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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

Back to Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Main Page

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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!

     

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