On Saturday, February 9, 2007, I drove on Arkansas Highway 17 northbound between Cotton Plant to near Newport to try and find the long-abandoned right of way of the Batesville & Brinkley Railroad, which became the White & Black River Valley Railroad (which was leased to Rock Island in 1900). This little-known line was chartered in 1881 and taken up in 1941. Gene Hull, author of the book "Shortline Railroads of Arkansas," wrote the history of this line, which is printed below along with the photos I did on February 9. Special thanks to Bill D Jones and Francis Jones for helping me find some of the old roadbed and where some depots and structures were located. I could never have found these locations myself. Believe it or not, there is still an old depot standing on this line in the town of Weldon, but I think it's days are numbered after seeing it up close.(All the photo and captions are by myself, Ken Ziegenbein - Gene Hull wrote the story and history)


A 1907 railroad map of the White & Black River Valley Railway (Rock Island) and a December 15, 1929 timetable of the line.


WHITE & BLACK RIVER VALLEY RAILWAY
Gene Hull

On Dec. 7, 1881, a charter was filed in the Secretary of State’s office for a line of railroad between Batesville and Brinkley, it was known as the Batesville & Brinkley Railroad. The company purchased an existing railroad from Cotton Plant to Brinkley. Then the B&B was built northward toward Newport to Jacksonport, Arkansas.


Cotton Plant, Arkansas on February 9, 2007. Cotton Plant also had the Missouri & North Arkansas Railroad, which crossed the White & Black Railway in town. Since both lines were taken up over 60 years ago, the roadbed was hard to find. I'm looking east into the downtown area. (Ken Ziegenbein photo)


I'm looking south along a road in Cotton Plant that looked like it was a former railroad roadbed, but I'm not sure.


This is Becton, Arkansas, just north of Cotton Plant. Arkansas Highway 17 is to the right and I'm looking to the north. I assume I'm standing on the old roadbed, but since this line was taken up in 1941, it's had  66 years to be reclaimed by nature. No signs of ties.

On White River, about six miles from the closest point on the railroad, there was a port called Gregory’s Point, on the huge plantation of Nathan Gregory, with many cotton gins and lumber mills. A branch line diverged. At this wye the name of Wiville was applied, and is still there today)


Greater downtown Wiville, Arkansas as it exists in 2007.


I'm standing on the 'main line' in Wiville. You can see the old wye to Gregory to the left (the dirt road). By this time, I had talked with the Jones' and they told me exactly where the tracks and wye were.


Standing on the wye, looking to the southeast. You can almost imagine where the wye connected to the main line around the corner.


According to Bill Jones, the W&BRV (Rock Island) water tower in Wiville was to the left of the utility pole, near where the fire hydrant is located. Mr. Jones grew up in this area - he was born here in 1935, so he remembered the railroad running trains here when he was 4 or 5 years old.


The Wiville depot was located where the dirt road runs left-right, to the right of the stop sign, on this side of the tracks. The old tree to the right was there when the railroad was present, according to Jones. I'm again standing on the old wye.


A heron taking off from a field in Wiville. The White River is a few miles away. We are also in an area where possible sightings of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker have occurred.

Railroad equipment and supplies were purchased in St. Louis; they were the latest and finest. In 1882, when the rails reached Cotton Plant, daily service began between there and Brinkley. Next year service was extended to Colona, a distance of 22 miles. On July 27, 1883, a huge crowd gathered at Colona to welcome the little train, which had taken over the transportation business of riverboats and stagecoaches. Passengers, baggage and mail were transferred to stages for Augusta and other communities. The ceremony at Colona featured “the greatest barbecue that ever taken place in Arkansas.” (It probably didn’t equal the present ‘coon cookout’ at De Witt (AUTHOR). The excursion train from Brinkley was two coaches and five flatcars with board seats secured.

At Colona a band was accompanied by shrieks of excited children and ladies waving umbrellas and men waving hats. The rolling stock of the railroad consisted of three locomotives, two passenger coaches and 37 box and flat cars, ALL PAID FOR! There was a crowd of about 2,500 who took shelter from the sweltering sun in a shady grove of trees, along with teams, wagons and buggies from the surrounding country. Everybody feasted on barbecue beef, mutton (sheep) and shoat (a young pig of about 100-180 pounds). No liquor was allowed; gambling was forbidden.

A report of the event stated “...Colona is a town so young that many will be wondering where it is located. It is within a half-mile of the center of Woodruff County and is the present terminus of the Batesville & Brinkley Railroad. It has nine houses in all; five business houses, and one hotel of which D. Harkness is proprietor; one depot, and one dwelling. A large building is for storing seed cotton for the Brinkley Oil Mill.
   “The largest farm patronizing the business of Colona is that of Dr. James Scales. Thompson & Gregory, dealers in merchandise, have a $10,000 stock. J. Pix has a photograph tent. The postoffice is in the depot. The young B&B Railroad has done much to open up one of the very best portions of Arkansas.” The B&B became the first road to serve Cotton Plant and other towns in that area. Civilization crept across the delta. “Have ye all been ordin’ the steam cars yet?”
   “Nope. Ain’t even seen one yet, but I heared it screech over behind the ‘thicket!”


I, along with the Jones family, am now in the former town of Colona (no longer on the road map). The tracks ran somewhere on the near side of this field and Francis Jones said she heard there were still some old ties in that clump of trees. They said a grocery store was located about where the utility pole is. This is where, back on July 27, 1883, 2500 people greeted the first train from Binkley.


Looking across Highway 17 at the remnants of Colona. Francis Jones said she was the last person to live in Colona. She lived in the white house in the center years ago. All the other buildings are farm buildings.


Colona was the home of a Civil War hospital, and it was located to the right of the tree. It burned many years ago.


Here is the Jones family, Francis and Bill and their adopted daughter, at Colona on February 9, 2007

From Colona the rails were laid to Martin’s Junction (later called Jelks, now Patterson), then on the Newport, where the first passenger train on the B&B arrived November 11, 1886.


Driving through Tupelo, Arkansas toward Weldon and Newport.


I assume the old roadbed was the grade to the left of the ditch here in Topelo.


Now entered the town of Weldon, Arkansas on Highway 17. I'm still heading north. The right of way was located near the utility poles, I assume.


The still-barely-standing W&BRV RR - Rock Island depot at Weldon on its original site. The tracks were to the right.


West side of depot.






North side of depot.


East side of deopt with the bay window.


Back to the south side.




There was a hole in the side and I looked in and saw church pews and a couple of pianos stored inside, plus lots of miscellaneous junk. The last time this depot saw a train was in February 1941. The line was abandoned a few months later.


The structure in the center looks like something near a railroad, but I don't know what it is. I'm look south from near the depot in Weldon.


You can see the Weldon depot in the distant center, so I guess I'm standing pretty near the old roadbed.


One more shot of the shaded Weldon depot, showing what I believe is the railroad grade in the center of the picture.

The railroad probably was responsible for Auvergne Academy at Sand Hill, founded by Dr. D. W. Bristol in 1885. The students commuted from their homes at the stations of Litchfield, Shoffner, Weldon and Auvergne.


I'm now in the town of Schoffner, Arkansas, pretty close to where the roadbed was located by the looks of things.


The town of Auvergne. This was as far as I went on this day. Newport, near the end of the line, is only 8 miles north of here. Newport is also on the Mighty Union Pacific directional north main line and sees dozens of train a day, including  Amtrak's  Texas Eagle, which zips through town in the middle of the night. Quite a contrast to the White & Black RR!

The Batesville & Brinkley absorbed the nearby Augusta & Southeastern on January 10, 1890, and became known as the White & Black River Valley Railway. This company completed the railroad between Brinkley and Jacksonport and between Wiville and Gregory.

The route was surveyed toward the Missouri border, but the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern filed suit and prevented the W&BRV from laying rails into Batesville. So, the Batesville & Brinkley never reached the northern terminal.

Even so, the little Arkansas railroad was efficient. An advertisement stated, “Sealed cars can now be sent as far as Mexico and to all points north, east or west by transferring them to the Texas & St. Louis (Cotton Belt) Railway at Brinkley....”

The B&B - W&BRV was built as a narrow gauge 3' - 6" converted to 3' - 0" in 1888.

On July 1, 1900, the road was leased to the Choctaw, Oklahoma & Gulf for 80 years. The CO&G was leased to the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific on March 24, 1904. Four miles from Jacksonport to Newport was abandoned Spring of 1929, the remainder on March 9, 1941. In 1942, 0.44 miles at Newport was sold to Missouri Pacific as a spur.

Below is the notice of abandonment in the Arkansas Gazette:

September 26, 1941
Arkansas Gazette
BLACK & WHITE LINE TO BE JUNKED
(note incorrect name)

“Newport, Sept. 25 - The Black and White Railroad, extending between Newport and Brinkley (Arkansas), will be junked, it was said here yesterday by Thomas S. Buzbee of Little Rock, attorney for the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. Mr. Buzbee was here to represent the railroad at the public auction at which the Black and White properties were sold for $100,000 to James B. Angell, Chicago attorney, representing the Rock Island, which formerly leased the branch line. Mr. Angell was he only bidder. The sale was ordered to satisfy a mortgage executed to the Farmers Loan and Trust Company of Chicago in 1900.
   The Black and White was operated under lease by the Rock Island for many years but operation of trains was discontinued in February. Rock Island officials said that the line had been a losing proposition for a long time.
    Newport residents had hoped the Missouri Pacific might buy the Black and White, but Mr. Buzbee said Missouri Pacific officials never showed any interest in the line.”