Louisiana & Pacific Railway
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Standard Gauge Headquarters: DeRidder Years of Operation: 1904-1926 Predecessor Roads: Successor Roads: Southern Pacific Miles Operated: Main line: Five disconnected segments,
described in the History section. Locomotives Owned: |
Equipment 6/30/1914: Locomotives: 8. Cars: 8 box,
17 flat, 3 refrigerator, 355 other, 7 service. |
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HISTORY by Gil Hoffman:
The
Louisiana & Pacific Railway was incorporated in Louisiana on
June 6, 1904 with an authorized capital stock of $200,000, and was
controlled by the R. A. Long interests of Kansas City, MO. All of the
tracks of the Louisiana & Pacific were originally constructed as
logging roads. The
Lake Charles & Northern Railroad, which was owned by the
Southern Pacific, extended from De Ridder, La. , southward for about 46
miles to Lake Charles. It was originally built by the R. A. Long interests
as part of the Louisiana & Pacific, but was sold to the Southern
Pacific in 1906. In a contract dated October 31, 1906 the Louisiana &
Pacific reserved trackage rights between De Ridder and Lake Charles for a
period of 20 years. The
Louisiana & Pacific was a facility of the various mills of the
Long-Bell Lumber Company. It consisted of five separate branches not
directly connected with each other, but all joining at different points to
the Lake Charles & Northern. The five branches were as follows: (1)
The De Ridder branch connected with the Lake Charles & Northern at De
Ridder Junction, and extended eastward 14.7 miles to Hoy. Originally a
logging camp was located at Bundicks, M. P. 8.7, later called Longacre,
but this camp was abandoned about 1913 and a new camp established at Hoy.
The first 5.1 miles of this line, from De Ridder Junction, were built by
the Hudson River Lumber Company in 1902-03 and sold to the Louisiana &
Pacific in 1904. Beginning in December 1913 the track from Longacre to Hoy
was operated by the Louisiana & Pacific under a trackage agreement.
The mill of the Hudson River Lumber Company, in whose interest this branch
was operated, had its mill at De Ridder. The shops and engine house of the
Louisiana & Pacific were also located at De Ridder. (2)
At Lilly Junction, a second section of track connected with the Lake
Charles & Northern, extending about 7.5 miles to a point in the woods
known as Walla where the King-Ryder Lumber Company had a commissary. The
mill of the King-Ryder Lumber Company was at Bonami on the Lake Charles
& Northern. (3)
The Longville branch extended from Longville, La., on the Lake Charles
& Northern, eastward to Vandercook, La. , 5.534 miles. The sawmill and
company store of the Longville Lumber Company were located at Longville.
This line was originally built in two sections as a logging road, the
first in 1908 and the second in 1911. Both sections were sold to the
Louisiana & Pacific upon completion. (4)
The Lake Charles branch consisted of 7.245 miles of track connecting with
the Lake Charles & Northern at Fayette, and extending to Camp Curtis
where the Calcasieu Long Leaf Lumber Company had a company store, its mill
being at Lake Charles. This branch was built in 1908. (5)
A track 1 mile in length connected with the Lake Charles & Northern at
Bridge Junction and ran to Lake Charles station. This line was constructed
in 1907. In
1910 the equipment of the Louisiana & Pacific consisted of 22
locomotives, 6 cabooses, 41 freight cars and 270 log cars. It also owned a
private car which was used for transporting its officers about the country. The
sawmill of the Longville Lumber Company burned on June 3, 1921 and was not
rebuilt. The decision was then made not to haul anymore logs over the
Longville branch and to abandon it. Application for abandonment was made to
the I. C. C. on August 18, 1921 and abandonment authorized on November 22,
1921. The
Louisiana & Pacific abandoned service over the De Ridder branch in two
phases. On March 23, 1923 it was authorized to abandon service between
Longacre and Hoy, because the logging camp at Hoy had been removed, and on
January 16, 1925 service between De Ridder Junction and Longacre was
abandoned. In both cases the lumber company took over hauling its own logs
over the De Ridder branch. With
the lumber mills of the Long-Bell Lumber Company closing down and with the
agreement between the Louisiana & Pacific and the Lake Charles &
Northern coming to an end on October 31, 1926, the railroad applied to the
I. C. C. on October 11, 1926 for permission to abandon operation over the
Lake Charles & Northern between De Ridder and Lake Charles and to
abandon its connecting tracks at De Ridder and Lake Charles, amounting to
1.1 miles. Permission was granted on October 30, 1926, after which the
Louisiana & Pacific went out of existence. The
mill at Bonami cut out in January 1925, the mill at De Ridder in 1926 and
the mill at Lake Charles in October 1928. REFERENCES 1.
"Louisiana & Pacific Railway Company," Valuation Docket
No.589, Interstate Commerce Commission Reports, Vol. 135, p. 832-47. 2.
“In the Matter of the Application of the Louisiana & Pacific
Railway Company for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity,”
Finance Docket No. 1558, Interstate Commerce Commission Reports, Vol.
70, pp. 629-630. 3.
“Abandonment of Operation of Line by Louisiana & Pacific Ry.,”
Finance Docket No. 2651, Interstate Commerce Commission Reports, Vol.
79, p. 165-6. 4.
“Abandonment of Branch Line by Louisiana & Pacific Ry. ,”
Finance Docket No. 4436, Interstate Commerce Commission Reports, Vol.
94, p. 429-30. 5.
“Abandonment of Operation by Louisiana & Pacific Ry. Co. ,”
Finance Docket No. 5774, Interstate Commerce Commission Reports, Vol.
117, p. 170-3.
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 September 1910 Official Guide of the Railways |
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| ROSTER by Gil Hoffman:
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For more information contact Tony Howe at tonyhowe76@yahoo.com or David S. Price at davidsprice46@gmail.com