Before I forget, I did find a reference to a book, "Up and Down the Red River and Gulf Railroad" by Troy L. DeRamus; 1989 (HE2771.L8.D47). It is for sale for 150 bucks on Amazon, if interested. This write is free, or maybe, cheap.
A Shay Engine, No.108, later, it was renumbered as No.106, built for Peavy-Wilson Lumber Co.
Quoting Carl Dilbeck, "The powerful "Shay" engines brought the trains in to the main tracks, where the faster but less powerful "Rod" engines pulled
them on into the mill and dumped them in the log pond."
The above rod engine is No.106. Why was the "Shay", renumbered? Was the "Rod" sold, crashed, or....?
Here is a little of the history of the railroad. I felt that I should include it as there is so little RR&G information out there. Gleam what you can for it.
RED RIVER & GULF RAILROAD. FROM HERE
The Red River & Gulf Railroad Company was incorporated in April, 1905, and its capital stock, amounting to $101,000, was delivered to the Crowell & Spencer Lumber Company and distributed by the latter as a dividend to its stockholders. The lumber company constructed the track and deeded the property to the railroad corporation. The two companies are, and have been from their inception, identical in interest, and they have the same officers.
The tap line connects with the Iron Mountain at Long Leaf, La., and with the Rock Island, Texas & Pacific and Southern Pacific at LeCompte, the track between those points being about 13 miles in length. The timber has all been cut away along the main line; but the lumber company has an unincorporated track about 4 miles in length, connecting with the tap line and running into the standing timber. The equipment of the tap line consists of 1 locomotive, a combination passenger and freight car, and 3 flat cars. The lumber company itself owns and operates 3 locomotives and about 50 logging cars.
The mill of the lumber company is at Long Leaf, within a quarter of a mile of the tracks of the Iron Mountain. The lumber company loads the logs on its cars in the woods, and with its engines- hauls them over the unincorporated tracks and thence over the incorporated tap line to the mill under a trackage privilege, for which it pays the tap line 25 cents per 1,000 feet, log scale. In other words, the logs are moved to the mill precisely in the manner that they were before the incorporation of the tap line, with the exception that the lumber company goes through the form of paying a trackage charge. Before the incorporation practically all the lumber moved over the Iron Mountain and no divisions were paid. But at the time of the hearing the bulk of the lumber moved over the tap line to the Rock Island, a distance of over 12 miles, the divisions paid by that company ranging from 2-1/2 cents to 4-1/2 cents per 100 pounds. The allowance of the Iron Mountain is uniformly 3 cents, while the Southern Pacific pays 3 and 4 cents per 100 pounds. The Texas & Pacific grants no divisions.
There is an independent mill on the tap line about 5 miles from LeCompte, with a capacity of about 40,000 feet per day. It hauls its logs to the mill by wagon. The lumber traffic of the tap line for the year 1910 amounted to 37,820 tons, with 1,363 tons of other freight. The revenue from the freight was $29,576.56, in addition to which the lumber company paid $5,191.36 for trackage rights for its log trains, and the Rock Island paid $6,666.75 for the privilege of running trains loaded with gravel over a portion of the tap line. The Red River & Gulf runs one train daily in each direction, on which passengers are carried; and its revenues from passengers amounted to $1,213.40 for the year 1910. These figures are taken from the annual reports to the Commission, which show an accumulated surplus on June 30, 1910, of $6,865.74, after the payment of a 40 per cent dividend during that year, amounting to $40,400. In the year 1907 it paid a 15 per cent dividend, with 40 per cent in 1908, and 20 per cent in 1909, making a total of $116,150 distributed in four years to its stockholders, on a capitalization of $101,000.
The allowances paid here are clearly excessive and amount to a re-bate to the lumber company. The allowance by the Iron Mountain to the tap line for switching the product of the mill to its rails may not lawfully exceed $2 a car; and we fix the division out of the rates that may lawfully be made by the Rock Island and other trunk lines on the products- of the mill of the controlling company at Long Leaf at 2 cents per 100 pounds as a maximum.
There was a little info on a couple of the engines.
First is 104, which has made the rounds. I got this from somewhere:
Historic locomotive to move to Southeastern Railway Museum
August 29, 2007
For Immediate Release (Duluth, Ga.).
"The Southeastern Railway Museum is pleased to announce the donation of "General II," Stone Mountain Railroad's locomotive No. 104.
Originally built in 1919 engine No. 104 for the Red River & Gulf Railroad, the locomotive moved to Gulf Sand & Gravel Co. in 1950 to become Comite Southern No. 1.
The Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad acquired the engine in 1961. It became known as "General II" when it was rebuilt and cosmetically altered to resemble the "General," the locomotive made famous by the Andrews Raid and locomotive chase through northwest Georgia during the Civil War".
The display at Peason had this picture. Isn't it ironic that I found No.104, the engine shown in this old photograph.
No.202 at the museum on Long Leaf:
No.400 at the Long Leaf Museum:
Here are some notes I've taken from Carl Dilbeck's masterpiece.
How the mill at Peason was built:
Lumber to build the mill was brought by wagons drawn by mule and oxen from the D.B. Pate sawmill nearthe turpentine camp of Shutts, located near the northeastern corner
of what is now Hodges Gardens.
The line from Peason to Sandel:
A tap line railroad was constructed, the Christie and Eastern, running from Sandel on the Kansas City Southern line some twelve miles to the mill site. It was said that curves made up much of this mileage, as the track was constructed to surround steep hills and avoid sharp grades.
Later, the connection to Longleaf and Lecompte:
Later the railroad was extended east to connect with the Red River and Gulf Railroad
at Kurthwood, with connections to Lecompte.
The RR&G and Peavy-Wilson Lumber Co. connection:
The lumber company constructed the track and deeded the property to the railroad corporation. The two companies are, and have been from their inception, identical in interest, and they have the same officers.
More from HERE.
[To Repeat]The tap line connects with the Iron Mountain at Long Leaf, La., and with the Rock Island, Texas & Pacific and Southern Pacific at LeCompte, the track between those points being about 13 miles in length. The timber has all been cut away along the main line; but the lumber company has an unincorporated track about 4 miles in length, connecting with the tap line and running into the standing timber. The equipment of the tap line consists of 1 locomotive, a combination passenger and freight car, and 3 flat cars. The lumber company itself owns and operates 3 locomotives and about 50 logging cars.
The Red River & Gulf runs one train daily in each direction, on which passengers are carried; and its revenues from passengers amounted to $1,213.40 for the year 1910.
Thankfully I am through with all the educational part of the write. All that I have for now, anyway. The fun part now starts, at least for me. I'm going out there and find all of the bed I can riding the back roads, my personal passion.
Below are the maps as I will work west to east.
A Toonerville Trolly connected Sandel, on US171 with Peason, on La.118. Click the maps and pictures to enlarge. Then hit the back button to return.
Peason to Kurtwood
Kurtwood to Melder:
The names of the places that made this map possible came from Abandoned Rails: The Red River & Gulf Railroad
The next, and last section, is from Elmelhine to Lecompte. I am unsure about this. I've put in a request to the museum to varify it.
Next, I'll supply pictures of the grade that I've found.
This may be a full summer project. Stay tuned.
CLICK HERE to continue.