Saturday, June 23, 2007 at Brinkley, Arkansas and Brasfield, Arkansas on the abandoned Rock Island 'Sunbelt' Line. Brasfield is about 10 miles or so west of Brinkley and they were celebrating their 100th year as a town. There used to be a huge lumber mill in Brasfield and there is some old Rock Island track still located on a spur to the old lumber mill, plus the piers are still in place for the Cache River Rock Island bridge, near where the Ivory-bill Woodpecker was possibly sighted in 2004. Also today, at Brinkley: Conrail 8357, CSX 8038, UP 5339, NS  9188. (Photos by Ken Ziegenbein)




Conrail 8357 passes the Brinkley Depot Museum at 9:51 a.m. Sorry about the dirty window I was looking through, but it is almost impossible for me to get out the door fast enough to see the trains after I hear them, as they move at track speed (which I believe is 58 mph). As many of you know, I volunteer at the Brinkley Depot Museum and these shots were mostly taken from the old ticket office windows.


CSX 8038, 10:10 a.m.


11:31 a.m., UP 5339. The sun wasn't hitting the window anymore.


11:39 a.m., NS 9188 just left the siding north of Brinkley, southbound.


In Brasfield, looking south at the old Rock Island roadbed grade. I noticed two Evergreen containers stored right on the grade.






Wish I could put railroad trucks under these and hook them to a Rock Island train and head to Memphis. I am facing to the east, toward Brinkley.  Can anybody look up the ID numbers and see when these were built or their last train movement? I have no idea why they were here.


Rock Island tracks that went to the abandoned lumber mill. They curved to the right toward Rock Island's main line. I am southeast of the old main grade.


Looking toward the old mill.




Sign on display of a photo of the long-gone W. P. Brown and Sons Lumber Company of Brasfield, Arkansas.


Two old pickup trucks at Brasfield.


Piers for the Rock Island's Cache River bridge are overgrown with weeds.


Looking generally east toward the Cache River.




This is a rusted rear end from an automobile, found close to one of the old bridge piers. The end items are brake drum assemblies. (via Don Vaughn on the Abondoned railroads of the US Yahoo group)


The Brasfield, Arknasas Rock Island depot was located to the left of that tree to the right.


Tracks still in the 'city' street.