Featuring North America’s Leading Travel Destinations
Great American Railroads 2014
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Great American Railroads 2014
The view from the dome car on the Branson Scenic Railroad in Missouri. Photo by Steve Kirchner.
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A
ll aboard for an excursion on the Branson “Ozark Zephyr” Scenic Railway. America’s romance with the vintage passenger train lives on through excursions on the Branson Scenic Railway aboard a collection of unique passenger cars that travel through the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. This one hour 45 minute trip takes passengers through tunnels, over trestles, and through the southwest Missouri or northwest Arkansas wilderness that is still home to much wildlife and to the ruins of long-ago communities now named only on railroad maps. The historic 1905 depot in downtown Branson, just one block west of Lake Taneycomo (formerly the White River), is the headquarters for the Branson Scenic Railway. The depot houses the administrative offices, the reservation and ticket office, and a gift shop that carries many train items. 10 • Byways
The engineer prepares to leave the depot. Photo courtesy Branson Scenic Railway.
Traveling on a working commercial railroad line, the train’s direction of travel (depending on freight traffic and/or track conditions) is determined by the Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad just prior to departure. At that time, the train will go either north or south. Three to four times daily, depending on the season, Branson Scenic Railway explores territory inaccessible by automobile and offers views that are unattainable by any other means of transportation. A lively narration points out the landmarks such as Crest Tunnel, Cricket
Tunnel, Walnut Creek Trestle, Barren Fork Trestle, and Tharp’s Grade; and the extinct communities of Gretna, Melva, and Ruth are described as they were in the early 20th century. Also included in the narration is a description of the wildlife and landscape and an outline of the railroad’s role in shaping the Ozarks. The routes take passengers about 20 miles from Branson before reversing direction and returning on the same tracks. Upon boarding the train, the first thought is to head for the three dome cars with their panoramic views. Seating is unassigned, and passengers are invited to tour the entire train. (Since boarding numbers are issued in the order the reservation is made, it is suggested that reservations be made as early as possible.) The cars have been restored and refurbished to offer the same first-class experience and ambiance to today’s passengers as to those they carried fifty years ago. There is also a concession area aboard the Silver Lake car that offers refreshments for purchase. The comfort of the vintage passenger cars is quite a contrast to the harsh realities the railroad pioneers found when they undertook bringing rail service to the Ozarks. Laying the tracks for the White River Railway was possibly the most difficult construction task ever undertaken in the Ozarks. The railway was built in two sections: a northward line beginning at Batesville, Arkansas, and the other going south from Carthage, Missouri. Construction began in January 1902, and the final spike was driven on December 29, 1905, which joined the northern and southern sections. The 239 miles of track cost more than Byways • 11
Panoramic view from the dome car on the Branson Scenic Railway.
$12 million—about six times normal rail construction costs. The town of Branson is a product of the railroad. The construction of the White River Railway in the early 1900s made the area accessible for tourists and is largely responsible for the development of Branson and the Ozarks as a tourism destination. Before the area’s economy was based on tourism, the railroad served a traditional industrial purpose, which continues to this day. The railroad is known as the White River Route. The route crosses the White River in Branson, now Lake Taneycomo, and then runs along side of it after taking a fifty-mile “short cut” over the Ozark Mountains. This was part of the Missouri Pacific Railroad between Kansas City, Missouri, and Little Rock, Arkansas. It became a part of the Union Pacific after the UP bought the MOPAC. The Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad now operates the line. In 1993, the Branson Scenic Railway 12 • Byways
was formed, and through a lease arrangement with the MNA, runs excursions through this historic route March through December. http://www.bransontrain.com White glove service in the dining car.
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Soldiers run to the Canteen as their time off the trains was short. of the American people. Rationing and price controls of basic items were instituted. Citizens were given ration books that included stamps that allowed one to buy limited things like sugar, coffee, gasoline, tires and more. Even with these limitations, the North Platte Canteen continued to grow.
Food regularly included sandwiches, fried chicken, hard boiled eggs, pickles, fresh fruit, cookies, doughnuts, pie, coffee, milk and iced tea. And birthday cakes, and Thanksgiving turkey, Easter eggs, and May Day baskets. The canteen never closed one day during its existence. It was open every day, in all weather.
Every soldier disembarking the trains was served. Some days there were 24 trains a day.
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As the war became an all-out effort, troop trains began what these volunteers had accomplished in support of the to pour into North Platte. As many as 24 trains a day War effort. http://www.lincolncountymuseum.org stopped in the city, giving thousands of troops a chance to experience the canteen, requiring more and more volunteers. From 1941 until the end of the war, some 55,000 volunteers from 125 Nebraska communities, some as far as 200 miles away, gave both food and time to the volunteer effort. At war’s end, the Canteen remained open to serve soldiers returning home. With few troop trains arriving, the Canteen closed on April 1, 1946. During its existence, the Canteen served 6 million servicemen, and never missed a single train traveling through North Platte. Today you can experience the North Platte Canteen at the Lincoln County Historical Museum in North Platte. Through exhibits, photos and video, the Canteen is The Canteen on display at the Lincoln County recreated allowing you to gain an Historical Museum in North Platte. understanding and appreciation of Byways • 25