These pics were taken April 7, 2005 while I was up in Ft. Smith, AR visiting my newborn granddaughter. While Mama and baby were recovering from their trip home from the hospital, I did some railfanning in the area, and came up with these: Arkansas & MIssouri C420 50 (and a sister C420, number unknown) near Gerber Foods, north of the A&M yard. A&M, an all-Alco shortline, operates the ex-Frisco line from MOnett, MO to Ft. Smith. The ex-Frisco yard is still lagely intact, and the car repair shed has been enclosed to allow for motive power storage during traffic downturns. This line keeps its engines clean (right down to polishing the brass bells with Brasso before every run). Ft. Smith Railroad GP20 2038 sitting shut down, awaiting its next work shift. FSR is a Pioneer Railcorp line, and operates the ex-MoPac branch from Van Buren (reached via trackage rights on A&M) to Ft. Chaffee, AR. Another FSR GP20. Both of these engines are ex-Santa Fe, and I'm thinking they sport their original ATSF numbers. At one time there were 5 railroads in Ft. Smith (Frisco, MP, KCS, Ft. Smith and Western, and Midland Valley); now, besides the A&M and FSR, only the KCS remains, reaching town from the south via the ex-Frisco line from Ft. Smith to Poteau, OK (thru Oklahoma's only railroad tunnel north of Jenson and mere yards from the AR state line). [ November 08, 2005, 12:35 AM: Message edited by: friscobob ]
Aside from a few GP40s at startup, the A&M has remained 100 % Alco-powered. Mostly 251 prime movers, aside from the rare RS1 they may have (it has the old 539 prime mover). The T6 switchers are all 251-powered. The roster is mostly C420s, but I understand the road picked up some C424s from the Belt Railway of Chicago and some other Alcos from BC Rail. The C630 they had has gone elsewhere.
good shots frisco! I remember reading somewhere that their machine shop loves the old Alcos and can get parts for the diesels b/c that basic engine is still in use on marine engines...... beast
