LOUISIANA AND ARKANSAS RAILWAY: THE STORY OF A REGIONAL LINE (Railroads in America) [Hardcover]

JAMES FAIR (Author)

Book Description

Series: Railroads in America | Publication Date: October 1, 1997

The Louisiana & Arkansas Railway, known as "The Better Way," ran its first trains at the turn of the century and expanded over the years to connect New Orleans to Dallas. Well-maintained and enduringly profitable, this regional railroad succeeded because of the tenacity of three men who consecutively oversaw all aspects of operations.

The story of the L&A is largely a collective biography of William Edenborn, William Buchanan, and Harvey Couch—the men who built and extended the line by shrewd acquisitions. These successful businessmen combined wisdom, foresight, and propensity for hard word—traits they had first demonstrated in other careers—with their longtime love for trains. Each applied remarkable talents for industry and commerce toward the development of the L&A to mold it into a model regional railroad.

In this first history of the L&A, Fair traces the line's development from the early boom days of railroading to its dissolution in the modern era of takeovers. Although for much of its existence the L&A operated under the control of a parent company, the KCS, it long maintained independence. The eventual takeover by the superline in 1992 finally dissolved the L&A entirely.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Well-written and a most enjoyable read."
—Railroad History

"Enjoyable reading.... A long-overdue documentation of a railroad that has grown in importance."—Trains

"Fans of the L&A/KCS will find the book fascinating, as will those interested in southern railroading."—Railfan & Railroad

Product Details

• Hardcover: 171 pages
• Publisher: Northern Illinois University Press; 1 edition (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875802192
• ISBN-13: 978-0875802190
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,818,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting and complete history., July 30, 1998

By 

Reggie Fields ([e-mail]) (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: LOUISIANA AND ARKANSAS RAILWAY: THE STORY OF A REGIONAL LINE (Railroads in America) (Hardcover)

It's 1:15 in the morning and the lonely sound of a train horn sounding as it crosses through Addison, Texas about a mile from my home floats through the air. I've just finished James R. Fair's book "The Louisiana and Arkansas Railway: The Story of a Regional Line" (Northern Illinois University Press; 1997) and memories of my childhood are fresh in my mind.

Like myself, Fair's association with the Louisiana and Arkansas Railway began early in life. First encountering the line in his early teens, Fair had the opportunity to extensively research the history of one of the few railroads to remain profitable throughout its 100 year history. As Fair notes in his introduction, the history of the L&A is the story of three men and their second careers in railroading. It is also the story of the birth of three small railroads, their consolidation and the eventual purchase and absorption of the railroad by its corporate parent.

For a thorough history it is an easy! book to enjoy in an evening. Though it is the story of the railroads, the book gives insights into the development of the communities in the rural southern Arkansas and northern Louisiana region. William Edenborn, a wire and steel magnate, built a railroad from Shreveport to New Orleans starting in 1897. He later bought the railroad across east Texas from Jefferson to McKinney. William Buchanan, a timberman, built a railroad from his sawmill in Stamps, Arkansas south into the woodlands. His original L&A put my little hometown of Taylor, Arkansas on the map in 1895. Both men started their railroads late in life. They built their lines without shareholders or loans and ran them as personal businesses. Both died in the 1920's as changes to the world and the north Louisiana/ southern Arkansas region presented significant challenges.

The third member of the triumvirate was Harvey Couch of Columbia County, Arkansas. He started his career in the railroad post office in 1898.! He soon moved to utilities, building telephone companies a! nd later electric companies, eventually creating Arkansas Power & Light. Near his 50th year, Couch led a group that bought the Louisiana and Arkansas and Edenborn's two railroads from heirs to build the new Louisiana and Arkansas.

In the depths of the depression, Couch built and improved his railroad to eventually stretch from New Orleans to Dallas. The original L&A line north from Shreveport through Minden, Louisiana to Hope, Arkansas remained profitable.

Fair chronicles the lives of these men and their personal involvement in the building and operation of these railroads. He presents the story in a concise, easy to read format, but provides depth into the personalities of the men and their creations. He also covers the corporate age of railroading as Couch takes over the Kansas City Southern and makes the L&A a wholly owned subsidiary. His coverage of the changes to railroading in the period after World War II is not as extensive, but he provides insight in t! o how the railroad was uses as a cash cow and allowed to deteriorate. Fair also tells the story of the rebuilding of the KCS in the 70's and 80's and the end of the L&A as a separate entity. It is an interesting story, not just to someone who was born and raised not a quarter-mile from the railroad, but to anyone wanting to understand the history of the region.

The L&A brought my grandfather and his family to Springhill, Louisiana, where he served as station keeper for several years. The railroad provided my other grandfather with an outlet for the cotton he raised sharecropping and winter employment in the logging industry. It took my father to war in 1943 and made possible the papermill that employed both my parents in the late 40's and early 50's. My first ride on a train was on the L&A, near the end of its passenger service in 1962. I grew up to the sound of train whistles and clacking wheels. I noted with a certain sadness the end of service on the original ! line in 1989, and the recent dismantling of the right of wa! y.

Fair is a professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas in Austin not a historian, but he has written a work that any historian would be proud to author. This is his second railroad history, and is completely footnoted, indexed and with an impressive bibliography.

I thank him for providing an insight into the people and institutions that help shape my early years.