did a Google search for New Augusta, AR and it appears to be an unincorporated settlement very near Augusta AR but is listed as a separate settlement.  Now, why was there a railroad station at New Augusta instead of Augusta? Often, either the railroad or some influential individual owned land in the area and placing a station near the land would make it more valuable.  Or it could be through someshenanigans like how McRae AR came to be. 

Maybe someone from Augusta will chime in. I checked my 1942 "railroad" atlas* and discovered the Augusta RR. It was a short line that connected Augusta to the Missouri Pacific seqment that ran between Bald Knob and Memphis. The Augusta RR existed from 1918 to the early 1980s. Prior to 1918 it was known as Augusta Tramway and Transfer. (Thanks Mr. Google.) I suspect that the New Augusta depot served the Augusta short line where it connected with the Mo Pac. New Augusta does not show on the map.

Bob C

* Actually its Hammond's New Era Atlas of the World, but the maps of the 48 states don't show roads -- only railroads. BTW there's a coupon in the book that Hammond would send updates, for only 25 cents, of all the political subdivision changes after the war was over, treaties signed, and boundries settled.

On further research, I found a history of the Augusta short line and one of its engines. See http://66.139.180.4/~tdowler/300hist/300hist.html . To make a long story short the railroad from Memphis to Bald Knob was built by the Iron Mountain Railroad (later the MoPac). The city fathers weren't convinced of the advantages of having a railroad run through the middle of their town. So the disappointed chief engineer bypassed Augusta about one mile to the south. In 1887 the citizens of Augusta banned together and built a spur railroad to connect with the Iron Mountain RR. New Augusta was established where the short line met the Iron Mountain later to become the Missouri Pacific RR. There's lot more interesting information at the link.

Bob C

Barbara, it answered Harold Gene's question as to why the railroad didn't run through Augusta. But not for the reasons he supposed. The leaders of Augusta didn't wish to become a railroad town-- didn't want the noisy thing bisecting the town. Didn't want the hustle and bustle and undesirables that would accompany the railroad. Besides the White River port at Augusta allowed them to ship and receive goods from far and wide. That is until the railroads took away most of the business from the boat operators and service to their quite little port dropped significantly. That's when the spur line, depot, and New Augusta were established. (If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.)  Scroll down to  "Backtracking through history" at the link http://66.139.180.4/~tdowler/300hist/300hist.html . The author of that piece tells the story much better than I can.

I'd like to hear the story of how McRae came to be. Usually those small stations were built at intervals along the main line to provide water for the engine's boilers. What was the story behind the location of the McRae station?

I thought I'd read the story on the White County Historical Society website but don't seem to find it now.  Or could have been in the book, The History of McRae, Arkansas, written by Bruce Cook in 1981.  I don't have a copy of the book to check there.

Anyway, the short version, as I remember it, is that Garner was a small, existing town when the Iron Mountain (later the Missouri-Pacific) Railway was built through it.  They petitioned for a depot there and the railroad finally agreed.  When the paperwork was being taken to Little Rock telling where they wanted the depot, the fellow taking it owned some land west of Garner a few miles.  So he changed the milepost description to near his land and the railroad built the depot there, in the middle of nowhere. The town of McRae grew up around the new depot.