Arkansas & Missouri Excursion Train Again Bound for Van Buren

The scenic train excursions operated by the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad are set to resume Thursday morning at 8:30, when a locomotive hauling four passenger cars, a caboose and over 100 passengers chugs out of the Springdale depot.

Rebounding from a rare Oct. 16 accident, when a southbound train stalled near Brentwood and was hit by a northbound engine sent to rescue it, the excursion train is expected to carry thousands of passengers down to Van Buren and back during this year’s holiday season.

“The train is safe, the equipment is safe and the track is safe,” railroad police chief Ron Sparks said during a press conference Wednesday. “Come ride our train.”

Sparks said the crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Railroad Association. Sparks said the railroad is under a gag order and cannot comment on the investigation or any potential sanctions or disciplinary action. 

Sparks said there was “confusion” over the distance between the stalled train and the rescue engine sent north from Chester to retrieve it. All 45 people involved in the accident — 39 passengers and six crewmen — were sent to the hospital as either a precaution or for treatment. The last person released from local care was the conductor of the rescue engine, who suffered a broken ankle and multiple back fractures, Sparks said.

Another passenger was recently sent to a Missouri rehab facility, near his home, to recover from injuries sustained in the crash, Sparks said.

The excursion train takes two roundtrips, from Springdale to Van Buren and from Van Buren to Winslow, on the days when it operates. The only passenger car damaged in the crash — the Mountain View, built in 1917 — is under repair and will be put back into the train when it is ready.

The railroad replaced a 39-foot piece of track at the crash site, and since Oct. 17, the day after the crash, cargo trains have used the track, Sparks said.

The railroad lost four days of operation, and has either refunded or re-credited as many as 1,000 tickets.

While Sparks described the passengers as understanding of the circumstances, he said he suspects that lawsuits will be filed.

While the train is back in action, the Mountain View and the two locomotives involved in the collision are still out of commission. When asked how much the accident has or will cost the railroad, Sparks said now is not the time to worry about money.

“We don’t know right now,” he said. “We’re concerned about people.”