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COWCATCHER MAGAZINE

The Original Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad

The Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad was disassembled in 2017 but is being rebuilt, similar in scope, to a much larger size. Following is a description of the layout as it existed from 1995-2017.

About the W&PRR

The Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad is the official model railroad of Cowcatcher Magazine. Set in the hills of Northwest Arkansas in the mid-1980s during the Union Pacific merger era, the free-lanced N-scale subsidiary short line railroad has been a work in progress since 1984. The scope of the railroad is small but its strategic location southeast of Fort Smith offers plenty of opportunity from its Class I parent as well as the Kansas City Southern.

A mix of second-generation locomotives from UP, Missouri Pacific, Missouri-Kansas-Texas and Western Pacific move freight from interchanges in Pine Ridge, Whitehurst, Little Rock and Monroe. Locals run between Pine Ridge and Elaine, hauling coal, paper, cement, grain, lumber, petroleum, plastics and other goods.

UP trains from Kansas City, Dallas and Ft. Smith interchange with the W&PRR at Pine Ridge. KCS, with service from Fort Smith to Texarkana, interchanges with UP and the W&PRR in Pine Ridge.

The Monroe Northern, W&PRR’s sister short line in Monroe, provides a big connection for the cement industry. Cars bound for Fort Smith, Kansas City and Pine Bluff, Ark., are interchanged with UP and Burlington Northern in the Monroe Industrial District.

The layout has three levels compacted into a 9′ x 16′ footprint and runs on DC. Trains are controlled by MRC walk-around throttles.

Union Pacific's Midwest Star, powered by SD40 and SD40-2 locomotives, slowly crosses the trestle at Shelby Bluffs on the approach to Pine Ridge.
Union Pacific’s Midwest Star, powered by SD40 and SD40-2 locomotives, slowly crosses the trestle at Shelby Bluffs on the approach to Pine Ridge.
The Elaine switcher creeps along the line at Rock Ridge.
The Elaine switcher creeps along the line at Rock Ridge.
The W&PRR local pulls out of the freight station at Pine Ridge with three cars headed for interchange with the Union Pacific.
The W&PRR local pulls out of the freight station at Pine Ridge with three cars headed for interchange with the Union Pacific.
The switcher at Elaine works Rock Ridge Coal.
The switcher at Elaine works Rock Ridge Coal.
Petroleum is big business in Elaine.
Petroleum is big business in Elaine.
The engineer of W&PRR Train No. 1 returns to work after taking a break at Pine Ridge Junction.
The engineer of W&PRR Train No. 1 returns to work after taking a break at Pine Ridge Junction.

The New W&PRR

Updating an old layout in a big way

Time off from model railroading is sometimes good for the soul. In the two-plus years that the Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad has been laid up there has been plenty of opportunity to reflect about what makes an effective operating N-scale model railroad.

In the July/August 2019 edition of the Cowcatcher, plans were revealed to correct mistakes made on the previous iteration of the free-lanced railroad focused on the Union Pacific somewhere in Arkansas in the mid-1980s during the transition era.

To put it bluntly, the old layout was outdated and cramped. The operations plan was forced on a track plan that was initially built for continuous running. Operators had no elbow room and visitors could only stand in one place to observe 30 years of work. All they could do was polite nod like Chevy Chase did over the Grand Canyon.

While there was plenty to look at and many cars to move, the experience wasn’t comfortable.

MORE HERE

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Current Issue: March/April 2024

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NEW CHAPTER

On Jan. 1, 2024, BNSF Railway took over operations on the storied Montana Rail Link after a lease agreement between the railroads dating to the late 1980s was cut short. BNSF says operating as one railroad will bring benefits to customers and opportunities for freight growth in the region through enhanced capacity and stronger service. In some respects, the company views MRL's integration as a reunion.

NEW PRODUCTS HIGHLIGHT AMHERST

Model manufacturers debuted new products before record attendance at the Amherst Railway Society's Railroad Hobby Show in January. Micro-Trains announced new offerings in HO scale, a first for the company that specializes in N and Z trains. 

DEAL RAIL IS ALIVE

Smaller components and Bluetooth technology are making battery operation for HO scale more plausible. See how the Texas-based CLRR has gone from DCC to deal rail.

PLUS

KR Models' long-awaited skeletal logging cars arrive and make a nice impression. Also, a strong fourth-quarter finish lifts spirits for Class I railroad executives, who believe the momentum will carry over into this year. And the Denver & Rio Grande Western's Royal Gorge traversed mountains, traveled along rivers and glided through tunnels from Salt Lake City to Denver.