Cotton Plant Railroad The prehistory of the W&BRV starts with the partnership of Gunn & Black, which owned a sawmill near Brinkley, Arkansas. To haul logs to their mill, the partnership on July 1, 1879 began operating a
3-foot 6-inch gauge private rail line which originated from their mill and was extended in the direction of the town of
Cotton Plant which was 11 miles to the northwest. This line was informally called the Cotton Plant Railroad. The new company bought out the Cotton Plant Railroad on June 22, 1882, which by that time had built 9 miles of track toward the town of Cotton Plant. This made the B&B main line between Brinkley and Jacksonport about 56 miles long.
Augusta and Southeastern Railway Separately, a railroad called the Augusta and Southeastern Railway entered the picture when it built its own rail line in the area.
W&BRV operation The B&B changed names to become the White and Black River Valley Railway on January 10, 1890. In adding the 6-mile Coats/Wiville-to-Gregory segment, the railway reached its maximum length at 62 miles of single-track, standard-gauge steam railroad line. But, no such trackage was ever added to the railroad’s total. However, it also carried passengers. The lease was assumed by the
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway (“Rock Island”) when that railroad leased all the rights and property of the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf on March 24, 1904. The line remained a separate part of the Rock Island until abandoned in pieces, with Newport to Jacksonport done in 1927, Wiville to Gregory done in 1934, and the remaining Brinkley to Newport portion done in 1941. ==References==