18 Feb 2016 The old Century Flyer

Posted at 11:04 PMh in Features by

Story and photos by Linda Henderson

The Arkansas Children’s Colony in Conway was opened in 1959 as a residential and training facility for 256 intellectually disabled children. In 1981, the Colony was re-named the Conway Human Development Center to better describe the services that it provides. 

 

Over the years the Center has employed thousands of people. Of those thousands, a few employees have lived on the grounds of the Center and even a smaller number of people have actually grown up on the grounds. I am one of those very few. 

My dad, Tommy Hoggard, was among the very first employees hired to work at the Arkansas Children’s Colony. We moved on the grounds of the Center when I was a child, and we lived there throughout my teenage years.

The Center’s 400-plus acre campus was a wonderful place to grow up, and one of the benefits of living on the grounds was being able to ride the Center’s Century Flyer train. Riding the train almost daily was a part of my childhood summer memories. The Century Flyer is a mini-train that was originally built as an amusement park ride. There are as few as six of these trains still in existence and only three are in working order. 

The train’s original home was the Burns Park Funland in North Little Rock. In 1959, the train and track were sold to the Little Rock Chapter of the Railway Business Women’s Association, which donated the train and track to the Center. Tracks were laid and two trestle bridges were built on the west end of the campus. A few years later, a concrete tunnel was poured and a small train station was built by the National Amusement Device Company of Dayton, Ohio. 

The Century Flyer was designed to reflect the style of diesel engine trains that were built after World War II. The engine of the train is a 1950s Ford model 600 tractor with 32 horse power. The transmission is from a Ford three-quarter-ton truck and is all wheel drive. 

The little train was capable of transporting several Center residents and employees in its three cars. It provided many hours of memories and enjoyment for residents, staff and a few kids raised on the Center’s grounds. 

Over the years, keeping up the normal maintenance and finding parts for an obsolete amusement park ride became harder and harder. The train and track started to fall into disrepair. The tracks and the bridges where damaged by flooding creeks and soil erosion. Riding the train was discontinued because of safety concerns, but the little train remained an iconic fixture of the Center. 

Sometime around 1992, employees of Union Pacific volunteered to donate materials and time to refurbish the exterior and interior of the train. The train cars were taken to North Little Rock to the Union Pacific shop. New sheet metal was used to fabricate a new hood for the engine along with other needed repairs. The exterior was given a new coat of paint that resembled Union Pacific trains. A Union Pacific emblem was added to the front and the rear of the train. 

Then again in 2009 another set of volunteers from the Central Arkansas Model Train Club became interested in another revamp of the old train. Since 2009, a small, diligent group of men have volunteered hundreds of man hours to seeing that the little train will roll again. This group of men is led by Bob Huber (a.k.a. Railroad Bob), a retired railroad employee; Jack Adams, a retired machinist; and Bill Smith, a retired heavy equipment operator. These men donate their time every Thursday. Their work is rewarded with popcorn, a cup of coffee and lunch at the Center’s cafeteria. They continue to accomplish amazing things using their skills. So far, the train’s engine and wiring have been replaced and overhauled. Sheet metal has been replaced and a whole new paint job has been given to the train. Adaptions have been made to one of the train’s cars to accommodate non-ambulatory individuals. 

Local businesses from the Conway area have donated both time and resources to help modernize the little train. These business and organizations include Jim Smith Body Shop, Elks Club, Koopers Railroad Ties and Centennial Bank. 

Work continues — the railroad track needs continuous upgrading. New railroad ties are being added and bridges are being improved. A ramp has been added to enhance the ability for non-ambulatory individuals to use the train. 

The Center’s Century Flyer is not available for public rides; however, in December the Center hosted a community Polar Express for the public. Plans are to make this an annual event. 

The little train is a piece of Central Arkansas history. It has been added to the National Historic Register of Places. It has provided years of endless hours of fun and enjoyment for the Center’s residents, employees and families. 

So, the next time you are driving down I-40 in Conway take a quick glimpse at the train tunnel and know the old Century Flyer is being preserved for future residents of the Conway Human Development Center.

Linda Henderson
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