This little steamer has been on display in various locations in Opelousas, Louisiana for better than 60 years. I first saw it while my family was traveling through Opelousas back in the early sixties. She was located in the Courthouse Square where my dad photographed the little 0-4-4T for my benefit. She was in good shape as I recall, with a relatively fresh paint job. Fast forward to December 26th of 1988 — Ron Findley and I were traveling westward from Baton Rouge to New Iberia. Taking a somewhat circuitous route, we passed through Opelousas to see if that little tea-kettle was still there. And sure enough it was. She was in rather rough shape compared to what I had remembered. Somewhere along the way she lost her pilot, boiler jacketing and lagging, and had received a rather hideous paint job. But at least she hadn’t been scrapped.
I wanted to learn a bit more about the locomotive’s history, so I started digging around. Most of what I found was simply copies from the display plaque for the locomotive. But I did manage to uncover a bit more. While the plaque claims she was built in 2004 by the Davenport, Iowa Ironworks Company, I found another source that says she was built in 1911 by the Davenport Locomotive Works (the proper name) as construction no. 1161. Not much more about the construction except to say she is a wood burner, is standard gauge, and has 35.5″ drivers powered from her 11″x16″ cylinders.
Her ownership history was this:
Built for the Weil Gutman Supply Co. at Columbia Switch, LA
Later sold (no date) to Caire & Graughard (Columbia, Church Place & Maxie RR #1)
In 1956 was sold to Elray Kocke Service Inc. at Donaldsonville, LA
Sold (no date) to Ben Prather at Alexandria, LA
At some point, she was moved to the Hwy. 190 Tourist Information Center grounds in Opelousas. About 1990 the Opelousas Kiwanis Club funded the move to locate the Mary Jane to her current home at the Orphan Train Museum located in the Le Vieux Village de Poste des Opelousas, commonly referred to as Le Vieux Village.
This photo shows her at her current location at Le Vieux Village, likely in the year 2009.
The paint job is essentially what I remember from back in the sixties, and it looks like some of her jacketing (sans lagging) has been restored to the boiler, giving it a bit cleaner look. Unfortunately a few details seem to be misapplied (note the coupler pin lifting lever (cut lever) attached to the lower extension of the pilot beam). But she still exists! 🙂
I do remember the locomotive. Jack, do you recall what years she was in service at the Caire-Graugnard sugar mill in Edgard, LA? My mother’s family was from Edgard, but I have no memory of the locomotive in that location. Coincidentally, my father was from Opelousas. I have vivid memories of the locomotive at the court house – across the street from the Jim Bowie museum through the early 1960’s.