Saturday, February 23, 2008 - Trains at Clarendon and Ulm, Arkansas on the main south-line of the Union Pacific, the same line that runs through Brinkley, Arkansas (former Cotton Belt). Ulm is located about 8 miles east of Stuttgart and about 30 miles southwest of Brinkley. Clarendon is about 19 miles east of Stuttgart. Both Stuttgart and Ulm are old German settlements, but Stuttgart is much larger due to the huge rice farming corporations in this part of Arkansas. Ulm only has a population of 205 (much like my hometown of New Ulm, Texas). Clarendon has 1,960 and Stuttgart has a population of 9,376. This area also has several Lutheran Churches, rare in Arkansas, mostly due to the German settlers.
   Two trains today. Included: UP 4621 (two times) *** NS 8810 *** scenes of the White River Highway bridge in Clarendon and scenes of downtown Ulm, Arkansas.



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LEFT-The US 79 high bridge across the White River at Clarendon, looking west. After you cross the bridge, there are miles of continuous low bridges over the White River National Wildlife Refuge, which floods frequently. They have a birding festival every couple of years here. The railroad bridge is to the left out of the picture. RIGHT-A southbound intermodal at 11:06 a.m. It just went under the US 79 overpass at Clarendon.


LEFT-UP 4621, 11:06 a.m. at Clarendon. I could not get to a site where I could see the railroad bridge, which is behind trees to my right. RIGHT-About to cross the White River.


In Ulm, Arkansas.

Downtown Ulm, Arkansas.


LEFT-11:30 a.m. train in distance.  I'm looking toward the east. RIGHT-NS 8810 with an auto-train arriving in Ulm at 11:33 a.m.


RIGHT-Standing on the street, looking westward at the fast and straight UP main.


RIGHT-11:44, the UP train I caught in Clarendon is about to reach Ulm.


UP 4621 again. I assume the Ulm depot once stood about where the ties are located.


Railroad depot at Clarendon. The current UP tracks are well west of this area. Railroad depot at Clarendon. The current UP tracks are well west of this area. According to Bill Pollard: "The red Clarendon depot pictured was originally the Missouri Pacific depot.  The Mop's Helena-Clarendon line was the originally the Arkansas Midland, then Arkansas Central, then Arkansas Midland again, and Pine City to Brinkley was the Brinkley, Helena & Indian Bay.  Arkansas Midland purchased BH&IB, and then itself fell under the Iron Mountain ownership during 1901.  The segment from Holly Grove to Clarendon was abandoned in 1956, but the stub from Barton Junction to Marvel and Holly Grove lasted into the 1970s.  [Holly Grove-Marvel abandoned 1976 and Marvel-Barton Jct abandoned 1979.  The other segment of the Arkansas Midland, Barton Junction to Helena Crossing, had been abandoned in 1932.
   The Mop depot was by far the lesser depot in Clarendon, last seeing passenger service with the Helena-Clarendon doodlebug which was discontinued about 1949.  From an architectural and a train service standpoint, the far more attractive Clarendon depot was the Cotton Belt depot.  This was a yellow buff brick structure with formed concrete station names and with stained glass transom windows, very similar to the SSW depot at England.  I am not aware of any of this style of depot that survived the SSW (SP's) aggressive station removal program of the 1970s."
   "One other tidbit about the Mop Helena-Clarendon line... was built as 3'6" gauge line in 1873, changed to 3' gauge in 1883 (probably to match the Texas & StLouis (later SSW) then building thru the area, which was also 3' gauge at that time.  Line was standard gauged in 1887, same time as SSW." (Thanks!)