Little Rock area RR questions

[ICG/SOU]

I'm looking around at Maps live, and wondered what all the lines were that went in and out of Little Rock. I imagine it was Rock Island, UP, MP, SSW, but didn't know who else went through there. So, I have some questions.

Did the Santa Fe go through there?
Whose roundhouse and turntable (now demolished and abandoned) is just west of Confederate Blvd (HWY 365 near 30th Street)?
Was there anything railroad related where the Clinton library is now? It looks like a few tracks converge to go to the bridge and cross the river.
Whose tracks went to the Riverfront area?
Was Little Rock and North Little Rock always a big maintenance facility?

Thanks very much.

 

[dave1905]

The ATSF never went through Little Rock.

The MP runs roughly N-S on the line between St Louis and Texarkana. They also have a line which ran from Little Rock towards Pine Bluff, and a line that ran from N Little Rock to Van Buren (Ft Smith) Ar.

The CRIP came in from the east (from Memphis) and then exited west going towards Ft Smith.

When the CRIP folded, the lines west became a short line, the LRWN. The CRIP track in Little Rock became the MP and the MP built some new feeder lines. to connect it all. They built a connection that runs along the state fair grounds over to the former CRIP yard at Biddle that allowed them to retire a bridge and a line through down town. During the Clinton Admin, they retired the "riverfront" line.

The SSW had its own line into Little Rock, but abandoned it and operates on trackage rights over the MP.

N Little Rock was always one of the major mechanical facilities for the MP (along with Palestine, TX, Sedailia and DeSoto MO.) Prior to the UP merger the MP planned and built Jenks Shops which can repair anything on an engine. They do complete rebuilds and overhauls for the UP system.

After the UP/SP merger the BNSF was granted trackage rights on the N-S line and the line from Little Rock to Pine Bluff.

 

[ICG/SOU]

Thank you, Dave.

 

[trainman1980]

The ATSF never went through Little Rock.

The MP runs roughly N-S on the line between St Louis and Texarkana. They also have a line which ran from Little Rock towards Pine Bluff, and a line that ran from N Little Rock to Van Buren (Ft Smith) Ar.

The CRIP came in from the east (from Memphis) and then exited west going towards Ft Smith.

When the CRIP folded, the lines west became a short line, the LRWN. The CRIP track in Little Rock became the MP and the MP built some new feeder lines. to connect it all. They built a connection that runs along the state fair grounds over to the former CRIP yard at Biddle that allowed them to retire a bridge and a line through down town. During the Clinton Admin, they retired the "riverfront" line.

The SSW had its own line into Little Rock, but abandoned it and operates on trackage rights over the MP.

N Little Rock was always one of the major mechanical facilities for the MP (along with Palestine, TX, Sedailia and DeSoto MO.) Prior to the UP merger the MP planned and built Jenks Shops which can repair anything on an engine. They do complete rebuilds and overhauls for the UP system.

After the UP/SP merger the BNSF was granted trackage rights on the N-S line and the line from Little Rock to Pine Bluff.

Also Arkansas Midland runs on the ex Rock Island line and Cotton Belt line in North Little Rock.