What's the status of that line? Inactive? Abandoned? Rails gone? What? Also, where are the rails in proximity to this picture: http://www.frisco.org/vb/album.php?albumid=87&attachmentid=13504 Is the photographer standing on the railroad bridge, or what? Thanks for any information Andre
Andre, The Fort branch is still an active line, although right now the line is down due to a couple bridge replacement projects. Although it sees little in the way of traffic, it will probably always remain in place since rail access is a big factor when they look at base closers. In fact it is probably in better shape than a lot of short line railroads. After this project there will only be two timber trestle left and they are working on replacing about 10,000 wood ties with composite ties. The photo was taken by a fellow named Kevin Kassay who lives in Chicago that was going to school at University of Missouri Rolla (UMR) at the time. He and I went out in March of 1989 and took a number of photographs at various locations along the line. This particular photograph was taken from the tracks looking towards the southwest. The spring is called Shanghai Spring, not sure on the spelling, and has a fairly high gpm flow. The water flows under County Road 2630, then through large pipes underneath the roadbed and then into the Big Piney River. In the summertime when it is clear the water is a very deep blue color. Brad
I drove past it a couple of months ago and they had the new ties laying along the track then. This was in the bottom land area near Jerome. One of my buddy's who is an Army Sergeant told me awhile back that the Army is considering cutting its railroad program and outsourcing the work to private companies. So the entire line may wind up in BNSF's hands one day. On road maps it shows up as "US Army". Pat Moreland, Union, MO
Thanks for the replies, guys. The line looks like it has really great scenery. Maybe one of these days I can amble along and see it for myself. Andre
The 1st Iowa Division of NARCOA usually holds a fall motorcar ride over it. This years was cancelled due to the bridge and track work. John Chambers
Stopped under Bunk House Trestle bridge on Pulaski County Road 1729, Temporal Road, in October, 2012.
Just vision in your mind what the scene was in the early 1940s when the Fort Leonard Wood Branch line opened. During the first few years, two Frisco 2-10-2 "spot" engines, SLSF 19 and SLSF 40, were used out of Newburg to service the branch. The sight of those big brutes slowly lugging along with their train through that rugged, rustic Ozark hill country must have been a sight to behold. Wow! Don, Are there any pictures of a spot working on the branch line or at the fort? Ken
Article in today's Springfield News-Leader, This Week In Ozarks History - describes several events: Maybe you can pull it up directly out of the paper. Note: "29 miles of railroad and countless miles of road were constructed within five months." I have not been successful so will quote a portion: "Dec. 3, 1940: Formal groundbreaking ceremonies were held for Fort Leonard Wood. Four Iowa contractors - Newman of Des Moines, Kilinger, Lytis and Western of Sioux City had the job building the base. Denton Smith, a Springfield businessman, served as personnel and labor relations manager for the contractors. He recalled, "The contractors were from Iowa and thought the weather would be like Iowa - that there'd be a hard freeze and they could go right ahead and work the ground all winter. But at Fort Wood, it would freeze at night and thaw during the day. They hadn't counted on all that mud." Approximately 32,000 men worked in shifts around the clock to build the base. Despite the cold weather and mud, 1,600 buildings, 17 bridges, 29 miles of railroad and countless miles of road were constructed within five months. In February 1941, one million board feet of lumber was laid every 24 hours, and a standard 63-man barracks was completed on average of every 37 minutes. Springfield News & Leader.
