Belt Locomotives. By Joseph A. Strapac. (1977. Reprint, Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1999. Pp. 244. Foreword, acknowledgments, illustrations, maps, tables. $59.95.) The Texas and St. Louis Railroad was built through Arkansas in 18821883 and by then was already called the Cotton Belt Route. The builder was well-known Arkansan Samuel Fordyce, and because of stringent economic conditions the line was constructed to narrow gauge standards (three feet between the rails instead of the standard gauge of four feet, eight and one-half inches). The line had its origin as the Tyler Tap Railroad, built by a group of businessmen from Tyler, Texas, to transport cotton and other products to a connection with the Texas and Pacific line at Big Sandy, twenty-two miles distant. Because of freight rate problems with the Jay Gould-controlled T&P, the Tyler group decided to raise funds to build on to Texarkana where better freight rates could be obtained from the more friendly St. Louis and Iron Mountain road. But by the time the line reached Texarkana, both the T&P and the Iron Mountain were under the control of Gould. James Paramore and other St. Louis investors became interested in extending the road to St. Louis to rival the Iron Mountain, and plans were developed to build from Texarkana north to the Mississippi River at Bird's Point, Missouri, opposite Cairo, Illinois. Using barge transport across the river, the line would connect at Cairo with other lines, some narrow gauge, to provide outlets not only to St. Louis but also to cities in Ohio and Indiana. The investors also had visions of extending the road south to Laredo, Texas, and, through connections, to Mexico City. The route of the line between Texarkana and Bird's Point would be longer than that of the Iron Mountain, and the communities served, such as Pine Bluff, Brinkley, and Jonesboro, could not be expected to contribute strongly to freight revenues. During line locations, construction, and later operation, Sam Fordyce provided the leadership. Later, in 1886, he became president. But, by that time, Jay Gould had gathered in the Belt as one of his own! In 1886, the line was converted to standard gauge, with the 419 miles between Texarkana and Bird's Point being changed in one day. In 1891, the line was re-incorporated as the St. Louis Southwestern Railway, a name that was retained until the merger of the line into the Union Pacific system in 1996. In 1932, the Southern Pacific Railroad acquired control of the Belt through stock ownership, and for the next sixty-five years allowed the company to operate independently and, for most years, received good dividends from it. At its maximum size, the line operated between Gatesville, Texas and St. Louis (with trackage rights into St. Louis over the Missouri Pacific). …
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Jun 30, 2022
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