on the Iron Mountain railroad in Arkansas. This hardcover book is 8.5×11″, 152 pages, 255 illustrations (240 of these are period photographs of Iron Mountain structures taken before 1925 the remaining illustrations are maps, period brochures and timetables. Over 100 photos are of station and depots the remaining photos are of seldom seen section houses, tool houses, berry and cotton sheds, telegraph cabins and even the single hole privies. Dimensions are provided of the buildings in the book and the surrounding structures as well. The depot photos came from several sources, the Missouri Pacific Historical Society archives, National Museum of Transportation, Bill Pollard and other private collections. Many of the depots in the book were torn down by the 1930’s due to the building of all weather roads which reduced the need for facilities in many smaller locations.

Keeping the modeler and rail historian in mind the photos were printed as large as possible. The captions include what type and the number of rail customers at each location (saw mills, wagon manufacturers, livestock dealers, etc). The photos are organized in geographical order so the reader will see the stations as they would riding a passenger train. Chapter with the depot photos starts at Corning, Arkansas through to Texarkana, from Little Rock to the Ft. Smith area with several branch lines being documented.

Chapters are:
– History of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railroad
– Background to the ICC Valuations
– Depots and Buildings along the Iron Mountain
– Definitions of the Buildings and Structures in the Photographs
– Station Design and Colors
– Dimensions of the Structures
– Bibliography
– Index

Only 650 books are being printed with each being individually numbered. The book is at the publisher now and is to be printed this coming September. The goal is to have it available for the Missouri Pacific Historical Society annual convention in October.

Missouri Pacific Historical Society member price is $49.95*

Non-member pricing will be $54.95* until September 1, 2017 the price will be $59.95*
* shipping excluded

To reserve your book, email [email protected]. There is no money due until you are notified that your book is available and instructions will be included on how to pay. If you’d rather use U.S. Mail reserve your book send your reservation to:

Missouri Pacific Historical Society
16318 Valley St
Omaha, NE. 68130

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[peggyrothschild]

Books arrived on Monday evening and started shipping to those who have paid. If you live in Omaha and want to come by and pick yours up just let me know at [email protected]

[amosluettgen1665]

Mine arrived this afternoon – it’s a winner – thanks Charlie!

…gregg

[mopac]

Nice book. It gives a look at long gone Arkansas Railroading along the Iron Mountain Route.

Gene Semon

[mopac]

My book arrived today it is #79 of 650. All I can say is incredible book and well executed.
I would like to thank Charlie and all the people involved who helped get this published.

We have one of the best Historical societies going and this just proves it. I have been a member
since the early days when it was a 4 page mimeographed paper. I think 1973.

Now please do the 1939- 59 Passenger car CD’s. If I can help some one contact me off
the list and tell what is needed. I might be able to scan diagrams.

Regards

Bill Basden Delta Models http://www.deltamodelsusa.com

[luisflierl26]

Bill:

Another passenger CD could certainly be in the a possibility. We have a number of them scanned, probably need to locate a few to complete the set.

Obviously support and requests from people will help decide future offerings.

Thanks,
David

[peggyrothschild]

Bill
Glad to see you are enjoying the book – around 100 have been mailed so far and I’ve received several emails from buyers that also like it. I’m going to mail off a couple of review copies to increase sales outside the Missouri Pacific Historical Society. The next Eagle has an add to on how to order. They will also be available at the joint MP-CEI meet next month.

[peggyrothschild]

Review by Jim Ogden of the Iron Mountain book off the Yahoo Group:

Here is my mini review of a new book by Charlie Duckworth and available through the MPHS.
First, I have no financial connection with Charles A. Duckworth or the Donning Company, Publishers. I consider Charlie a friend and both of us have served in several capacities in the Missouri Pacific Historical Society. I am somewhat familiar with the Iron Mountain from my formative years in what was the “Valley” division between McGehee, Arkansas, and Monroe, Louisiana and I still plan to model the mainline between Gurdon and Hope circa 1952 which is certainly covered by this book.

Most of my railroad book buying for the past ten years have been the color guides from Four Ways West and Morning Sun; these “128 page wonders” are very useful for the equipment buff who is building a believably weathered freight car roster. These books certainly have their place, but for layout building, these are not nearly as useful. This new book is primarily black and white with some period colorized content, 152 pages.. The photos are large and sharp which was no small accomplishment since the valuation crews did not have time to think about composition and framing. These are supplemented with other photos from other sources such as the author, the MPHS, or Dr. Bill Pollard’s collection. It does not feature the same photos in Railroad Stations and Trains through Arkansas and the Southwest by Clifton Hull– many are published for the first time and it is primarily pre-1925.

Charlie has a short introduction where he describes why the ICC undertook such a endeavor as measuring and photographing all the railroad structures in the country for tax purposes and how he was able to find a set of valuation photos and an accompanying set of measurements and field notes and combine them. He gives a little background on the Iron Mountain as part of Gould’s Missouri Pacific System and organizes the structures based on specific regions of the Iron Mountain. There were several styles of depots in use in the period (all common Gould/ MoP designs) with the earliest a board and batten and then the more familiar ones with the drop siding and a dutch-style roof with curved eaves, and then the attractive hip roof designs. County seats got attractive brick depots with tile roof and end porches and these are shown.. But the thing that really impresses me are the auxiliary buildings such as cotton or berry sheds, water tanks, and pump houses. Most towns had the ubiquitous tool sheds but photos of section houses and office buildings and scale houses are also included. I’m pretty sure if one models any time from 1915 to 1935, plenty of barrels, crates, and the local gentry sitting at the stations playing mubbley peg with their pocket knives on the station platforms. Ladders are everywhere and he mentions what industries are present locally.

One has to wish for the appearance of a complete set of valuation photos and field notes from Kansas or Louisiana even Oklahoma so more volumes can be done. Since the depot designs are virtually the same as on other lines, this book would be useful to someone interested in the central Kansas Division– the Jim Crow designs primarily changed the interiors layout. Charlie has an eye for the modeler (he is a superb HO modeler, “Great War” aircraft aficionado and artist) and the photographs are perfect for building a layout and getting the details right. My treks across Kansas and Louisiana had depots similar to these and they all had similar structures.

My suggestion is since only 650 were printed to not waste any tine in ordering your copy. You will not be disappointed.
Jim Ogden Fort Worth, Texas

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