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New Orleans Public Belt RailroadThe Railroad Owned by the Citizens of New Orleans, Louisiana |
New Orleans, La / Oct 1997 / Christopher Palmieri
he New Orleans Public Belt Railroad is unique among the railroads of the United States in that it is a publicly owned and operated terminal switching railroad. It is not owned or operated by the railroads with whom it connects, but rather by the community it serves; it is owned by the citizens of the City of New Orleans and operated through the Public Belt Railroad Commission.
he New Orleans Public Belt Railroad is a non-profit terminal switching railroad, owned by the City of New Orleans. It connects with all Class I mainline railroads serving the Crescent City and provides daily switching, interchange, and haulage service.
The railroad began operation in 1908 with the intention of giving the major railroads "uniform and impartial" access to the port of New Orleans.
Today the line is managed by the Public Belt Railroad Commission, which also owns and maintains the Huey P. Long Bridge spanning the Mississippi River. Known among railfans for once rostering a small fleet of World War II era Baldwin yard switchers, today the Public Belt operates EMD yard goats, Morrison Knudsen road switchers, and second generation road power. A historic engine terminal and modern office facility are maintained along Tchoupitoulas Street, a few hundred yards from the Mississippi River.
NOPB route map / collection
1994 Official Guide ad / collection
HawkinsRails thanks railfan friends Louis Saillard and Christopher Palmieri for use of their New Orleans Public Belt photographs
Motive Power
from Railroad magazine
- Sy Reich - Jul 1973 / collection
New Orleans Public Belt #21
New Orleans, La / Jan 1948 / collection
New Orleans Public Belt #32
New Orleans, La / May 1948 / collection
New Orleans Public Belt #42 #43
Baldwin VO660 / Builder's photo / Mar 11942 / collection
New Orleans, La / Oct 1971 / Louis Saillard
New Orleans Public Belt #51
New Orleans, La / collection
New Orleans Public Belt #51
New Orleans Public Belt #61
New Orleans, La / Louis Saillard
New Orleans Public Belt #61
last Baldwin on the NOPB
to Cargill, Reserve La.
New Orleans, La / Feb 1973 / James H. Selzer, Jr.
New Orleans Public Belt #102
New Orleans, La / Dec 1982 / collection
New Orleans Public Belt #102
to Chattahoochee Valley #102
to Tennessee Valley Authority #F6102
New Orleans, La / Jan 1979 / collection
New Orleans Public Belt #105
New Orleans, La / Dec 1982 / collection
New Orleans Public Belt #105
to New Orleans Public Belt #1001
New Orleans Public Belt #106
New Orleans, La / Apr 1989 / Louis Saillard
New Orleans Public Belt #106
to Webb Asset Management #1701
New Orleans, La / Apr 1989 / Louis Saillard
New Orleans, La / Jan 1995 / Christopher Palmieri
New Orleans, La / Apr 1989 / JCH
New Orleans, La / Apr 1989 / JCH
New Orleans, La / Apr 1989 / JCH
Electro-Motive SW1500
The pure yard locomotive could conceivably vanish from some railroads. That's the logical conclusion that could have been drawn from EMD's SW1000 and SW1500 units, both of which were available with Flexicoil road trucks and big fuel tanks for op- tional road runs. Normally aspirated 645-series engines mated with D.C. generators were inside both models; the SW1000 packed a 1000 h.p. V-8 and the SW1500 a 1500 h.p. V-12. Breaking with traditional EMD switcher configuration, the SW1500 offered a soaring cab with excellent 360-degree visibility. One-man operational characteristics were enhanced by the option of dual cab controls to allow the engineer to run the unit from either side of the cab.
"At EMD an era ended, an era began"
Our GM Scrapbook - Kalmbach, 1971
New Orleans Public Belt #151
New Orleans, La / Dec 1982 / collection
New Orleans Public Belt #151
to New Orleans Public Belt #1501
New Orleans, La / Dec 1982 / collection
New Orleans, La / May 1987 / JCH
New Orleans, La / Jan 1979 / collection
New Orleans, La / Oct 1997 / Christopher Palmieri
New Orleans Public Belt #152
New Orleans, La / Oct 1997 / Christopher Palmieri
New Orleans Public Belt #152
to New Orleans Public Belt #1502
New Orleans, La / Apr 1989 / JCH
New Orleans, La / Oct 1997 / Christopher Palmieri
New Orleans, La / Oct 1997 / Christopher Palmieri
New Orleans Public Belt #153
New Orleans, La / Jan 1995 / Christopher Palmieri
New Orleans Public Belt #153
to New Orleans Public Belt #1503
New Orleans Public Belt #2001
New Orleans, La / Mar 2005 / Paul Leach
New Orleans Public Belt #2001
New Orleans Public Belt #2003
New Orleans, La / Aug 2007 / RWH
New Orleans Public Belt #2003
leased from Motivepower Industries Inc.
New Orleans, La / Aug 2007 / RWH
New Orleans, La / Aug 2007 / RWH
New Orleans, La / Aug 2007 / RWH
Rolling Stock
New Orleans Public Belt #3145
50' boxcar / New Orleans, La / May 1987 / JCH
New Orleans, La / May 1987 / JCH
JCH
Hartford & Slocumb #30876
Duncansville, Pa / Feb 2016 / RWH
Feb 2016 / RWH
Hartford & Slocumb #5294
New Orleans, La / JCH
New Orleans Public Belt "City of New Orleans"
business car / New Orleans, La / Dec 2016 / RWH
New Orleans, La / Dec 2016 / RWH
New Orleans, La / Dec 2016 / RWH
New Orleans, La / Dec 2016 / RWH
Engine Terminal
collection
New Orleans, La / Dec 2016 / RWH
New Orleans, La / Dec 2016 / RWH
New Orleans, La / Dec 2016 / RWH
Click to see the Public Belt engine terminal plotted on a Google Maps page
New Orleans, La / Apr 1989 / JCH
NOPB engine terminal overhead / Google Maps
New Orleans, La / Apr 1989 / JCH
1989 engine terminal drawing / collection
New Orleans, La / Apr 1989 / JCH
New Orleans, La / Apr 1989 / JCH
New Orleans, La / Apr 1989 / JCH
New Orleans, La / Apr 1989 / JCH
New Orleans, La / Apr 1989 / JCH
New Orleans, La / Apr 1989 / JCH
New Orleans, La / Apr 1989 / JCH
New Orleans, La / Apr 1989 / JCH
New Orleans, La / Apr 1989 / JCH
Apr 1989 / JCH
Apr 1989 / JCH
New Orleans, La / Apr 1989 / JCH
Scrapbook
all pages from New Orleans Public Belt scrapbook / JCH
Publications
There’s little doubt about the Public Belt’s impact to the long-term sustainability of New Orleans, both before and after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The railroad serves as the exclusive rail provider for the port, with 26 miles of track connecting BNSF Railway Co., CN, CSX, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern Railway and Union Pacific Railroad. The Public Belt also plays an important role in expediting local and intermediate freight through the strategic New Orleans rail gateway. The railroad also owns and maintains the Huey P. Long Bridge over the Mississippi River. Completed in 1935, the Huey P. Long is the longest and highest steel railroad bridge in the United States.
The Public Belt received a boost from the Louisiana Legislature in 1997 when House Bill 1949 granted the railroad the right to transport overhead train traffic through New Orleans across its network and contract with any railroad to provide that service.
The railroad also played a role in Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. Although the Public Belt’s main yard and offices did not suffer flooding or wind damage, much of its equipment and many of its vehicles were used by other agencies for debris removal. The railroad’s main office building housed a large group of National Guard members from San Diego who were helping with recovery.
Port of New Orleans prepares to take reins at New Orleans Public Belt Railroad - Progressive Railroading
1988 Official Guide ad / collection
1982 NOPB timetable / collection
collection
A Chronicle of the New Orleans Belt Railroad
A Public Belt Railroad was considered in the late 1880's when railroad construction in and around New Orleans was marked by activities of most of the trunk lines which now serve the city. In the beginning, trunk lines individually served different areas of the riverfront, but a committee of citizens, known as the Municipal Affairs Committee decided this was not the most economical, nor the most efficient, way to provide railroad service to the port areas. They also felt that it didn't give the proper impetus, and encouragement, to commercial development in the Port area and the City.
In January 1889, this group submitted a report to the City Council including a tentative route for a belt railroad. In 1897, they proposed a belt railroad to be owned and operated by the City to provide uniform rail service to the entire area adjacent to the Port and to handle traffic moving via any and all the trunk lines reaching the City. Their idea was to provide impartial service for all rail/water or water/rail traffic through this port, and for other industries, in the most efficient and least costly way.
Through the efforts of this same Municipal Affairs Committee, City Ordinance No. 147 of August 7, 1900, provided for a Public Belt Railroad, to be operated by a Commission, composed of the Mayor and certain members of the City Council. It also appropriated $10,000 per year, for four years, for the construction of such a Belt Railroad.
In 1904, the same Municipal Affairs Committee was successful in having another ordinance passed - Ordinance No. 2683 - which amended and reenacted Ordinance No. 147 of August 7, 1900. This latter ordinance provided for operation of the Public Belt to be vested in a Board of Commissioners, to be composed of the Mayor and sixteen citizen tax payers of the City.
The Commission was organized on November 2, 1904. While the Mayor is President of the Commission, the active head of the Commission is the President Pro Tem., who is elected by the Commission from those members representing the various commercial organizations who furnish nominees for the Commission. Terms of the Commissioners are staggered so that two memberships expire every two years. The same 1904 Ordinance, which amended the makeup of the Commission, also provided for the $10,000 annual appropriation, for acquisition of property and construction of the Public Belt, to be extended to 1915 for a total of 15 years.
Actual construction of a single track main line along the Riverfront from the upper line of Audubon Park to Press Street commenced in 1905, and actual operation began in 1908, with one locomotive. The City appropriated roundly $487,000 for construction of the Public Belt, which represents the total investment of the City in the Public Belt to date. All subsequent expansions and improvements have been financed from earnings and the issuance of bonds serviced from earnings A l l bonds have been retired and Public Belt's net worth is over $22,000,000.
The Public Belt operates 6 diesel electric locomotives which were purchased new in 1971. Three
of its locomotives are 1,500 hp, and three are 1,000 hp. Its tracks extend over 23 miles from the west
side of the Huey P. Long Bridge to the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, and along both sides of the Industrial Canal. Total trackage operated is approximately 124 miles.
The Belt has 2 classification yards, 2 storage yards and interchanges with the six trunk lines reaching New Orleans.
New Orleans Public Belt Railroad
NOPB route map / Times-Picayune / 1987 / collection
all pages from New Orleans Public Belt scrapbook / JCH
Huey P. Long Bridge
postcard / collection
fact that may not be generally known, is that the Public Belt owns, operates and maintains the Huey P. Long Bridge across the Mississippi River - the longest and highest steel railroad bridge in the United States. It is 4.35 miles long, from abutment to abutment. Its construction, which was begun in 1932 and completed in 1935, was at a cost of $12.8 million. The bridge was considered a major engineering feat. Most railroad bridges have a Cooper rating of E72 to E80, but the Huey Long Bridge was designed for a Cooper Rating of E90, and hence can accommodate unusually heavy loads. It has carried loads of 1,000,000 pounds moving in special restricted service. The Huey Long Bridge is a combination rail-highway structure and provides a four lane highway, two one-way lanes on each side of a double track railroad. A substantial work force of 25 to 30 people is required to carry on the constant maintenance on the bridge.
New Orleans Public Belt Railroad
Aug 1987 / JCH
postcard / collection
Aug 1987 / JCH
Bridge City, La / Jul 2019 / RWH
Bridge City, La / Jul 2019 / RWH
Bridge City, La / Jul 2019 / RWH
Elmwood, La / Jul 2019 / RWH
Elmwood, La / Jul 2019 / RWH
Elmwood, La / Jul 2019 / RWH
Elmwood, La / Dec 2016 / JCH
Elmwood, La / Dec 2016 / JCH
Elmwood, La / Dec 2016 / JCH
Elmwood, La / Dec 2016 / JCH
Links / Sources
- New Orleans Public Belt company website
- Wikipedia article for New Orleans Public Belt
- Diesel Shop roster for New Orleans Public Belt Railroad
- Edward A. Lewis, American Shortline Railway Guide - Fifth Edition (Kalmbach, 1996) 220