Red River & Gulf

The is again a "company collection". Be prepared for a long page.
Yes, these may start off like seemingly unconnected to the RR&G, but, they are.
There are two others that are not here. "Touring the RR&G" and another I can't remember.


The Visit (Grandma Fontenot)A short while back I mentioned my new career as a tour director. You say, "duh, you've been doing that". No dude, a real nutz and bolts tour director, like "live, in your face" riding around with a gawking individual "in toe".

I awoke at 4:AM with some problem, probably thinking about the lack of preparation I'd done for the trip. I pulled out the maps, figuratively, since they are digitalized. I'd wanted to go to Comrade, Hutton, Kurthwood and maybe Alco, all old RR&G RR stops. Don't make me explain it. There were also places on the T&P line that I wanted to see again and in one instance, actually for the first time. I realized it was going to be slow going since my customer was bringing his own bike this time.


When he got here I told him where to park it and placed him upon old faithful, Mz Guzzi. I heard her moan, and no doubt, she is saving up retribution for a later time.

Back to the early morning planning debacle. Everett wouldn't be able to attend the Christening of his new child, Black Beauty (my name which should never be associated with reality). I've been in similar situations and wanted to at least get him a few shots of the occasion.

Mike has contributed some short stories about his railroader father and I felt compelled to do something in return and, of course, fill my treasury with shots to put the whole thing together in a joining of pic and prose. I actually made up 25 maps for the ride, none of which were pulled out of the tank bag. The ride took care of itself, thank goodness, because my dehydrating brain wasn't much good.

My coffee ladened customer, let's just call him "Dave", showed up an hour early which was great because I was already four and a half hours into my day. I was thinking "lunch".

We rode up Wilderness Trail in the cool green tunnel next to Bayou Vermilion. Then I turned us up the Old Arnaudville Road, crossing Bayou Fuselier, an important link in the irrigation of this part of the country. Not everyone knows that.

We were headed toward Grand Coteau when I saw that the road was blocked ahead with police this and that. I knew a detour. It was horrible riding and endless. This road has not changed in 30 years and is a disgrace to St.Landry Parish. There must be no government there. These people must have to take tractors to Walmart.

We crossed a lot of limestone which all motorcycle riders know as "gray hell".

"Dave" did OK and in his reflective post ride note, noted that.

The detour brought us to Leonville where we took 31 north and did the Texaco station short cut over to I 49, don't make me explain.

We landed in Lewisburg. There's a lot on the site picturing Lewisburg, but being there is better. The neighbors were home and out working in their yards. I approached a few and asked if they remember the railroad train passing behind their houses. They did but that was about it. I would have surveyed the entire population but I knew, even with our early start, time was moving faster than we were.

Still I felt, since we were close I should take one more look at Church Point, the end of the line for the T&P branch that Mike's dad worked.


"Oh, no, this one is going to be another drudge through page upon page of pictures of grass". NO, but I do have a following that is oriented toward the stuff.

That's the line going into Church Point and an important introductory picture, so there.

Mike has mentioned that the train had stopped at the now defunct Canal Refinery, never pictured in this rag before and its time had come. "Dave" and I sang the Canal Song, "Canal Canal, Economical" while fondly thinking of Cody Dupre, their spokesman.


Next, almost causing a rear end collision, I did a bat turn for a shot of this trestle. Thank goodness I can tell you how excited I was. Would there be more?
Yes, but I felt trestlely fulfilled with that one.



I drug my new customer through the staggering heat of downtown Church Point, a town rich in history of yesteryear's railroading glory. There are beautiful warehouses and a restored depot. Alas, I hadn't seen this in all my rides through here.

I was now the one gawking. The old signals were still there, beautifully preserved. The people of Church Point have my praise.


Now, feeling completely rewarded, it was time to make hay and head north. Up 35 we roared landing in Lawtell. I really need to do more reporting on Lawtell.

West we rode on 190, and then north on 103 to meet 104 at Prairie Rhonde. Fontenot's Store is not to be missed. It might have been open? More on the Fontenots, later.

From Prairie Rhonde west, 104 is fun.
But, I had work to do and left it, headed for Frilot on 1167. The customer was now lost. I stopped and explained why we had just done 115 90 degree turns. Deal's Gap in the Smokies is child's play, Come ride 1157 after the folks have mowed.

At this point let me explain my tour business. It's like taking passage on a freighter. The customer has no input. In a disagreement the customer is always wrong and can never be an anchor. For reservations, call 555-HEPLESS.

Reaching Frilot Cove, I knew the rails were there. This time they were in use still connecting to Opelousas, I presume.


Here's the crossing "set".




Next, it was onto Ledoux, on La.103, just down from Frilot Cove. I was in the neighborhood and couldn't pass up another crossing. Don't make me explain.
This one featured a side track and switch. Don't get too excited out there.
I love being an eccentric old man. At least I now have an excuse.

Look at the customer's face, priceless.


This is looking toward Opelousas and what Mr. Wilson would see on his runs. There lies the interest, I will explain. All this historic railroad stuff is noise without the ability or will to place one's self in the past while firing up the imagination. There's a real time movie going on out here if you will just tune the dial until you find it.


Then we headed into Ville Platte and up Railroad St. to 3042 that takes you by Chicot State Park and the Arboretum. It is a beautiful ride through that green tunnel on the north end past the park. Hey Michael B, remember taking our bikes up there and trail riding? You had that pretty 250 BSA.

We ate lunch by the lake right there. Nice spot.

Up to Turkey Creek and over to Glenmora and then Longleaf.

Next are the pictures taken there. I'm tired of hammering on why you should get your fannies over there and discover this place. There should have been 2000 people there, but there was almost none. You are missing an experience which no Dolly Disney Doodoo can replicate. If my 8 year old grandson can go wide eyed, yours will too. Don't be a couyan, go.

Here's their website, call your kid in and then turn your speakers up all the way.
"Daddy, what's that noise?"
You need to explain.

Two industries inhabited Longleaf. Lumbering and railroading were important building blocks used to assemble this country. A visit could make your kids appreciate today a little more. Maybe even you. The list of positives this place can spawn is expansive. It's a great tool mom and pop.


I'm shifting to a new page since school teacher's link to my stuff sometimes
and I wouldn't want to scare the children.

On the last page I said I'd tone down the rhetoric a little. So I will.

"Dave" and I arrived at the museum/lumber mill about 2:30 and it was about 230 degrees. The place erases any minor environmental concern. Not exactly, it was hot. Do come in the heat of the day and walk into the forest down the track. The heat and humidity, the smells, and the mosquitoes are the start of this trip back. Actually, there were no mosquitoes but I'm still checking for ticks just to be on the safe side since "Dave" and I went where few go. It really wasn't that hot, my customer remarking that the humidity was less than where we'd come from, the Venus that South LA can be.

We parked at the store/commissary which is where you'll start your organized visit. Emily sat out in the golf cart waiting for customers. She approached us and I made my goofy attempt at dropping names and looking important. That failed. Nevertheless she was extremely friendly and took us to the shop where the bus had been painted so I could take some pictures. She basically gave us free reign to look around. I explained that I wanted to show "Dave", my customer, a few things, no problem. So, I spun, not knowing where to start. Bob, our guide of years past, had done such a great job of interpreting it all I felt mildly qualified.

First, I took the shots of Everett's bus.





"Dave" had looked at the engine and pegged it for a Ford Flathead. I'd added the I thought it was a '49.

Everett wrote back explaining the situation in full.

"Actually it's a 1936! It runs, too! Car runs, clutch works, transmission shifts.
Seats are being reupholstered in Oberlin.

Problems:

No brakes hooked up,
No hookup for separate forward/reverse gear box,
no other interior.
no gas tank,
no dashboard, speedometer etc
Needs air brake compressor and hookup

Fixes:
We can hook up the emergency brake and probably the separate gearbox.
The biggest problem is the air brakes, andI don't want to run her on the hill
until we have those and they work.
We have plans for the interior and all of the doors,so by next spring we will have
it so that it is weather tight, with opening windows for ventilation, gas tank we
can get made and new dashboard will be easy if we can locate the instruments and get it wired up".

And you thought you had projects.

After getting the do-fer shots done. It was off to explore.
I having seen it all before, wanted to see something I'd wondered about.
There's a page out there on the web with pictures that Everett had contributed.
One showed the rails disappearing into the woods.
I was looking at the real version and had to follow them, now.
About that time we heard a train whistle coming from the forest.
I was spooked and grinned a big one.


I wanted to just hurry and find what we could find, but "Dave", being the mechanical nut he is, stopped and looked at each pile along the way. I'd let him read Everett's upcoming article on the other steam engines that had served Longleaf. "Dave" recognized the piles which had been pictured in the article and gawked.
Hey Steve, need a piston for your locomotive?


Need a cross track for your railroad?


He even correctly identified this stuff:


Need an engine?


We walked further into the woods.


There were more train noises.
Then the rails began to fade.


We were now close to the main line.


Again "Dave" pointed out this poignant scene.
A new rail lay on top of one of the old Gulf and Red River's rails.
I don't really know the message, but I'm sure there are many interpretations.


Walking back, "Dave" wanted to play with the switch and understand how it worked. We both looked and looked but it was obvious it was past us.


Then there was more noise.




Gerald was explaining how the thing worked to these young guys. Later, as he passed, he asked us if we needed a ride. I was tempted.

Everett sent me this on the motor car pictures:

Come next time when I am there, and we can go for a ride in the Yellow one (its faster and bounces more on those rails) (and yes, they really are that wavy, especially behind the planer mill), I like the picture of the motor car as it approaches the switch. The whole hill is a 2% grade which makes it the steepest grade in Louisiana with rails still on it, but the picture really shows that it is short stretches of over 3% with flat spots in between, and the 3% is a heck of a pull for the motor cars.

I have a load of other pictures, but I want you to go there so I'm holding back.
This is just one of the building.


This is another:


And there's stuff like this:


I had to stop while "Dave" figured out how it worked. Every piece of machinery we looked at he had to rewrite the manual on it. The grease zirks were all identified and governors explained. I have warned the guides to run if they see him coming.

And you train buffs, take an aspirin before you come.


We left and headed for Lake Kincaid and then into south Alexandria on Twin Bridges Road, a nice ride down the hill.

I wanted to take US71 out of town and we did. It was late but so what. I wanted to take Dave through LeCompte and out to the cemetery on the hill. Going in I went straight instead of my usual right. The road was raised, straight and flat. Duh, I was on a rail bed headed for the bayou. Could it be?


There's the 3 trestle pilings that seal the deal.


I would have jumped up and down but I had to preserve my professional tour guide pose. This was where the Red River and Gulf had crossed Bayou Boeuf.

That's it for the children oriented page. Consider the rhetoric renewed.
So, you're still wondering about Grandmama?


We left the LeCompte Cemetery. I was still dazed by my discovery of the rail crossing. I would soon have to de-daze as the convoy was headed to the Interstate for a brief ride down to US 167 and then back to Turkey Creek and Chicot where we went east toward St.Landry where I had decided our next stop would be. I write run on sentences to make Miss Lee crazy. There is a boat landing on the east side of Lake Chicot that was a must stop. It is a beautiful place hidden far off the road. Sorry, the directions will have to end there.

Why? Don't make me explain.

I wanted to show Dave. He is a fishing guide of sorts and the main character in the Couyan and Commodore articles, thus a fishing stop had to be made. I also wanted to take a picture of Mz Guzzi here as it had been the location of her first and absolutely best picture ever. I love deja vu moments. This one would be disturbed.

Winter, 2000


Summer, 2008


I heard the little DL belly aching so I shot her too.


And a last shot before what would happen next.


A little background first: Motorcycles have become so popular that the public's general view of bike riders is changing. "My cousin or my brother in law has one...", I hear all the time. People approach me and start conversations centered around the bike. They rank with dogs as talk starters. Riders are no longer seen as members of the Hell's Angels as much as they'd like to play the part, sometimes.

"Dave" came up to me and kinda whispered, "I just heard those guys talking about you taking pictures of the bikes and they are wondering if you are wanting to sell them".

Enter Dwayne and Jeff.

Dwayne stated off the conversation asking about the Guzzi. "I never saw one like that". "Dave" pipped in that it was an Italian Harley, I suppose to try to relate to a common brand. Mistake one. Never bring up "Harley" in a conversation. I cringed. Dwayne fired back, "That ain't no Harley, I have a Harley". I cringed. Jeff, who was half Dwayne's height and girt and who had his upper and lower front teeth piped in, "I had a Harley and thank God now it's gone. That was the biggest piece of --it I've ever owned". I cringed.

At that point, I had to do something so I introduced myself. "Hi,I'm Steve from Breaux Bridge. We're running late and have to leave."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Dwayne Fontenot from round here".

Then, when I thought I'd opened the fire escape, I heard "Dave".

"Hey, we're probably related, my Grandmama was a Fontenot".
I cringed, the fire escape had just slammed shut.

An hour of debate over the history and genealogy of the Fontenot clan or clans, depending on whose point of view, ensued. In the middle of the fray, Dwayne, in a raised voice pronounced, "That is all hearsay, that is all hearsay". I immediately envisioned the Hatfields and McCoys on Court TV. I stood back and thought of making a run for the bike. Nowhere in my tour director contract is there anything mentioning customer disputes with possible relatives joined in some 17th Century bond or there being a non bond.

Jeff fled. We figured he knew Dwayne and knew better.

Then, the real Dwayne emerged. Jokes were told and laughs were had. Dwayne went into a long explanation of what his plans were for his Harley, forgetting about the family feud that had just occurred. We discussed passing trucks and so on. Finally, even Dwayne realized the conversational well was running dry and we parted, Dwayne, even apologizing for talking so much, explaining that it is a Fontenot trait.

I now take "Dave's" side of the argument, they are related being that both their grandmamas are Fontenots. And then there's that talking thing.

My customer, upon returning back to the office made only one negative remark, "the ride back was kinda long".

I wonder why.

I suggest that if you are traveling in south Louisiana and in a hurry, even if your Grandmama was a Fontenot, just keep it to yourself.

The End.





The New Red River and GulfIt seems that I'm attacking this project backwards. It started off as a serious attempt at documenting the history of the Crowell mill and railroad at Long Leaf, Louisiana. I haven't the patience for that right now. It is overwhelming. Those two pages will await sorting out. What is below was sent to me by Everett Lueck during 2008 and 2009. This is the last page of the article. It was also the easiest to do, following my personal prioritizing formula.

Everett is the new Red River and Gulf's Section Boss, Secretary, VP and President. I'll share, with his approval, some of the updates and and pass-a-longs he has sent me. Unless specified by the appearance of {Me}, everything below came from Everett. Notice the "!" marks from time to time. Add to the list of offices held by Everett, Chief Cheerleader. OK, here we go. The following is to his volunteeer work crew and worthless hanger on groupies, like me.

OK, Here it is!

Effective Monday, July 13, contracts will be signed covering the rehabilitation of the RR&G Main line as far as the Sandersville road crossing, and for the track laying on the loop. An additional contract will cover the grading for the loop line. Work on the Main line to Sanderville will begin July 20.

There are still a number of things to be done before the loop line can be built. One of the two most necessary items will be the removal of rail behind the sawmill, to clear the right of way for grading, and to use the switch parts. The second is the removal and stacking of the 60# rail that is on the drying racks so that it can be used for loop construction. The rail on the rail pile across the road is only 45# and we would like to use all the 60# that we have available. The other source of 60# rail is the planer mill siding and we can pick that up also. Rail also needs to be removed from the old passenger car storage track behind the depot location so that can be graded as part of the loop.

We need to locate at least 1100 more ties and about 200 rail joint bars for 60# rail along with the track bolts.

Do you all think that it would be possible for us to schedule a couple of work weekends to recover the rail from the drying racks and drag it to be stacked? That would be a huge start on the loop.

Exciting times!

Everett

{Me} Below are collages of the work progress on the new R&G RR. I would assume they were taken by EL in a two steps and shoot tour of the work. I've done pictorials of railroad right of ways using the same formula. I had to chuckle, but I understand the need for documentation, especially at such a proud moment. Click these pictures and they will expand and then download them if you want.







{Me} I can only imagine the excitement of seeing the
railroad take shape.


{Me} Next, he sent pictures taken from a work car riding
around the completed parts. Again, click to expand the collage.





{Me} A visit to the museum offered rides pulled by RG1.
There's something new there now. That's down the page.


{Here's another note from Everett, notice "despite the snow"
and the trials and tribulations associated with funding and the
actual work.}

For all of you that are interested, we had a relatively profitable weekend despite the snow and the wet conditions. John and David got the big gears up into the McGiffert with the help of Ray on the backhoe, and Ray also showed us his versatility with the backhoe by moving track, rail and ties for a couple of projects on the loop. Tracy and I, with the help of Larry from the museum got lots of experience in removing spikes, driving spikes, replacing track bolts etc. Ray also demonstrated his artistry with a cutting torch in helping the track work.

We took a few kinks out of the rail in the curve leading south from the commissary, where the M-4 went off two weekends ago, and we replaced a bald rail in the loop behind the planer mill (which kicked off the orange motor car) as well as fixing and relining the two switches connecting the loop and the main line.

We have been assured "once again" that there is more state grant money on the way to complete the rehab of the switchback track and the surfacing and alignment of the loop and main lines, but until the money is in hand and we can see how many of the GC Group guys want to come back to work, this sort of work needs to be done by our group.

We also need to take advantage of the cooler weather and begin working on the interior of the M-4. Tracy, Ray and I also discussed the idea of some "day projects" or "half day projects" and putting a list of those up in the office, so that people can come and do a half day thing and enjoy the other half day at the museum, or what ever. If you would like to contribute to that list, please email me your thoughts, as I will be trying to compile the list this week, both of big and little projects.

As far as the railroad goes, we have three pressing needs, and they all are on the loop line.
The first is drainage and ballast. Earl and the Parish Sheriff's office will be working on the ballast and drainage issues in January, by ditching along the RR and piling up the dirt between the ties.
The second is surfacing and alignment. There are 3 remaining areas that urgently need attention, and each will probably consume a good work weekend. The curve south of the commissary needs some regrading to eliminate a bad vertical curve, and to smooth out the entire curve.

The curve through the old finished lumber shed area needs to have two rails flipped end for end to take advantage of their natural curvature and one more rail replaced to eliminate a rail with a bad vertical dip that we cannot have in the outside rail of the curve. The switch that connects the loop to the switchback line in this area also is in need of the same treatment given the ones by the engine house.

On the southeast end of the loop, we have one bad rail with much of the head missing on the inside that either needs to be replaced or at least flipped. This entire area is desperately in need of surfacing, joint bar repair and super elevation as well.

The Third is to move or add a culvert east of the road crossing as the present culvert is not located in the center of the drainage in that area. In this same area, there are two 60# rails with worn heads, that also need to be flipped so as to wear on the good side of the rail.

Other areas of the railroad are also in need of 6" PVC culverts installed between the ties to facilitate drainage (this can be an "day job")

Having said all of this, I would like to finalize the work weekend schedule through the end of March, with the idea of finishing as much of this as we can before Heritage Day which is April 20. On Heritage day, we may run as many as 3 trains so it would be nice if the track work would not give us too much trouble.

I am throwing out these possible dates: Please let me know your preferences as soon as possible.
Everett

{That's a little idea of what is involved in building and maintaining a railroad and a reflection of what work Section Boss is.}

The M4 Project

Steve,
July 16, 2008, If you are going in the Longleaf direction this weekend, here is an advance copy of an article that I am writing for the museum about the locomotives there. {CLICK HERE} Not just the 3 steam engines that every one can see, but what is left of the other 9 engines that were there in 1950.

{He goes on}

I am still hoping to get up there on Friday as they are sandblasting an painting the motor car train that we brought down from Arkansas in may, but it is looking more and more like it won't happen, (me getting away that is).

{So, Al and I went and sent him these shots, 7-19-08}





This is how it began as told in an article by Everett and Charles Williams, NRHS News Editor.

The headline:
'Sidetracked’ Motorcar Goes from Woods to Rails with Help from NRHS Grant.

Picture 1


Picture 2


Picture 3


Picture 4


Picture 5


Picture 6


Before I reproduce the article, here's Everett's preface:

From: Everett Lueck
Sent: Dec 17, 2009 8:17 AM

Subject: M-4 article

To all of you,

On Thursday, the museum received a query from the National Railway Historical Society wanting a progress report of the restoration of the M-4.

This was surprising to me since I had been sending one every 3 months since we started the restoration. Well, it appears that they had just been getting filed somewhere and not going to the right people. When I sent a report back to the chairman of the grants committee, Stephen Wasby, not only did I receive an enthusiastic response, "NEAT-O is not exactly a professional sounding response, but this is just great", but I also received a request for an article for the February national NRHS newsletter which goes to print this week. Charles Williams and I have been working to make the deadline, and we proofed the final article last night.

The last draft of the issue is enclosed. There will be a few more corrections in the final version and the photos are in color, but I thought that you all would like an advance copy.

I just thought the you all would like to know that the M-4 is going to give the museum some national exposure!
Everett

This is the article, "photos" refer to the ones above. They are in order.

PHOTOS 1-3 BY EVERETT LUECK; PHOTOS 4-6 BY BOB CARROLL;
FROM THE FOREST TO THE FOREST HERITAGE MUSEUM -- Volunteers at the Forest Heritage Museum & Research Center in Louisiana painstakingly restored a vintage motorcar. Car M-4 was retrieved from its “dead outdoor storage” (photo 1). It was transported to the museum on May 10, 2008 (photo 2) and stored temporarily next to the engine house (photo 3). The car was sand-blasted (photo 4) and painted (photo 5). The car was “prettied up” and ready to roll in time for the “Longleaf Legends and Lore” Halloween event on Oct. 24, 2009 (photo 6).

By CHARLES S. WILLIAMS
NRHS News Editor
Using funds from the NRHS Railway Heritage Grant program, a Louisiana museum has rescued a scrapped vintage railroad passenger car from the woods and restored it to pristine, operating condition. Fernwood, Columbia and Gulf (FC&G) Railroad passenger motor car number M-4 was restored by the members and volunteers of the Southern Forest Heritage Museum & Research Center in Long Leaf, La., and returned to passenger operations on Oct. 24, 2009, carrying museum visitors on 2.5 miles of track around the museum’s 60-acre home.

The museum was awarded $3,000 from the NRHS grant fund programin 2008.

History of Motor Car M-4
Motor Car number M-4 was built in the Fernwood, Miss., shops of the FC&G Railroad in 1937 as a copy of No. M-3, which was built in 1936 by the Kalamazoo Railway Supply Company for the FC&G. The car was used by the railroad as a passenger train between Fernwood and Columbia Mississippi.

According to museum officials, the design of the cars may have been influenced by the fact that the Columbia end of the railroad was connected with the Gulf Mobile and Northern Railroad, which operated The Rebel, the first streamlined train in the south.

“I think that the fact that the cars were sort of streamlined in contrast to other cars built by Kalamazoo was that the FC&G may have been trying to reflect the 1936 modern image of The Rebel,” explained Everett Lueck, the director in charge of railroad restoration and operations for the heritage museum. “The cars ran until 1957, making two round trips per day between Fernwood and Columbia.” The cars remained in maintenance of way service until the merger that made the FC&G a part of the newly formed Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. At that time, the M-3 was scrapped, and the M-4, along with some parts of the M-3, was sold to Louis Hennick of Shreveport, La., and stored on the Louisiana Midland in Jena, La.

In 1979, Hennick decided to sell the car, and it was purchased by long-time NRHS member Louis Saillard of Baton Rouge, La. Saillard moved the car to Reader, Ark., for use on the Reader Railroad. During the 1980s, the car was dismantled for a complete rebuild, but only the engine and the floor were rebuilt. The rest of the parts were scattered all over the Reader shop area, and the car was moved onto a disconnected spur for storage.

In 1994, Saillard donated the car to the Southern Forest Heritage Museum, but the donation was never finalized and the car remained at Reader.

In 2007, Lueck contacted Saillard on behalf of the museum, and they went to Arkansas to determine if the car could be restored.

“Feeling that it was basically sound, we moved the car to Longleaf on May 10, 2008 for restoration,” Lueck said.

During the first week of August, 2008, the car was sandblasted and painted. The remainder of the work was done over the course of the next year. The car was first run in late September of 2009, and first used, officially,or the annual Halloween celebration at the museum on October
24. At that time, the car transported about 600 happy passengers and racked up over 100 miles in trips around the museum’s miles of track over the next six weeks. The motor car also had new track on which to operate.

While the restoration was underway, museum volunteers contracted with the Gulf Coast Rail group to rehabilitate 4,000 feet of the original Red River and Gulf Railroad mainline which was laid in 1914 and abandoned in place in 1954. The original rails were used for the project. Gulf Coast also constructed a 4,800-foot loop around the entire 60-acre museum property, which gives the museum 2.5 miles of track on which to operate the car. The museum loop features curves as sharp as 18-20 degrees, and grades up to 4.5 percent, which Lueck said makes for a good ride for the visitors.

The “pieces” of the restoration:

The restoration was extensive and is ongoing, despite the fact that the car is in operation.
The steps in the restoration to date are included below.

· Seat frames cleaned and seats re-upholstered in
green Naugahyde.
· Front doors and back doors, as well as framing
replaced; windows installed; and doors re-hung.
· Engine overhauled and cooling system restored.
· Inside of car cleaned and repainted.
· Windshield glass installed.
· Dashboard and controls installed (not complete
but operational).
· Reverse gear linkage fabricated and installed.
· Hand brake linkage fabricated and installed.
· Baggage door gates fabricated and installed.
· Electrical system, headlights, marker lights and interior lights installed.
· Interior seating reinstalled.
· Car properly lettered in 1937 paint scheme for FC&G.
· Passenger loading platform installed at the Longleaf commissary.

“Currently we are proceeding with three remaining projects which will complete the total restoration of the car,” said Lueck. Those are:

· Installation of the original front roll up windows in front of the baggage door, and replacement of the rear fixed windows with roll up windows as well (“It is hot in Louisiana in summer,” remarked Lueck). This will make the car water-tight, in case it has to be outside in wet weather.
· Repair and rehabilitation of the roller bearing front truck from car M-3 (which came with the car), and installation of braking system on front truck (the were no front brakes on either car originally)
· Fabrication of air brake system, giving air brakes on front truck as well as both rear axles.
When this work is completed along with the remaining dashboard instrumentation the car will be ready to operate anywhere.

The grant money from the NRHS paid for the sand-blasting and painting, the windshield glass, the upholstery material and the upholstering of the seats and the gauges for the dash board.

“Without that heritage grant money — even had we made the car operational in the 18 months that we worked on it — we would have had no new outside restoration, no seats for our passengers, no instrument panel for the engineer and no windshield in the front of the car,” Lueck concluded. “Suffice it to say that on the museum’s limited budget, the car would not be running today without the money from {them}.

{To close out the page, here are some of the color shots of
the car's progress. Visit Long Leaf and take a ride. Their
webite can be accessed by clicking HERE. I'll get the history
stuff done asap. In the meantime, visit there and save
having to get it from the middle man, me.}

To go to the History Page CLICK HERE





Longleaf’s Locomotives
by EW Lueck

The Longleaf experience is to re-create many of the sights of the 1910-1930 era that can not be experienced any where else in the world. Only at Longleaf, is there the remains of a complete logging and lumbering plant that has all of the components in place. Every lumbering operation from that era consisted of a minimum of 3 components. Those components were, cutting and loading the timber in the woods, transporting the timber to the mill, and cutting timber into lumber and finished products at the mill. Some operations added a fourth component which was transporting the finished lumber to a railroad connection with the outside world. Only at Longleaf, can a visitor see and touch all 4 of these components together. In fact, with the McGiffert Loaders, and the Clyde Rehaul Skidder, along with sawmill, planer mill complex, the museum could consider itself very fortunate with just those components. The rail road parts just make the experience complete.

The railroad has been part of Longleaf, since the town was started in 1892. C.T. Crowell picked the site while passing through on what is now the Union Pacific main line, and in 1895, Crowell and Spencer Lumber Co. Ltd. built their first logging tram into the woods east of Longleaf, to haul logs to the mill. None of the locomotives built for this early operation still survives, although some parts might still be found in the “spare parts piles” north of the engine house. By 1905, there were 3 engines serving the tram lines in the woods, and Longleaf needed a separate connection with the outside world so Crowell and Spencer incorporated the Red River and Gulf RR to build from Longleaf to LeCompte. This was the beginning of a 90 mile railroad that extended not only to LeCompte, but in 1913 to Meridian, southwest of Longleaf, and by 1919, 60 miles west to Hutton, Alco and Kurthwood, northeast of Leesville. What an operation it was! Not only did they have a daily passenger train between Longleaf and Kurthwood, but several daily freight trains hauling inbound freight and outbound finished lumber had to work their way around Crowell log trains bound for the mills at Longleaf, Alco and Meridian.
Not only Crowell log trains, but Cady Lumber, Calcasieu Longleaf Lumber, Vernon Parish Lumber, and Peavy-Wilson Lumber also ran log trains on the RR&G, and the Rock Island ran gravel trains from LeCompte to Forest Hill.

By 1923, the Crowell companies needed at more than 20 steam locomotives to move all of their trains, and all of these engines were maintained at Longleaf. At the time that rail logging shut down in 1954, there were still 11 of these locomotives either running or stored at Longleaf. At the museum, today, we are fortunate in having remaining examples of almost each type of locomotive that was used in each type of service. There were “woods” engines, used in the woods for bringing out the logs to the RR&G main line, there were “main line” engines that belonged to either Crowell, Meridian or ALCO that were used to haul the log trains to the mills on the RR&G main line, and there were the RR&G engines used to haul the regular freight trains.

The Crowell operations used two types of locomotives in the woods, regular rod driven locomotives, like our #202 and Shay patent geared steam locomotives. The Shay patent geared locomotives could go up and down steep grades, around sharp curves and do it all on very light rail and on rough track as well. The only problem was that they were SLOW. All in all, the Crowell Companies owned 7 shay engines, Crowell and Spencer owned 3, Alexandria Lumber owned 3 and Meridian Lumber owned one. Meridian Lumber #112 was the biggest and newest shay that the Crowell’s ever owned. It was also the last steam engine acquired by Crowell when it was purchased second hand in 1935. It was scrapped at Longleaf, along with Crowell shays #1 and #2, in 1955, but it never quite disappeared. When you ride the motor car up the main line, before you get to the Clyde skidder, there are quite a lot of wheels and such off to one side of the track. Six of the wheels have big gears on their sides. Those wheels, and the rest of the pile is what is left of the big Meridian shay #112.

Meridian Shay #112, (engineers side ) November, 1950
John Krause Photo

Meridian Shay #112, (engineers side) October 2007
E. Lueck Photo

Scattered around the area, are also some parts from
Crowell Shays #1 and #2, but very little is left.

The Crowell companies also used regular steam engines in the woods. With the formation of the Alexandria Lumber Company in 1907, Crowell bought the first of these steam engines with the purchase of Alco #3. Number 3 was the oldest engine ever operated by Crowell, being built by Baldwin in 1882 and purchased second hand in 1907.

Alco #3 at Southern Iron & Equipment Co, Altlanta, Ga
being prepared for shipping toAlexandria Lumber Co. in
1907 SFHM Collection

Amazingly enough, #3 lasted almost to the very end of Crowell’s woods operations.
On the other side of the tracks from the remains of shay #112 are its cylinders and
cabbage head stack and out in the middle of the old log pond are its driving wheel centers (the ones with the square end counterweights and hollowed out rims).

ALCO #3 at Longleaf Jct. yard, 1950 H.K. Vollrath photo,
SFHM Coll.

Main driving wheels of ALCO #3 in the pile in the old log
pond June, 2007 E. Lueck Photo

Barely recognizable in the woods, the cylinder block for
ALCO #3 is across the track from remains of Shay #112.
October, 2007 E. Lueck Photo

When Crowell and Spencer formed the Meridian Lumber Company, Ltd. to log new timber in Evangeline parish and set up the new mill and town at Meridian, the performance of ALCO’s old mogul #3 influenced them to order a new mogul for Meridian’s woods engine. Proving that they were correct, Meridian #202 was the last Crowell engine in steam (in 1954) and today is parked in the machine shop at the museum.

Brand new and still in its builders paint job and striping,
Meridian Lumber Co. #202 works at Meridian, LA.
SFHM Coll.

Crowell #202 sits outside the Longleaf enginehouse in May,
1954 as rail operations come to a close. Yes, it is painted
yellow with red lettering! E. Hays photo, SFHM

Summer 1954, Crowell #202 loads logs on the Meridian
Line. E. Hays photo, SFHM

After 43 years stored outdoors, #202 rests in the machine
shop at Longleaf, 1997 E. Lueck

#202 was so successful, that Meridian ordered another almost twin locomotive in 1915. #204 had slightly larger cylinders, but was virtually identical in almost every other dimension. After the Meridian mill burned in 1928, both #202 and #204 were sent to Alco and worked the woods trams from that location. At the end of World War 2, and the shut down at Alco, both were still deemed so valuable by the Crowells, that they were both brought to Longleaf to be used on the Meridian line once again.

Brand new at Baldwin in 1919, Meridian #204 posed for
its official picture. BLCo – SFHM

Now lettered for Crowell Longleaf Lumber, #204 sits in
front of the Longleaf engine house in 1952. A.E. Brown
photo / Louis Saillard Collection

Sometime after 1952, #204’s fire was put out for the last time. Whether the engine was
sold for scrap or scrapped at Longleaf, we do not know, although few if any engine parts
that can be identified as being from the engine have been found at Longleaf. We do know that #204’s tender was saved and for many years was stored in the woods. Now it is kept in the engine house.

Moved in from the woods and parked beside the Longleaf
engine house, #204’s tender basks in the April sun on
Heritage Day, 2007 E. Lueck photo

1918 through 1923 were big years for the Crowell operations. Not only were the Longleaf and Meridian mills running at capacity, the Red River and Gulf Railroad had been extended to Kurthwood and production started at the Alco Mill. The timber around Longleaf and Meridian had been largely cut over, and the timber for these mills now came from spurs off of the Kurthwood line. Because of this longer haul, not only were new engines required for the longer RR&G RR, but engines were required that could haul log trains from the Kurthwood line to the Longleaf and Meridian mills. The workers called these engines the “main line” logging engines. The first of these was the museum’s #400. Stored since 1952, outside behind the Clyde skidder, #400 needs to be put under some sort of protective cover to preserve it.


The Crowell’s first “Mainline” logging engine, #400 poses
for it’s portrait in late 1918 at the Baldwin Works in
Philadelphia. BLW Photo, SFHM

Doing what it was built to do, #400 hauls in logs off of the
Kurthwood line, shortly after it was delivered. Standing
beside the engine, is the engineer with his oil can, and
by the tender stands C.T. Crowell himself. Richard B.
Crowell Coll./ SFHM

Sometime about 1957, #400 stands outside the Longleaf
engine house, never to move again. Crowell Longleaf
lumber repaired this engine in 1955 using parts from
its sister engine #300. The boiler front and smoke box
door and some other parts were used. Believe it or not,
the cab and tender are painted green! SFHM

#400 still stands outside the Longleaf engine house,
November, 2007 E. Lueck photo

The change in the timber source also meant the end of the dominance of the shay locomotives on the woods trams. The longer hauls in the woods meant that the shay locos could no longer get the job done fast enough so in 1920 the newest woods engine for the Crowell and Spencer company would be another Baldwin engine, #200.

Crowell and Spencer #200 poses with its crew, sometime
early in the 1920s as the striping on the engine is still
fresh and new. SFHM Coll.

With the closure of the Kurthwood line, #200 was brought
in from the woods and stored by the enginehouse in Longleaf,
where Charles Clegg photographed the engine in 1945.

Gordon Crowell found #200 stored north of the enginehouse
in 1953, shortly before the end.

#200’s cylinders and cabbage head stack lie beside the
Clyde skidder in 2007 E. Lueck

#200’s drivers are the ones with the elliptical counterweights
and are solid. 2007 E. Lueck

The performance of the Crowell “mainline” logging engines #400 and its almost twin #300, along with the growth of the Red River and Gulf RR main line, meant that when the Crowells went looking for new engines for the RR & G RR, they did not have to look any further than the engines that they already had in service. #300 and #400 were doing such a good job on the daily log trains into Meridian and Longleaf that two “new and improved” copies of them were ordered for the RR&G in 1922 and 1923. #105 did not survive 1946, being used to scrap the Kurthwood line and being scrapped itself shortly thereafter. #106, the 1923 engine, was used almost to the end of the railroad, and hauled the last steam powered RR&G freight trains to Lecompte in 1952. After being stored outside for several years, it was moved into the “car knockers shed” in 1956 and stayed there as the shed slowly collapsed around it.

RR&G #106 poses for its picture at the Baldwin works in
1923 BLW/SFHM coll

RR&G #106 brings in a load of logs loaded on the Meridian
line in the early spring of 1953. C.W. Witbeck photo, from
Louis Saillard

RR&G #106 switches the yard at Longleaf Jct in the fall
of 1952. A.E.Brown from Louis Saillard

RR&G #106 sits in the collapsing car shed, fall 2004 C.R.
Lind photo

Nov. 2005, RR&G #106 now sits in the restored car shed
where all can see. E.W. Lueck photo

RR&G #106 was the second to last new engine bought by the Crowell companies. Only one new engine, and two used steam engines were added to the final roster after #106.

The largest and newest engine came only a few weeks later, and was Meridian #106. It only saw service until the Meridian mill burned in 1928, and with no more mainline log trains to Meridian, it was sold. In 1926 however, Alexandria Lumber Company was in need of more woods locomotives, so the company bought a 1912 Lima mogul from Wisconsin, and brought it to Alco as #2. After Meridian acquired ALCO in 1928, the engine stayed on the Meridian roster eventually being transferred to Crowell and Spencer as #100 and was used until after World War 2. Again, although the locomotive is gone, parts of it still remain at Longleaf. On the planer mill siding, uphill from the planer mill itself, sits a lonely locomotive tender frame. It is from the tender in the picture below and belonged to C&SL #100.

Crowell and Spencer #100, formerly Meridian Lumber #2,
formerly Alexandria Lumber #2 and formerly Wausau
and Southern #2, sits in the Longleaf yard. H. K Vollrath
photo, SFHM

C&SL #100’s tender frame rests north of the planer mill
in 2007 E. W. Lueck

That is the story of the Longleaf locomotives. Although we can see the 3 engines that still exist here at the museum, a little more searching can show us the ghostly remains of 8 more of the locomotives that worked here for the Crowell Companies.

No story of Longleaf’s locomotives though, would be complete without the story of the “one that got away”.

When the passenger train was put on between Longleaf and Kurthwood in 1919, the RR&G needed a real passenger engine to haul it. The RR&G bought a beautiful American Standard type engine from Baldwin and numbered it 104.

#104 at the Baldwin works in 1919 BLW/ SFHM

For only eight years, #104 went up and down the line to Kurthwood with the passenger train, but in 1927, the passenger train no longer made money and was taken off.

Sometime during the 1920’s, #104 hauls the “daily
excitement” on the Kurthwood line. SFHM

After 1927, #104 sat in the Longleaf engine house, occasionally being fired up to switch the mill, but mostly it just sat. Not powerful enough to pull any trains on the main line but still to beautiful an engine to send the scrappers during World War 2, it was not until 1950 that another admirer showed up for #104. Paulson Spence was a gravel pit operator in Amite, Louisiana and he loved steam engines. He saw #104 as engine #1 on his Louisiana Eastern Railroad. So in 1950, #104 left Longleaf for the last time. At Amite, #104 became #1 and was fired up for visitors and friends as well as for Spence himself.

Louisiana Eastern #1 rests at Amite, Louisiana in the
1950’s C.W. Witbeck photo

When Spence died in 1961, his heirs saw his collection of steam locomotives as just so much scrap metal, and most of his engines were sold as just that. #1 however, had just as much luck escaping the scrap merchants at Amite, as it had at Longleaf 20 years before, and it was sold to the Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad and backdated to play the General of civil war fame. Finally worn out, the engine was set aside in the late 1990s and in 2008 was acquired by the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, GA.