The White County Historical Society recently acquired one of the last remaining wooden Combination Car(a car that had both seating area and a traveling post office )
that was used on the Missouri & North Arkansas Railroad. The car was built in 1894 by the St. Charles Car Company in St. Charles. MO. It was used in the north Arkansas area until it was sold by the Missouri Pacific to the Missouri and North Arkansas on April the 12th 1929. It served on the M&NA and it’s successors until about 1945. For many years it had set without trucks (wheels) on Oak Street in Searcy and used as a home. In later years it has been allowed to deteriorate until it was scheduled for scrapping. Craig Christiansen and the White County Historical Society saved it. The car was donated to the WCHS after lengthy negotiations. The Society originally intended to move the car to Pioneer Village.
In 2007 Craig Christiansen offered to house the car next to his recently remodeled Union Pacific Train Depot, in Bald Knob. With help and encouragement from Jim Wakefield, a railroad historian form Little Rock, the Society had the car moved to the Bald Knob Depot site.
Plans are being made to restore the car to it former glory. Many railroad buff and historians have expressed interest in assisting with the project.