Description

This is a hardcover, 8.5″ x 11″ size book with perfect-bound stitching. So, the book will last for years of use (printed in the United States by Walsworth Publishing in Missouri). 152 pages, 255 illustrations. 240 of the illustrations are period photographs of St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern structures made before 1925. The remaining illustrations are maps and period brochures.

Over 150 photos are of stations and depots (see the list below), the remaining photos are of railroad structures that were seldom photographed; section houses, tool houses, berry and cotton sheds, telegraph cabins and even the privies. Dimensions are provided for the buildings in the book and the surrounding structures as well. The depot photos came from several sources including the Missouri Pacific Historical Society archives, National Museum of Transportation collection, Bill Pollard and other private collections.

Also included are color period advertising items and maps. 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 types of rail customers were at the different locations (saw mills, wagon manufacturers, livestock dealers, etc). The number of stock pens and capacity of stock cars is also provided. The photos are organized in geographical order so the reader will see the stations as they would riding a passenger train through Arkansas. The chapter with the depot photos starts at Corning, Arkansas  and then goes through to Texarkana. It then goes 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

Arkansas locations with photographs covered in the book:

Alexander, Alica, Alix, Alma, Altus, Argenta, Arkadelphia, Atkins, Augusta, Bald Knob, Batesville, Beebe, Benton, Bierne, Blackville, Bonair, Boughton, Bradford, Brookland, Bryant, Cabin Creek, Cabot, Caldwell, Camden, Cherry Valley, Clarendon, Clarksville, Clear Lake Junction, Coal Hill, Colt, Conway, Corning, Curtis, Cypress Junction, Delaplaine, Denning Yard, Denning, Dermott, Diaz, Donaldson, Doss, Dyer, Forrest City, Fort Smith, Fulton, Gainesville, Galla, Garner, Gifford, Grande Glaise, Greenfield, Greenwood, Guion, Gum Springs, Gurdon, Hamburg, Harrisburg, Haskells (Rock Island Tower), Haskells, Haynes, Helena Crossing, Higginson, Homan, Hope, Hot Springs, Hoxie, Hurd, Jacksonville, Jenny Lind, Judsonia, Kensett, Knobel, Knoxville, La Grange, Lafe, Lakeview, Lamar, Latour Junction, Lexa, Little Rock, London, Mablevale, Malvern, Mandeville, Marche, Marianna, McAlmont, McGehee, McRae, Menifee, Mill Creek, Minturn, Montana, Monticello, Morrilton, Mulberry, Nettleton, New Augusta, Newark, Newport, Norman, North Little Rock, Nuckles, O’Kean, Olyphant, Ozark, Palarm, Paragould, Peach Orchard, Pine Bluff, Piney, Plummerville, Poplar Grove, Prescott, Rio Vista, Russell, Russellville, Smithton, South Fort Smith, Spadra, Swifton, Texarkana, Tuckerman, Van Buren, Vanndale, Walnut Ridge, Ward, Warren, White Hall, White River Bridge 314, Witherspoon, Womble, and Wynne.

A limited number of books are being printed with each being individually numbered. Proceeds from the sale of this book will go to support the MPHS archives.

Comments from buyers:

“Mine arrived Wednesday and I cannot put it down. It is exquisite with sharp photos and well written text. Since I plan to model the south end of the Arkansas division it will be extremely useful”.

“Congratulations on the new book. It is a fine piece of rail history and the depot photos are a treasure for modelers”.

“I read it late into last night and am really enjoying it. I have been to many of the locations in the book so seeing photos of how they used to be is very interesting”.

“I wish to take a moment to thank you for your work on the Iron Mountain book. Well done! I received my copy today (fast service). I was very pleasantly surprised to find the Greenwood Branch represented since photos and information on it have been very difficult to locate. I had not previously seen any of these photos of the Jenny Lind and Greenwood structures. The book exceeded my expectations”.

“The book is even better than I expected. Great job!”

“I finished your book late this afternoon. It’s amazing!”

“I finally found time to study the book and have to say well done….. Some of those structures really cry out to be modeled.”

“I received the book Thursday. It is terrific. I appreciate all of the time that you must have spent compiling it”.