Ultima, Thule, Arkadelphia, & Mississippi Railway
The Ultima Thule, Arkadelphia, & Mississippi Railway was owned by the Arkadelphia Lumber Company beginning operations in the mid-1880s. It was originally meant to connect Arkadelphia with Ultima Thule but ultimately only connected Daleville with Dalark (just east of Arkadelphia). At its peak the UTA&M operated nearly 50 miles of track, including timber spurs. The railroad remained in use until the company's saw mill closed in 1912, ceasing operations.
Warren & Ouachita Valley Railway
The Warren & Ouachita Valley Railway was jointly owned by the Arkansas Lumber Company and the Southern Lumber Company. It was incorporated in 1899 and began operations around 1901 connecting Banks with Warren, a distance of about 16 miles. At both locations the W&OV had connections with Class I lines, the Rock Island (Banks) and the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway (Warren). The railroad was another of the "tap lines", hauling the finished lumber products to the Rock Island and StLIM&S. However, it also operated direct logging trains to the mills as well.
Warren, Johnsville & Saline River Railroad
The Warren, Johnsville & Saline River Railroad was owned by the Bradley Lumber Company and began operations around 1901. At its peak the railroad operated some 15 miles in length connecting Warren (where there was a connection with the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway) with Hermitage and a connection with the Rock Island. The WJ&SR brought logs to the company mill at Warren at which point the finished products are shipped off to the Rock Island and StLIM&S at their respective interchange points. In 1920 it was renamed as the Warren & Saline River Railroad and is still in operation today owned by the Potlatch Corporation.
Helena Southwestern Railroad
The Helena Southwestern Railroad was a small 2.3 mile logging line that was owned by the Chicago Mill & Lumber Company. It served the company's lumber mill at West Helena and interchanged freight with the Missouri & North Arkansas Railway and Missouri Pacific. Operations began in late 1913 and the railroad was abandoned by 1920.
De Queen & Eastern Railroad
The De Queen & Eastern Railroad began operations in 1900 and was originally owned by the Dierks Lumber & Coal Company. It was a larger operation and operated as much as a shortline as a logging railroad (even operating passenger service) initially owning 37 miles of track serving De Queen, Provo, and Perkins. Today, the railroad still operates and still moves large amounts of wood-based products. It is currently owned by Patriot Rail, Corporation.
Fordyce & Princeton Railroad
The Fordyce & Princeton Railroad dated back to 1889 when it was chartered by the Fordyce Lumber Company to tap nearby timber reserves to serve its mill located in Dallas County. The line was originally narrow-gauge but later switched to standard gauge. When it originally opened the railroad operated 9.4 miles of track between Fordyce and Toan although as the years went it cutback operations to just a little more than 1 mile. In 1963 it was purchased by Georgia Pacific during which time it grew to its largest size in the early 1980s when it picked up a former Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad (Rock Island) branch to Crossett. Today, it is owned by Genesee & Wyoming and operates about 57 miles of trackage.
Central Railway Company of Arkansas
This logging line was chartered by the Fort Smith Lumber Company in 1906 and was intended to build 130 miles from Hot Springs to Casa. However, only 13 miles were ever built between Brizi and Ola, where it connected with the Rock Island. The railroad served its mill at Plainview, about half-way along the main line. It remained in operation until about 1932.
Memphis, Dallas & Gulf Railroad
The MD&G was owned by the Graysonia & Nashville Lumber Company and created on June 1, 1910 when it took over the operations of the Antoine Valley Railroad and Ultima, Thule, Arkadelphia & Mississippi Railway. The railroad served Murfreesboro, Tokio, Nashville, Schaal and a connection with the Kansas City Southern and Frisco at Ashdown. It remained in operation until 1922.
Homan & Southeastern Railway
The Homan & Southeastern Railway was founded in 1904 by the Kelly Lumber Company to serve its mill near Arthur, which was very close to the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway's main line. From there, the railroad operated 12 miles into the Arkansas countryside to tap the area's timber reserves. Just two years after operating, Kelly Lumber failed and was replaced by the Homan Lumber Company. The operation ceased after 1910 when the mill was destroyed by fire.
The Reader Railroad is one of Arkansas's more historic such companies. It dated back to the Sayre Narrow Gauge Railway of 1889, which was built to serve a sawmill near Gurdon (where there was an interchange with the StLIM&S) and tap lumber reserves just south of Reader. In 1925 A. S. Johnson purchased then owner Valley Lumber Company and renamed the operation as the Reader Railroad. New ownership built the line further to Waterloo where it gained new freight in the way of oil discovered in there, a staple that would carry the railroad nearly through its end. It was the last system to use steam locomotives, which remained on the roster until the late 1960s and was finally abandoned in 1991. There is currently an effort underway to resume tourist train operations on part of the line.
L'Anguille River Railway
This railroad was chartered in 1902 by the Miller Lumber Company and operated just over one-mile of track from Marianna to lumber mills located along the nearby L'Anguille River. It did move some additional freight, like bricks, but was finally abandoned in 1932.
Little Rock, Maumelle & Western Railroad
This railroad, chartered and originally owned by the A. J. Neimeyer Lumber Company, began service in 1907 serving an area just south of Little Rock where it connected with the StLIM&S to Maumelle and Carnes. From this point the line operated several small logging branches. The LRM&W remained in service until about 1932.
Saline Bayou Railway
The Saline Bayou Railway was chartered by the Oak Leaf Mill Company in 1905. It served the lumber mill at Oak Leaf and nearby connection with the StLIM&S, reaching 14 miles to tap various timber reserves. It remained in use until only 1913.
Beirne & Clear Lake Railroad
The Beirne & Clear Lake Railroad was chartered by the Penn Lumber Company in 1909. At its peak the narrow-gauge line operated 41 miles of logging spurs serving the company's mill at Beirne.
Brookings & Peach Orchard Railroad
The Brookings & Peach Orchard Railroad was charted by the Quellmalz Lumber & Manufacturing Company in 1908 to take over the operations of the Harris Manufacturing Company. It had originally built a narrow-gauge railroad to serve its lumber mill at Brookings with a connection to the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern about three miles away. Quellmalz Lumber updated the railroad to standard gauge although it never grew any larger than its original 3 miles.
Saginaw & Ouachita River Railroad
The S&ORRR was chartered by the Saginaw Lumber Company in 1905 to serve its mill near Saginaw with the StLIM&S's line a little more than two miles away. The line remained in use until only 1913.
Saline River Railway
The Saline River Railway was chartered by the Saline River Lumber in 1897. The railroad had two interchange points; at Draughon it connected with the St. Louis Southwestern Railway where the company's mill was located and Glynn, where it interchanged with the Warren & Ouachita Valley Railway, another logging line. Overall the railroad operated just 2 miles of track.
Thornton & Alexandria Railway
The Thornton & Alexandria was founded by the Stout Lumber Company in 1904 to take over a narrow-gauge line that was originally built by the Stout-Greer Lumber Company. The mill was located at Thornton, where it interchanges with the Cotton Belt, and also reached Hampton from which point logging spurs radiated about five miles to tap timber reserves. It remained in operation until around 1927.
Blytheville, Burdette & Mississippi River Railway
This logging railroad was constructed by the Three States Lumber Company in 1906 to serve its mill Burdette with fresh logs near Wolverton Landing, about five miles away. It was a standard gauge line and interchanged with the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway. The railroad remained in use until 1922.
For more information regarding the state's logging railroad history please click here. The page provides a detailed list of operations, the years they were in service, and other information.