Ok, looking at the map on the Arkansas Gazette on line, the collision appears to be about 1 to 1.5 miles south of the BNSF crossing of the UP. (That would be Frisco-MoPac for many years.) Thus, the train could come up the BNSF from Jonesboro, but it would have to do a 180 degree turn in Jonesboro or be aimed the wrong way between there and Hoxie. After it got to Hoxie it would go through the wye to get back on the UP main aimed north to Walnut Ridge and points north thereof. Alternatively, it could skip both Walnut Ridge and Poplar Bluff and take the freight route up the east side of the Mississippi to St. Louis. This would be, from Little Rock: northeast on the main to Bald Knob, then east on the Memphis line to Wynne, then go north on the former Cotton Belt the rest of the way. It is very likely that if done without freight interference (that won't happen) it could make it very close to schedule time between Little Rock and St. Louis.
As another alternative, they could skip all stops all the way to Chicago by continuing east to Memphis, then following the route of the City of New Orleans for the rest of the trip. When Missouri Pacific ran passenger trains between Memphis and Little Rock the scheduled time between those points was three hours flat.
