Hot Springs Railroad

aka: Diamond Jo

The Hot Springs Railroad, a narrow gauge railway that ran between Hot Springs (Garland County) and Malvern (Hot Spring County), was the first rail service into the Spa City. Construction on the tracks began in 1875 and was completed in 1876. Known as the “Diamond Jo Line” for the nickname of its developer, Joseph Reynolds, the railway enjoyed success because it maintained a steady business ferrying thousands of passengers to Hot Springs for health and recreation. It also helped advance the popularity of the Spa City as a national destination through promotional materials, a boost that benefited both the town and the railway. Service on the Hot Springs Railroad faded with the death of its owner, the rise of other forms of transportation, and the waning fortunes of Hot Springs as a destination.

With only a grade school education, Joseph “Diamond Jo” Reynolds (1819–1891) personified the classic American entrepreneur of the nineteenth century. As a young man in upstate New York, he engaged in various endeavors, including running a general store, grain mill, and tannery. In 1855, he moved to Chicago, which was becoming a bustling economic center. There, he operated a successful leather tanning company and also became a grain trader for the upper Mississippi River region. When he saw other shippers being given priority on riverboats, leaving his grain to spoil on at the docks, Reynolds began his own steamboat business in 1862.

Reynolds was highly successful, especially after expanding his business to carry freight for other shippers. It was at this time that he received the nickname “Diamond Jo,” as there was another J. Reynolds operating a grain business out of Chicago, causing confusion among customers. Reynolds created a trademark for himself, marking his shipments with his nickname “Jo” (without a final “e”) surrounded by a diamond. His fleet of steamboats on the upper Mississippi River was hence called the Diamond Jo Line.

By the 1870s, Hot Springs, Arkansas, was becoming known nationwide for the supposed health benefits of its thermal waters. According to the National Park Service, “Diamond Jo” Reynolds rode by train from Chicago to Malvern, heading for Hot Springs in order to treat his rheumatism. The final leg of the trip, from the Malvern station into Hot Springs, took most of a day to travel the twenty-one-mile distance. The trek was made worse for those in ill health by having to ride in a painfully bumpy stagecoach into Hot Springs. It was not uncommon for those vehicles to break down, for roads to be flooded out, or for highway robbers to target them, knowing that passengers would probably be traveling with cash.

Reynolds saw a need and decided to build the narrow gauge Hot Springs Railroad. Service commenced in 1876, shortening the previously all-day trip between Malvern and Hot Springs down to one hour. Reynolds made his railcars both comfortable and beautiful. The interiors were made of rosewood and mahogany, with silk curtains and velvet draperies on the windows. Passenger seats were upholstered with leather.

The tracks on the line were three feet wide, about a foot narrower than standard gauge. (Narrow gauge rail systems were less expensive to build because they could run on smaller track with lighter rail cars.) Connecting at Malvern with standard gauge railways coming from elsewhere, the Hot Springs Railroad was the only train line into the Spa City for twenty-five years. Accessible rail service prompted the creation of promotional materials advertising Hot Springs and its thermal baths nationwide. The narrow gauge Hot Springs Railroad was converted to a standard gauge line in 1889, making it possible for wealthy visitors to ride their private Pullman cars all the way into Hot Springs.

The Hot Springs Railroad was absorbed by a series of owners after the death of Diamond Jo Reynolds in 1891. After World War II ended in 1945, average Americans could drive their own automobiles on the new interstate highways as well as enjoy affordable, efficient air travel. The last passenger train to and from Hot Springs ran in 1964.

The rail station in the Spa City is still standing in the twenty-first century but is utilized as the Hot Springs Transportation Depot for social events and special activities. Present-day passengers bound to or from Hot Springs on the train must travel via Amtrak, on which the closest stops to the Spa City are Malvern or Little Rock (Pulaski County).

For additional information:
“Getting to the American Spa.” National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/hosp/learn/kidsyouth/getting-to-hot-springs-national-park.htm (accessed January 14, 2025).

Hanley, Ray, and Steven G. Hanley. Hot Springs, Arkansas. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2000.

Hilton, George W. American Narrow Gauge Railroads. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1990.

Nancy Hendricks
Garland County Historical Society

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