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 Photos and Story by Ken Hulsey As a dedicated railfan, I'm truly fortunate to inspect the DeQueen & Eastern Railroad facilities in DeQueen, Arkansas once a month. In my role as an inspector, I have full access to the property, allowing me to observe the railroad's operations in detail. This insider access grants me, as a railroad photographer, unique opportunities to capture images that other fans simply cannot obtain. Perhaps some of my exclusive photos will even make it into the company calendar!

 Photos and Story By: Ken Hulsey A couple of weeks ago, my travels took me to the town of DeQueen, Arkansas and the railyard of the DeQueen & Eastern Railroad, a short line operating in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. This railroad, which began service in 1900, is now under the ownership of Patriot Rail, the company I was there to inspect. As I drove onto the property, I noticed an intriguing structure that I quickly identified as an old steam engine house from the railroad's early days.

 The surrounding states of Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi offer a wealth of wonderful destinations to spend the day. Visitors can explore stunning sights and indulge in amazing culinary experiences throughout the region.

This past week I was granted special permission to photograph the Ouachita Railroad facilities in El Dorado, Arkansas . The Ouachita is small railroad that switches cars from a chemical plant south a town and exchanges them them with the Union Pacific. The railroad used to operate over former Rock Island Railroad trackage into northern Louisiana through the nearby town of Junction City . In fact the facilities that the Ouachita now occupy once belonged to the Rock Island. Rock Island Railroad: Travel on the Rockets Paperback Book - $24.99 @ Amazon.com For switching and moving cars the Ouachita uses a former Canadian National switcher number 1155 and a former Dardanelle and Russellville Railroad switcher number 15.  The items that I found most interesting were the abandoned pieces of railroad equipment that were stored at the far end of the property that included for Dardanelle and Russellville Railroad switcher number 13, a former Burlington Norther switcher and former I...

Last December my travels took me to the southern Arkansas town of El Dorado. During my short time there I spent a wonderful rainy walk through the South Arkansas Arboretum that was nothing short of magical. I was impressed by the acres of flora and the beauty of the changing colors that surrounded me. Arkansas Bucket List Adventure Guide: Explore 100 Offbeat Destinations You Must Visit! Paperback - $14.99 @ Amazon.com On Friday I was blessed to be able to return to the arboretum and experience how the forested area would look in summer. Again my rather warm but pleasant stroll around the grounds was filled with color, textures and the amazing contrasts of dark and light filtered through the rather thick canopy of trees. As you know I never set out on one of these adventures without my trusty camera around my neck and on this day I paid special attention to those colors and contrasts as my eye searched for areas and items to photograph. I really wanted to capture images that told a stor...