The other day, I drew Ashley Drew & Northern GP28 Number 1812. This drawing is a gift for former American Short Line and Regional Railroad Chairman Russell Tedder.
Russell Tedder was kind enough to share with me his life’s history with the Ashley Drew & Northern. Here is Russell’s story with Ashley Drew & Northern as told to me by Mr. Tedder himself.
“I had my hand on the throttle ( figuratively) of the AD&N for 20 years. When I arrived in '76 we had one SW1500, three SWs of different models at 1200 HP and one SW900. The 1500 and one 1200 were the consist of the daily local from Crossett to Monticello and return, 41 miles. Soon GP announced expansion that doubled carloads of paper products. After toying with swapping two 1200s for two Alco C420s, better judgment prevailed in the form of two Paducah GP10s. By 1978 tonnage had increased and the two GP10s or one GP10 and SW1500 handled the local. Later I arranged for two GP28s, one for AD&N and one for Fordyce & Princeton, still later about 1986 two more GP28s replaced the 1200s, also two CF7s, It was a Noah's Ark roster, two of each kind.
After the Rock Island went down in 1980 nearly all traffic went to MP at Monticello with trains of 80 to 95 cars each way, on roller coaster grades, handled by a pair of GP28s. At this time the AD&N hauled 70 boxcar loads of paper, plywood and lumber per day, more cars than unloaded in the entire state of Arkansas. The GP28s and CF7s were all wonderful shortline engines. Like the proverbial bunny powered rabbit, they just keep "goin' and goin'." Sadly, by 1996 changing events made the AD&N obsolete in favor of the level Arkansas Louisiana & Mississippi between Crossett and Monroe, LA, which inherited the fleet.”
Thank you, Russell Tedder, for sharing your story with the Ashley Drew & Northern.
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