ocated in Pine Bluff along the Arkansas River, the Arkansas Railroad Museum is one of the state's larger collections of historic railway equipment. Most items are housed inside in the former Saint Louis Southwestern Railway — the famed "Cotton Belt" — heavy machine shop building, which still features a working transfer table for moving exhibits inside and outside the building. The building is leased from Union Pacific by the city of Pine Bluff, and the museum is operated by the Cotton Belt Rail Historical Society and local volunteers.

The cornerstone of the collection is Cotton Belt #819, a heavy "Northern" type steamer and the last of 5 such locomotives built onsite by the railroad's own heavy steam shops. Retired by the railroad in 1953, No. 819 was later rescued from deterioration from outdoor display and restored to excursion operation in 1986. It operated more than a dozen excursions until 1993, and is currently stored in the museum out of service but displayed for viewing. The 819 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, along with at least seven other pieces of Cotton Belt equipment in the collection. Of particular additional interest are several examples of first generation Alco diesel-electric power and a number of cabooses and excursion equipment.