Mena Depot Welcomes First Train Passenger in 47 Years

BY MELANIE BUCK –

The first passenger to depart a train in Mena in 47 years stepped off the railcar on Wednesday, December 21st, to a warm home welcoming. Al Pfeiffer, a train enthusiast spent ten days on the famed KCS Holiday Express as an elf before being dropped off in Mena on a brisk December morning.

“I’m a member of the Kansas City Southern Railroad Historical Society and they asked for volunteers for the Holiday Express. I had fun! We had somewhere between 74,000 and 80,000 people visit the train in twenty-something stops,” said Pfeiffer. Although passenger trains still run in parts of the United States, it’s been almost six decades since someone has arrived at the historic Mena Depot via the rails.

Kansas City Southern (KCS) Railway Company has a long history in Mena. In fact, without KCS, Mena might not exist. It was in 1896 when Arthur Stilwell and his railway company rolled into Mena for the first time, then called the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad (KCP&G).

In 1940, the KCS introduced the Southern Belle, a diesel-powered streamlined day train between Kansas City, Missouri, and New Orleans, Louisiana, a route that traveled right through Mena. Over the next two decades, passenger service on railways would begin to lose money and most companies fled the business. KCS held on until the end of the 1960’s.

According to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, “In December 1967, KCS applied for Interstate Commerce Commission authorization to discontinue all passenger service. In May 1968, approval to discontinue the Kansas City to Port Arthur trains was granted. However, continuance of Southern Belle service between Kansas City and New Orleans was deemed to be in the public interest. The Kansas City Southern passenger train losses worsened, and the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1969 authorized the discontinuation of the Southern Belle. The last run took place on November 3, 1969.”

Now back, pulling the Holiday Express, the Southern Belle gave one local the best Christmas gift ever, a step back in time on a mode of transportation that was his livelihood for decades. “I worked on the railroad and I’ve been telling people that I waited 77 years to do this… I’ll be 78 in October,” smiled Pfeiffer, describing it as the ‘experience of a lifetime.’

When asked about the highlight of his trip, Pfeiffer gave a big laugh and said, “A little girl said to me, ‘Hi, Mr. Elf, you look like President Trump!’ I don’t know what brought that about but I thought that was the funniest thing I heard in a long time.”

About Author

Jeri Pearson

Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.

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