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Louisiana Southern Railway Company
John B. Hyde, Legal History of the Lines of Railroad of Southern Railway Company, 1958
Charted in 1897 as the successor to two defunct southeast Louisiana shortlines, the Louisiana Southern Railway Company operated a mainline that extended 45 miles, from Elysian Fields Avenue in New Orleans to Pointe a la Hache in Plaquemines Parish, with a 15 mile branch from Poydras Junction to Shell Beach on Lake Borgne. For twelve years, beginning in 1911, the property was leased to the New Orleans, Texas & Mexico Railroad Company. Independent operation followed, struggling until a war-era boost in traffic made the line profitable and attractive for purchase. Through its regional subsidiary, New Orleans & Northeastern, the Southern Railway acquired the shortline in 1953.
LAS company map / E. Hence / collection
LAS tracks in operation in 2001 / drawn by JCH
Steam Motive Power
Louisiana Southern #5
New Orleans, La / Apr 1923 / collection
Louisiana Southern #5
- builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
- arrangement:4-4-0 American
- built:Dec 1891, Baldwin #12352
- fuel:_________
- notes:
- 15x22 cylinders, 56" drivers
- blt New Orleans & Southern #5
to Louisiana Southern #5, Feb 1897
Louisiana Southern #6
New Orleans, La / Jul 1913 / collection
Louisiana Southern #6
- builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
- arrangement:4-4-0 American
- built:Dec 1891, Baldwin #12353
- fuel:_________
- notes:
- 15x22 cylinders, 56" drivers
- blt New Orleans & Southern #6
to Louisiana Southern #6, Feb 1897
Louisiana Southern #8
New Orleans, La / Apr 1923 / collection
Louisiana Southern #8
- builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
- arrangement:4-4-0 American
- built:Jul 1870, Baldwin #2194
- fuel:_________
- notes:
- 16x24 cylinders, 60" drivers
- blt St. Louis, Vandalia & Terre Haute #21
to Louisiana Southern #8
Louisiana Southern #10
New Orleans, La / Jun 1937 / collection
Louisiana Southern #10
- builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
- arrangement:4-4-0 American
- built:Sep 1876, Baldwin #3992
- fuel:_________
- notes:
- 17x24 cylinders, 63" drivers
- blt Texas & Pacific #43
renumbered Texas & Pacific #519, 1882
renumbered Texas & Pacific #43, 1886
to Louisiana Southern #10, 1910
Louisiana Southern #12
New Orleans, La / Feb 1935 / collection
Louisiana Southern #12
- builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
- arrangement:2-6-0 Mogul
- built:Sep 1887, Baldwin #8790
- fuel:oil/water
- notes:
- 19x24 cylinders, 56 1/2" drivers
- blt St. Louis & San Francisco #214
to New Orleans Texas & Mexico #314
to New Iberia & Northern #45, May 1916
to Louisiana Southern #12, Sep 1923
New Orleans, La / unknown / collection
Louisiana Southern #13
New Orleans, La / Jun 1937 / collection
Louisiana Southern #13
- builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
- arrangement:2-6-0 Mogul
- built:Mar 1914, Baldwin #41168
- fuel:oil/water
- notes:
- 18x24 cylinders, 54" drivers
- blt Cape Girardeau Northern #11
to Birmingham Rail & Locomotive
to Louisiana Southern #13, Jan 1925
Louisiana Southern #14
New Orleans, La / Aug 1931 / collection
Louisiana Southern #14
- builder:American Locomotive Company
- arrangement:2-6-0 Mogul
- built:Sep 1913, Baldwin #53978
- fuel:oil/water
- notes:
- 18x24 cylinders, 54" drivers
- blt Cape Girardeau Northern #9
to Birmingham Rail & Locomotive
to Louisiana Southern #14, Jan 1925
Louisiana Southern #16
New Orleans, La / Feb 1950 / collection
Louisiana Southern #16
- builder:ALCo - Schenectady
- arrangement:2-8-0 Consolidation
- built:_________
- fuel:oil/water
- notes:
- 18x26 cylinders, 57" drivers
- blt for Texas Central
to Missouri Kansas & Texas #685
to Louisiana Southern 16
retired, Dec 1948
to Westwego Salvage Co, Aug 1950
Louisiana Southern #17
New Orleans, La / Apr 1950 / collection
Louisiana Southern #17
- builder:Cooke Locomotive Works
- arrangement:4-6-0 Ten-wheeler
- built:May 1901, Cooke #2402
- fuel:oil/water
- 20x24 cylinders, 61" drivers
- notes:
- blt Missouri Pacific #765
renumbered Missouri Pacific #2516
to New Orleans & Lower Coast #2516
to Louisiana Southern #17, Mar 1948
retired, Oct 1948
to Southern Scrap, New Orleans, July 1953
Diesel Motive Power
Louisiana Southern #501
New Orleans, La / Jan 1950 / collection
Louisiana Southern #501
- builder:General Electric
- model:45 tonner
- type:B-B yard switcher
- built:Dec 1941, GE #15061
- engine:(2) Cummins HB1 (300 hp)
- notes:
- single traction motor on each truck
- to Southern Rwy, 1953
to Pacolet Manufacturing Co, 1954
New Orleans, La / Mar 1947 / collection
Louisiana Southern #503
New Orleans, La / Sep 1948 / collection
Louisiana Southern #503
- builder:Whitcomb Locomotive Works
- model:65 tonner
- type:B-B yard switcher
- built:_________
- engine:_________ (550 hp)
- notes:
- ex United States Army
to Pan American Engineering (dealer)
to Louisiana Southern #503
to Wheeling Steel, 1950
McComb, Ms / May 1950 / collection
Louisiana Southern #504
New Orleans, La / Nov 1951 / collection
Louisiana Southern #504
- builder:General Electric
- model:80 tonner
- type:B-B industrial switcher
- built:Nov 1937, GE #12187
- series:7 produced by GE, 1937
- engine:(2) Cummins, 500 hp
- notes:
- blt Northeast Oklahoma #253
to Louisiana Southern #504, 1949
retired by Southern Rwy, 1966
New Orleans, La / unknown / collection
Louisiana Southern #505
New Orleans, La / Jun 1952 / collection
Louisiana Southern #505
- builder:General Electric
- model:80 tonner
- type:B-B industrial switcher
- built:Nov 1937, GE #12188
- series:7 produced by GE, 1937
- engine:(2) Cummins, 500 hp
- notes:
- blt Northeast Oklahoma #254
to Louisiana Southern #505, 1949
retired by Southern Rwy, 1966
Locations
Louisiana Southern #501
Violet, La / Jan 1947 / collection
Lagniappe
LAS promotional material
LAS promotional material
LAS promotional letter
Links / Sources
- John B. Hyde, Legal History of the Lines of Railroad of Southern Railway Company, 1958
- Steam locomotive roster data courtesy of Allen Stanley at Railroad Data Exchange
- Diesel Locomotive roster data courtesy of Marvin Black
- Jerry Pinkepank, The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide (Kalmbach, 1991)