A&LM 2-6-0 Steam Locomotive #61

The Arkansas & Louisiana Missouri Railroad operated a 53 mile shortline from Monroe, Louisiana, north through Bastrop, and up to Crossett, Arkansas. It existed between the years of 1920 to 1991. The road stabled a number of small steam locomotives in its earlier years. One of the late-comers to the roster was a tidy little Mogul locomotive, lettered as the road’s number 61.

Robert W. Richardson documented the locomotive in Bastrop, Louisiana on May 3rd of 1946. The information accompanying this image states that this is a work train. The engineer is seen looking back, likely following the signals from a brakeman riding the roof of a boxcar at the rear of the little train. And note the side door caboose!

A&LM 2-6-0 Loco #61

The locomotive changed hands several times in its history. She’s a 2-6-0 built by Baldwin in April of 1913 for the Ocean Shore Railroad as their #22. At some point she left the Ocean Shore, going to a dealer, the United Commercial Company. In March of 1922 she went to the Pickering Lumber Company in Haslam, Texas as their #28. And from there she went to the A&LM in November of 1935, where she became the #61. The A&LM leased her to the Louisiana & Pine Bluff Railway between June-Sept of 1941. She was eventually placed in storage in October of 1946, and was officially retired in February, 1947. She was finally scrapped at Shreveport, Louisiana in March of 1957.

Photo from the Denver Public Library Special Collections

The Depot at Hazlehurst, Mississippi

Back in February of 2009 Wayne Robichaux and I took a little field trip through southern Mississippi. We looped through several towns, and at railroad locations in between, ending the day in Hazlehurst, Mississippi. And there we stopped at the former Illinois Central depot in the center of town. A roadway overpass just south of the depot provided an excellent location to capture the structure along with its surroundings.

The depot now serves as the Mississippi Music Museum, with photos and memorabilia of the many artists that the state was home to. Amtrak’s City of New Orleans still runs through here, and passengers are served by a tiny glassed in enclosure seen a bit further down from the depot. Almost unnoticeable, that’s it near the caboose on display. The entire area is nicely kept, and also has a pavilion and a small children’s playground just beyond the caboose.

Depot at Hazlehurst, Miss

This image was recorded at dusk ( 5:44 PM according to camera EXIF data). The lights are turning on, and all seems still. I noticed when zooming in on the photograph that two people are waiting in that tiny Amtrak “depot” (good that it was there, as there had been a small rain shower recently). Apparently the northbound train #58 is running a bit late on this Saturday evening.

Many Faces on an ICG Freight

Edgar Dayries found himself trackside on a day in March of 1980. He captured this image of a northbound Illinois Central Gulf freight train as it reached Owl Bayou, a small waterway a couple miles north of the North Pass in Manchac, Louisiana (North Pass is one of two waterways that connect Lake Maurepas to Lake Pontchartrain).

Heading up the train is an interesting consist. All products of EMD, the first locomotive is an SD20. The second locomotive is a former Southern Railway SD24. The partial view of the GM&O locomotive looks like an SD40.

ICG Train at Owl Bayou

Crossing Little Creek With a Northbound Local

Another interesting image from the camera of Mike Palmieri, a northbound local freight headed up by Illinois Central Gulf locomotive #8387. This unit is one of the road’s GP10 models rebuilt at their Paducah Shops in Kentucky in 1974.

Mike caught this train on May 3, 1979 as it was crossing a small creek near Mandeville, Louisiana. Below is the caption to Mike’s photograph.

“The northward local on the ICG’s Shore Line District crosses Little Creek at Bridge NA58.01. The train is between Mandeville and Abita Springs, and about to pass under I-12. It has a typical consist, with 14 cars: three box cars, one covered hopper, two more box cars, six empty pulpwood cars and two gondolas, plus caboose 199034. The two empty C&NW box cars behind the locomotive had been picked up at Imco Services in Lacombe. Imco provided drilling fluids for the extensive oil and gas exploration that was taking place in this area, and C&NW box cars regularly brought in bagged bentonite from Wyoming. Imco also received barite in covered hoppers, but closed after the “oil bust” of 1982.”

ICG #8387 at Little Creek

I love this scene as it (and the image in last week’s posting) capture the flavor I want to have on my own Louisiana Central model railroad when I eventually get to the scenery and structure details.

Thanks Mike!

I.C.G. GP10 #8397 at Work

The Illinois Central Railroad had an extensive locomotive rebuilding program at one time. The work was performed in groups at their Paducah Shops in Kentucky. The second of these groups of rebuilt locomotives were labeled as GP10 types.

In 1972 the Illinois Central merged with the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio to create the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. The #8397 featured today was originally an I.C. model GP9 built by EMD in January of 1957 as the #9203. She was rebuilt as a GP10 in 1976 during the I.C.G. era as #8397.

Mike Palmieri photographed the locomotive on February 22, 1980 as it was working in Mandeville, Louisiana near the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. I’ll quote Mike’s words as to the description of the scene: “Notice that the engineer is looking towards the rear of the train. He has set out a covered hopper under the Prestressed Concrete Products Co. cement tower in the background and is putting his train back together. This company was formed in 1957 to make components for the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway and remained in operation into the 1980’s. It trucked cement from this tower to its plant near the north end of the bridge.”

ICG #8397 (EB) @ Mandeville, La.

A MoPac Car Ferry

At one time the Missouri Pacific Railroad operated several car ferries along the Mississippi River. One of those operations was between Natchez, Mississippi and Vidalia, Louisiana. In March of 1982 photographer Ken Albrecht recorded these views of a float approaching, then docking at the landing on the Natchez (east) side of the river.

MOP Car Ferry in Mississippi River
The crew of the MoPac owned towboat ‘Natchez’ guiding their barge across the Mississippi River toward the landing in Natchez. That’s Vidalia on the far (west) side of the river. Seen on the barge is MoPac GP38-2 #2167 and assorted cars.
MOP Car Ferry Approaching Landing
The ferry is slowly approaching the landing, using the river’s current (flowing to the left) to help steer it into place.
MOP Car Ferry at Natchez, Miss.
The ferry is now tethered to the landing’s ramp, and another MoPac Geep has entered the scene. It will pull the other locomotive and its cars off of the barge, make up its train, then climb up the bank of the river and head for the ICG connection.

Although the railroad had seen busier times than this now weekly connection, by 1982 the traffic was down to a trickle. It was fortunate that Ken documented the service as it was discontinued shortly after this in June of 1982.

Photos Past: A Southbound CN Freight

Back in October of 2017 upon arriving in Hammond, Louisiana, I had reached the last leg of a rail-fanning trip I’d made that day. There I captured this view of a southbound Canadian National freight train as it was picking up speed while approaching the depot. It had been in the siding beyond waiting for northbound Amtrak train #58 to clear.

The Hammond depot is at milepost 859 on the McComb Subdivision of the CN, this line running between Chicago and New Orleans. The track curving to the left is the start of the Hammond Subdivision, and it runs west to Baton Rouge.

Southbound Freight at Hammond, LA

The U.P. #8444 Steaming Through Colorado

My good friend Edgar Dayries traveled out west in (he recalls) October of 1977. His mission was to photograph the Union Pacific’s steam locomotive #8444 on it’s travels through Colorado. He located a spot overlooking the rails and patiently waited for the train to appear. And this is what he was rewarded with.

UPRR 4-8-4 #8444 in Colorado

The big 4-8-4 doesn’t seem to be having any trouble pulling the generous passenger train over these hills. Note that it doesn’t have a diesel locomotive buried in the consist.

The 8444 was originally the 844, but was renumbered when one of those diesels demanded it’s number. But the steamer outlasted the diesel, and when it was retired, it regained it’s original number of 844 which she still carries today.

Nice shot, Edgar!

U.P. Freight Crossing Bayou Plaquemine

In April of 2018 my friend Ron Findley and I attended the annual spring railfan gathering of the Southeastern Louisiana Chapter of the N.R.H.S. The event was held in Plaquemine, Louisiana, a small city located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, across from and a bit below Baton Rouge. The Union Pacific Railroad’s mainline between New Orleans and Addis (formerly Texas & Pacific) runs through here, and the track is routed through the center of the city’s old business district, flanked on each side by one-way avenues.

It was a bright and sunny spring day, and we enjoyed several passing trains while there. Eventually Ron and I ventured a bit north from where the group was camped, and we were rewarded by a southbound freight train as it was crossing Bayou Plaquemine on the historic bridge located there. Locomotive #4058, an EMD SD70M, leads the train and is assisted by another UP SD70M locomotive and a pair of Norfolk Southern visitors.

UP Freight Train Crossing Bayou Plaquemine

NOPSI Streetcar #909

Growing up in New Orleans, this scene in New Orleans really brings back memories for me. The year is 1957 and I would be seeing the world as a nine year old kid. The photographer captured this scene as NOPSI (New Orleans Public Service, Inc.) streetcar #909 waits at the traffic light for the flow of people and automobiles to cross the wide Canal Street in downtown New Orleans. It’s obviously summer, and the typical daily afternoon shower has just ended. This short section of the Canal Street neutral ground (the median) has three tracks rather than the usual pair for the cars traveling in each direction. If you look closely you’ll notice a curved track on the left turning onto St. Charles Avenue. The cars on that line will travel the length of St. Charles, then a distance down Carrollton Avenue before reversing to head back downtown.

Canal-Street-New-Orleans-LA-1957

The bus seen at far right will only travel a single block before turning to traverse its route elsewhere. Several bus routes in New Orleans will terminate at Canal Street, arriving on a one-way street, turn for the short block down Canal, then head back to their origin via the one-way street running the opposite direction.

Canal Street was the heart of retail business back in the day, and was filled with excellent department stores and smaller specialty stores. You generally dressed fairly well when you went to Canal Street, as it was the “respectable” place to shop. Sadly all those great stores are gone now, and Canal Street has lost its luster. But the streetcars are still running.

Unfortunately I don’t know who the photographer is to credit this image. I will surely post his name if anyone happens to recognize the photo.

Photos Past: Critters and Such

Actually, this is a partial re-post of of an entry back in 2017. Ron Findley and I made another of our occasional forays to the Greater Baton Rouge Model Railroaders club up in Jackson, Louisiana back in March of that year. There once was a small steam powered tourist railroad operation on the property, the Old Hickory Railroad. Unfortunately its operation has been suspended for many years now. The owner has a collection of derelict railroad and farm equipment, most of which is under an open shelter.

Under that shelter are three tiny Plymouth locomotives. They are still in various stages of disassembly, but a fourth had been restored shortly before our visit, and was parked out in the open. Naturally I documented the little critters, and earlier had posted photos of them, along with several other relics stored under the roof.

Presented today is the restored critter (or as women would say, “that cute little thing”).

OHRR_Plymouth-1
The front view of the locomotive. The club occupies a couple of the buildings off in the background. They have indoor N, HO and O scale layouts, and two outdoor G scale layouts, one electric and the other live steam. I wish they had rights to the full size railroad so we could take the Plymouth for a spin! 🙂
OHRR_Plymouth-2
The rear view of the locomotive. A small part of the open shelter is seen here in the background. Its actual size is quite large.

The McGiffert Log Loader

Last week we saw some photographs of the Clyde double-ended rehaul skidder on display at the Southern Forest Heritage Museum in Long Leaf, Louisiana. The skidder dragged the logs through the woods up to the railhead. But another machine was used to actually load the logs onto the rail cars: the McGiffert log loader. The museum has two of these machines on the property.

The machine straddled the track and would pull empty log cars through its supporting framework, loading each car as it reached the front where the boom was located. Another feature was the ability for the machine to relocate itself. There are a pair of powered trucks (wheelsets) tucked up high in the support structure that can be lowered to the rails. The machine then lifted itself so the weight was on the trucks, then propelled itself to the next loading location. Once there it would lower itself to the ground, then raise the trucks back up to the “storage” location, allowing the empty log cars to roll beneath it.

McGiffert Log Loader #1
This is McGiffert #1229, shown during her restoration effort. This image by Ron Findley shows how it looked in April of 2011. In the years since, it has received a new boom and additional restoration, and once again looks as it was in service.
McGiffert Log Loader #2
Ron also recorded this view of the McGiffert #1230. It is located behind the machine shop and easily viewable. It’s difficult to see in this view, but this machine is raised and sitting on its trucks. Hopefully it will receive some restoration work in the future.
McCloud Lbr. Co. McGiffert
This shows another of these machines at work in the woods. I understand this is the McCloud Lumber Company’s operation somewhere out west. I believe the photographer is John West. Note the empty cars being pulled though the machine, then loaded as they come within range of the boom.

You can read a bit more about McGifferts and see additional images of them on this RR&G posting, and also on this SFHM Research Paper. The former has a nice video by Everett Lueck explaining the McGiffert, the latter has information about McGifferts as well as the Clyde skidder featured last week.