It was easy to see at Saturday’s 17th annual Cotton Belt Railroad Historical Society Railroadiana Show and Sale that trains connect past and present generations. And if 10-year-old Shawn Worthen of Russellville gets his way, he’ll be overseeing the hosting Arkansas Railroad Museum in the future.
“I love this place,” the Russellville boy said as he manned a display station of model trains owned by 71-year-old retired Cotton Belt Railroad conductor Bill McCaskill of Pine Bluff. “This is the best place in Arkansas. Mr. Bill lets me take care of his trains and I get to see all the other train stuff and all the people who come here to see everything.
“I want to be an engineer someday like Mr. Bill, and if I could I would start working right now. I would work here and if they would let me, I would live in the museum.”
The boy’s father, 1976 Watson Chapel High School graduate Ken Worthen, said his son has been a railroad enthusiast since he was a toddler.
“He sincerely loves this museum, and so do I,” said the elder Worthen. “We come to Pine Bluff specifically to visit the museum three or four times a year, and we always look forward to coming back.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The youngster said he wants to help ensure the museum’s continued operation, so he sketches engines he’s seen and sells the drawings for contributions to CBRHS. A collection jar atop a table displaying his artworks contained several dollars, primarily in coins.
“When I was a kid in Pine Bluff, I would play on the old Engine 819 when it was displayed at Oakland (now Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) Park,” said the elder Worthen, director of Arkansas Tech University’s Missionary Baptist Student Fellowship. “I never dreamed that someday I would have a son and we would be making trips to see the 819 again.”
“Shawn’s a rarity,” McCaskill said. “He’s a good boy, a smart one, and he’s fortunate because his dad has taken such an interest in him. Shawn just sorta took over my trains last year, and you won’t hear me complaining. He saves me time and trouble.
“I’m glad he’s here, and he loves it. My grandkids aren’t here. They stay busy with computers and games and the like, and that’s OK, but Shawn’s here, learning about our past, where we’ve been and how we got here and maybe where we’re going. There’s a whole lot of history in this old building.”
Donald Bailey of Malvern said he attends each Railroadiana, in part because the affinity he’s held for trains for nearly a century has never waned.
“We need this place,” the 89-year-old Bailey said of the museum. “It’s important for the whole state, not just Pine Bluff. I’ve been in love with trains since I first saw one in the 1930s.
“We need a place where our trains can be remembered and preserved.”
Bailey was accompanied by his son, 65-year-old Larry Bailey of Mabelvale. Both are CBRHS members.
Mauricene Blackwell, Pat Everett and Anita Mitchell of Sherrill were selling Sherrill Civic Club cookbooks from a table near the museum’s entrance.
The trio reported that sales had been brisk, as evidenced by depletion of a stock of packaged pecans and peanuts distributed as bonuses with each book sold in the fundraising effort.
“This is our third year to participate in Railroadiana,” said Everett. “We’ve had good results, especially when you consider that it’s a mostly men’s event.
“We’ve never had any problems here,” she added with a laugh. “It’s always a very nice gathering. Railroad people know how to behave.”
Scott Harrison, 36, of Pine Bluff admitted he probably enjoys exhibiting his mechanized miniature carnival as much as “the kids of all ages” seem to delight in seeing it.
“I’ve been displaying the miniature carnival since 1986 and I’ve never gotten tired of it,” he said. “A lot of adults are really impressed by it, and the kids adore it.
“I love to share my gift as a collector and watch people looking at it. The kids look at it in disbelief sometimes, and I really get a big kick out of that.”
Seven-year-old Jonathan Howard of Pine Bluff might not have known the official name of the device that won his appreciation, but he knew what he liked.
“I think the best thing here is the handcar choo-choo thingy,” he said. “It’s so much fun!”
The handcar, operated by its riders, made trips around the museum.
Jonathan’s siblings – Douglas Clinton, Abigail Howard and Jackson Clinton, 11, 10 and 9, respectively – also appreciated the handcar, but had other likes as well. Douglas rated the model trains as his favorite attraction while Abigail and Jackson cited Lego trains.
Their mother, Stephanie Howard, said Railroadiana is “good family entertainment.” She and her younger children enjoyed a four-hour stay at the event, while her teenage sons – Ben Howard, 14, and Jacob Howard, 14 – sold collectibles at a booth.
“We’ve had a steady crowd since the doors opened at 9 a.m.,” museum spokeswoman Elizabeth Gaines said. “I’m seeing a lot of new faces, too. It’s nice seeing so many first-time visitors and at the same time seeing so many familiar faces returning.
“That’s just the way we like it.”