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The Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad

The N-scale Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad operates between Dallas and Kansas City in the Union Pacific merger era. An array of locomotives from several railroads absorbed by UP typically head trains moving goods across the network. – Cowcatcher Magazine

The Arkansas Pine Route

The Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad is a short line about midway along the proto-lanced Union Pacific route between Dallas and Kansas City in the 1980s. At a time when the UP was well into absorbing other railroads, the W&PRR emerged to handle the last mile for customers in western Arkansas.

The latest iteration of the W&PRR, the Arkansas Pine Route, has been underway since late 2018. Since then, it has blossomed into operations and made significant progress on scenery. Operationally, the layout offers long mainline runs and branch line switching with big-city and small-town flavors.

As the W&PRR emerged from a Plywood Pacific in early 2020, the pandemic unfolded. Progress begun being documented in the Cowcatcher at that time, as well as on the magazine’s website.

Layouts are not built overnight, so there is much more to come. So, follow along and take advantage of the following resources to see a layout in progress.

System Diagram

Featured Articles in Print

The New Subway on the W&PRR (July/August 2020)

Operational model railroads typically have a life of their own behind backdrops and underneath the main decking, unseen by visitors. Trains and cuts of cars linger there in the shadows, awaiting their entrance on the grand stage, only to fade into the woodwork once the lights are dimmed.

Those hidden tracks and narrow alleyways are known as staging, and they come in various sizes and lengths. A unique feature of the old N-scale Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad was what a friend named the subway, a complex network of track intended to be staging. The system was not a good example of staging and often took some white-knuckle operations to navigate.

That experience inspired lower staging on the new W&PRR, which is a key part of the operating scheme. The system avoids hidden multiple-track staging and offers the feel of an extended main line running much of the layout’s perimeter.

Expanding a Commercial Viaduct (November/December 2020)

When plotting the main line across Boonville Canyon on the N-scale Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad, the need for a long bridge was obvious. A staple of Atlas N-scale is the N-Viaduct Kit. Easy to build, the early American-style structure assembles into four arches of simulated cut stone masonry.

The Carthage Viaduct has performed flawlessly since install and is a key piece of the W&PRR’s main line from Kansas City to Dallas. The structure adds intrigue to the W&PRR and a little something extra for visitors to observe.

Hidden Mains: Expanding a Tight Spot (March/April 2021)

Layout builders must fit hundreds of prototypical miles into a compact space. At some point the main line may either cross itself or run parallel.

Usually, one end of the track can be hidden behind a backdrop, in a tunnel, in back of buildings or disguised along an elevated ridge.

The N-scale, point-to-point Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad does a good job of separating the main line as it winds around a three-pronged benchwork design, with the exception of one place. On one prong the far ends of the main line come precariously close. The answer to distract the eye was a dense tree line.

The Times-Gazette is a modern-day newspaper printing facility derived from Walthers’ N-scale Warehouse kit. – Cowcatcher Magazine.

Modeling Newspaper Operations (September/October 2021 and November/December 2021)

With the wealth of soft pines along the Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad’s Arkansas Pine Route, it’s only natural that the pulp and paper industry thrives on the western edge of Arkansas.

The W&PRR’s service area extends well beyond the many harvesting fields and mills, but newsprint is a key commodity. Large rolls of 30-pound newsprint produced in Pine Bluff, Ashdown and Prescott are regularly delivered to Elaine Offset in Van Buren and The Times-Gazette in Texarkana, where yesterday’s news comes to life.

In Texarkana on the W&PRR, The Times-Gazette has made a big capital expense in a 14,000-square-foot printing and distribution facility.

To order these issues, visit our Back Issues page!

Featured Articles on the Web

The Original Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad – The original W&PRR was conceived in Watauga, TX, in the mid-1980s and evolved into a loop railroad serving Whitehurst, Pine Ridge and Elaine.

Overview of the New Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad – On New Year’s Eve 2018, the first nails were pounded into the wood framework for the expanded W&PRR.

NEW! Evolution of Operations – Work has been steady on the W&PRR since the onset of the pandemic. The biggest development of the railroad has been defining its purpose. What does it do? Why is it there? Where is it going?

  • Delivery Delays

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  • Re-Discovery

    Just about every weekend, Ron Natinsky mans the Model Train Garden, unofficially the OBGT (Our Big Garden Train), on a small plot a stone’s throw behind the Butterfly House at the Texas Discovery Gardens in Dallas. It has been his labor of love for four years, since agreeing to donate his time and what was left of his G-scale collection to create a public garden railroad experience. Each year, about 25,000 people visit the railroad at Fair Park.

     

  • Expanding a small oil company

    On the N-scale Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad, the Ozark Oil Co. has provided small-batch petroleum products for Whitehurst, Pine Ridge and Van Buren since 1961. Until recently, two small tanks were enough for Ozark to manage its customer base. But the arrival of Walthers’ Cornerstone Oil Storage Tank Kit signaled additional capacity to meet growing demand.

     – Cowcatcher Magazine

     

  • ‘Loose car’ deliveries

    Incorporating “loose car” deliveries is applicable for railroads large and small in modeling railroads in any era. An example is a small family-owned lumber company in Houston. The lumber transfer and storage facility near downtown is on the former Southern Pacific Sunset Route mainline and receives regular deliveries of centerbeam cars. It is a perfect fit for anyone looking to model a modern small industry served by a big railroad, either on a permanent layout or a module.

  • PLUS…

    The Rocky Mountain Train Show returned with gusto in early April after being sidelined in 2021 because of the pandemic. …

     

    Canadian railroads make the grade on Amtrak’s annual host railroad report card, but some U.S. freight railroads fell short. …

     

    The Monon’s Thoroughbred was the Hoosier Line’s racehorse and the “lifeline of Indiana” on the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville Railway. …

     

    THESE STORIES AND MORE, PLUS A FULL CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS AND THE BUSINESS PULSE OF THE RAILROAD INDUSTRY!

     

  • Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad





    Visit the new N-scale Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad, the official model railroad of the Cowcatcher Magazine, and track progress. All aboard!
  • Product News & Review

    Athearn EMD SD70ACu Locomotive

     

     

    The Cowcatcher reviews Athearn Trains’ newly released HO-scale SD70ACu diesel locomotive in the March/April 2022 issue. The Canadian Pacific model sent for review is highly detailed and rugged, with plenty of gusto to pull a lot of cars.

     

    More product reviews!

     

    See product news!

     

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