Tom Sandlin’s Oral History of the Rock Island Railroad

For nearly a decade, Tom Sandlin traveled around the country, primarily to states served by the Rock Island, to record interviews with former employees of the railroad and document their stories. The value of these recordings can’t be overstated as they capture the experiences each person would build up while working for the railroad, and, as a whole, present a picture of what was happening to the struggling Rock Island during its final decades before being shut down in 1980.

“I consider railroad oral history to be generally an untapped gold mine,” he wrote on March 11, 2014, explaining his project for the Rock Island Reporter. While there are plenty of railroad-related photographs and memorabilia, he noted that recording employees sharing their stories “has had minimal attention.”

There’s also something about hearing the voices as they shared the sometimes crazy and dangerous experiences that inevitably happened to anyone who spent much time working for a railroad. Some of the recordings feature several workers together, enthusiastically swapping stories and remembering people they worked with.

Sandlin had worked for the Rock Island for a brief time before going into law enforcement. He wrote about “the almost limitless supply of this wealth of railroad history locked up in the minds of mostly old railroaders.” Sandlin noted that few would ever write out their stories or sit down with a tape recorder, and when they died, their stories would disappear.

“Such a shame that most of those priceless recollections locked up in the minds [of] these guys would be taken to the grave, forever out of reach.”

After asking around, a few former Rock Island employees said they would be willing to be recorded, so Sandlin bought a cassette recorder and between 2001 and 2009 recorded hundreds of interviews. Through a mutual friend, Dr. Bill Pollard of Conway, Ark., Sandlin and I were introduced in December 2020. I had recorded interviews with several dozen Rock Island employees myself over the years, largely because, having worked in radio, I too appreciated hearing the sound and emotion in someone’s voice as they talked about their life’s work. Because of concern about the safety of shipping the cassettes, I agreed to meet Sandlin near his home in Texas, picking up several boxes with about 200 tapes, which I am now working to digitize and share online. Below, you can hear the interviews I’ve digitized so far.

This will be a slow, time consuming project, as I work to clean up the audio to sound as good as possible. I’ve also had trouble with some of the old cassettes, and some of my old cassette players. Apparently if a machine isn’t used regularly the belts and other parts of the cassette players weaken. But I will keep at it and hopefully get several new recordings up every month.

MOST RECENTLY POSTED INTERVIEW:

Hubert D. Loy (posted Nov. 16, 2021)

Humbert Loy worked as a locomotive fireman, then engineer based out of Trenton, Missouri. He started with the Rock Island on April 5, 1942 when steam locomotives were still exclusively in use. In 2002, at the age of 84, Loy discussed some of his experiences with Sandlin. He primarily traveled to Kansas City, Missouri and Des Moines, Iowa.  After first sharing some stories, Loy begins answering questions from Sandlin about 11 minutes into the recording. About 22 minutes in Loy is mostly off mic, though still audible. INTERVIEW NOTES.

AUDIO: Hubert Loy on Nov. 8, 2002 discussing his years working as a fireman, then engineer out of Trenton, Missouri starting in 1942.

SOUTHERN DIVISION:

Ruth Armbrust

The first interview Tom Sandlin recorded with a former Rock Island employee was in 2001, talking with Ruth Armbrust who worked for the railroad 28 years. Much of that time was the secretary for every superintendent in Little Rock between May 1950 and November 1970. Her husband Bernard Flynn Armbrust also worked for the railroad as storekeeper, providing equipment throughout the region. Mrs. Armbrust was 95-years-old when she was interviewed by Sandlin, but still had a sharp memory about the people she worked with and her unique experiences. She knew the inner workings of management, was a stenographer for investigations held by the Rock Island, and administered tests to aspiring employees. INTERVIEW NOTES AND TRANSCRIPT.

AUDIO: Ruth Armbrust interviewed on Oct. 22, 2001 about her 28 years spent working for the Rock Island in Little Rock.

Former Malvern, Arkansas depot agents describe work in the area

In March 2008, Tom Sandlin interviewed two former depot agents from Malvern, Arkansas to learn details about the Rock Island’s busy operations there. They discussed the key industries and businesses in the area, including International Lead, which drilled for minerals on the side of a mountain at Magnet Cove and transported the ore to nearby facilities where it could be processed. The railroad also shipped raw bauxite ore from Bauxite, Arkansas to Jones Mill, Arkansas. Malvern was an interchange point with the Missouri Pacific. It was also where the Rock Island’s Hot Springs Branch began, which the Missouri Pacific had trackage rights over.

John Henderson started working for the Rock Island in Bridgeport, Texas in 1957. He would go on to work at depots all over region while on the telegraph extra board, including in Arkansas at places like Brinkley, Perry, as well as locations in Louisiana and Oklahoma.

AUDIO: John Henderson interviewed on March 2, 2008 about operations in the Malvern, Arkansas area during his time as the agent there from 1971 to the fall of 1974, He was interviewed by phone from his home in Mt. Ida, Arkansas by Tom Sandlin.

AUDIO: Jimmy Bounds interviewed on March 7, 2008 about operations in the Malvern, Arkansas area during his time as agent there from 1969- 1971. He was interviewed by Tom Sandlin by phone from his home in El Reno, Oklahoma.

Jimmy Bounds started with the Rock Island in 1953 as a telegrapher and retired for the Union Pacific in 1992. He died on May 25, 2017.

Harold L. Rhoads

Harold Rhoads started with the Rock Island in Little Rock, Arkansas on July 5, 1951 working as a fireman, then engineer until the railroad was shut down in 1980. He also served as local chairman of his union. Rhoads later worked for the Missouri Pacific out of North Little Rock and retired with the Union Pacific. He was recorded three times by Sandlin, first by himself, then two times sharing stories with his former coworkers. Rhoads died on Sept. 30, 2003, exactly one year after his first interview with Sandlin and the day after his third interview.

AUDIO: Harold Rhoads on Sept. 30, 2002 talking about working for the Rock Island, some of his crazier experiences and the end of the railroad.

Harold L. Rhoads, Howard Smith & Buddy Bryant

More than six months later, Sandlin again met with Harold Rhoads, this time joined by two other former Rock Island employees. Howard Smith and Samuel T. “Buddy” Bryant also worked as firemen, then later were promoted to engineers. For 90 minutes they shared stories and recalled many of the people they worked with. All three have since died, according to current Rock Island Club President Jerry Oates.

AUDIO: Harold Rhoads, Howard Smith and Buddy Bryant got together to share stories on April 16, 2003, Side A.

AUDIO: Harold Rhoads, Howard Smith and Buddy Bryant got together to share stories on April 16, 2003, Side B.

Olan R. West 

Olan R. West started with the Rock Island in 1951 in the relay office at the Little Rock passenger station. He eventually became chief clerk to the Arkansas Division superintendent, then was moved to El Reno, Oklahoma when the railroad consolidated operations in 1965. He later became yard office supervisor at the Armourdale Yard In Kansas City, Kansas before eventually returning to Arkansas. In 1971, West became the agent In El Dorado, then in 1976 used his seniority to take the position of station agent in Bauxite until the Rock Island was shut down in 1980.

AUDIO: Olan R. West interviewed by Tom Sandlin on Oct. 1, 2002.

MISSOURI AND KANSAS DIVISION:

Hubert D. Loy

Humbert D. Loy worked as a locomotive fireman, then engineer based out of Trenton, Missouri. He started with the Rock Island on April 5, 1942 when steam locomotives were still exclusively in use. In 2002, at the age of 84, Loy discussed some of his experiences with Sandlin. He primarily traveled to Kansas City, Missouri and Des Moines, Iowa.  After first sharing some stories, Loy begins answering questions from Sandlin about 11 minutes into the recording. About 22 minutes in Loy is mostly off mic, though still audible. INTERVIEW NOTES.

AUDIO: Hubert Loy on Nov. 8, 2002 discussing his years working as a fireman, then engineer out of Trenton, Missouri starting in 1942.

More interviews will continue to be posted as they are digitized.