Red
River & Gulf Railroad (1905-1954)
Standard Gauge
Headquarters: Long Leaf, LA (Rapides Parish)
Years of Operation: 1905-1954
Predecessor Roads: Crowell & Spencer Lbr. Co.
Successor Roads: none
Miles Operated: 1918- Main line:
Lecompte, LA to Concrete Hill, LA, 14.194 miles; branch: Longleaf
Junction to Bliss, LA, 9.115 miles
Locomotives Owned:
|
Equipment
6/30/1919: Locomotives: 3. Cars: 11
freight, 1 gasolene passenger motor.
|
Click Map for Larger Version |
HISTORY by Gil Hoffman:
The
Red River & Gulf Railroad was incorporated in Louisiana on
April 21, 1905, for the purpose of acquiring and operating a railroad
extending from Lecompte, LA. Its principal officers and stockholders were
also officers and stockholders of the Crowell & Spencer Lumber
Company.
The
line from Lecompte to Long Leaf, LA, 12 miles, was built by the Crowell
& Spencer Lumber Company and sold to the Red River & Gulf Railroad
at the time of the latter’s incorporation, April 1905. The segment from
Long Leaf to Concrete Hill, 3 miles, was built by a vendor in 1914 and
acquired by the RR&G in January 1915. From Longleaf Junction to Bliss,
LA, 9 miles, was constructed during 1916-17.
The line was extended to Kurthwood by 1920.
The
principal industry along the line was logging and serving sawmills at
Longleaf, Meridian and Glenmora. The country traversed was heavily rolling
pine land with a sandy soil.
The
Red River & Gulf had connections at Bliss and Holdup with the Glenmora
& Western Ry., at Lecompte with the Rock Island, and at Long Leaf with
the Texas & Pacific.
The
following companies had trackage rights over the RR&G:
Cady
Gravel Company, from Lecompte to Holdup, about 5.53 miles, for transporting
gravel.
Glenmora
& Western Railway, from from Holdup to Lecompte, about 5.73 miles.
Crowell
& Spencer Lumber Company, between Louisiana Junction and Cocodrie
Junction, LA, about 7 miles.
Meridian
Lumber Company, between Cocodrie Junction and Meridian, LA, about 4.36
miles.
Louisiana
Saw Mill Company, between Concrete Hill and Bolton, LA, about 0.7 miles.
REFERENCE
1.
“Red River & Gulf Railroad,” Valuation Docket No. 484, Interstate
Commerce Commission Reports, Vol. 119, p. 535-51.
See Southern Forest
Heritage Center museum at Long Leaf
|
Three locomotives at the company machine shop at Long Leaf. |
Crowell Long Leaf Lumber Co. 202 on Sept. 26, 1954. |
Crowell & Spencer Lima 2-6-0 No. 100. |
Crowell & Spencer 2-6-2 No. 200 still wears factory striping in
this early photo. The engine was bought new in 1920. |
Crowell & Spencer No. 300 at Long Leaf in November 1947. This
locomotive was bought new in 1920 also. |
Crowell & Spencer 2-6-0 No. 100 was bought secondhand from Wausau
Southern Lumber Co. of Laurel, Miss. |
Crowell caboose at Long Leaf. |
Another caboose sits on the storage tracks at Long Leaf. These cars
survived until a few years ago, when a forest fire destroyed the wood
parts. The remaining metal parts still sit in the woods north of the mill. |
A few logs block a temporary logging spur. |
Crowell Long Leaf Lumber bought GE 44-ton No. 44 from Mississippi
Export Railroad. |
A fine view of Crowell 202 in yellow paint in the early 1950's. |
Crowell 202 at Long Leaf. |
No. 400 was bought new in 1919 and still survives at Long Leaf. |
One of Crowell's Clyde skidders at work in the woods dragging logs to
the logging spur. |
Lima Builder's portrait of 2-6-2 No. 1 in 1905. |
Baldwin 4-4-0 No. 104 was bought new in 1919. It still survives on
display in Atlanta, GA. |
Ten-wheeler No. 106 was lettered for the Red River & Gulf. |
No. 106 with a loaded log train near Long Leaf in the early 1950's. |
106 makes a fine sight as the sun shines through the pines as the
ten-wheeler makes it way to the mill with another load of logs. |
click timetable for larger version |
|
January 1912 Official Guide of the Railways |
|
Red River & Gulf STEAM ROSTER by Gil Hoffman:
Road
No.
|
Type
|
Builder
|
C.N.
|
Date
|
Cyls.
|
Dri.
Dia.
|
Engine
Wt.
|
Previous
Ownership
|
Disposition
|
1
|
2-6-2
|
Lima
|
1009
|
5/1905
|
15x20
|
46
|
84000
|
New, via Crowell & Spencer Lumber
Co.
|
Meridian
Lumber Co. #1, Meridian, LA
Fordyce
& Princeton R.R. #1, Fordyce, AR, in 1/1928.
Fordyce Lumber Co. #45, Fordyce, AR
|
101
|
4-6-0
|
New York
|
327
|
2/1888
|
18x24
|
51
|
112450
|
Western
New York & Pennsylvania #109.
Re.
#120 in 1890.
Pennsylvania
RR #6256, in 1903.
Southern
Iron & Equipment Co. #778.
Tampa
& Jacksonville #58, Gainesville, FL,
on
3/17/1911.
Southern
Iron &* Equipment Co. #920
Meridian
Lumber Co. #101, Meridian, LA,
on
4/29/1913.
Red River & Gulf #101, on ?
|
Retired
in 4/1929, and sold to:
Ruston
Foundry & Machine Shops, Ruston, LA. Cost $3,750.
|
102
|
4-6-0
|
Baldwin
|
42206
|
7/1915
|
18x26
|
52
|
127000
|
New.
Cost $11,200.
Baldwin class 10-30 D 655
|
Birmingham
Rail & Locomotive Co.
Roscoe, Snyder & Pacific Ry. #4,
Roscoe, TX, on 8/30/1929.
|
103
|
4-6-0
|
Baldwin
|
50943
|
12/1918
|
18x26
|
52
|
126300
|
New.
Cost $30,500.
Baldwin class 10-30 D 662
|
Retired
1/1931.
Arkansas
& Louisiana Missouri Ry. #103, Monroe, LA, on 11/12/1937.
Put
into storage on 4/22/1950.
Pan-American
Engineering Co., Dallas, TX (dealer), on 11/2/1950.
Mexican Government Communications
Department.
|
104
|
4-4-0
|
Baldwin
|
52207
|
8/1919
|
15x24
|
60
|
80500
|
New.
Cost $19,050.
Baldwin class 8-24 C 221
|
Retired
1/1928.
Comite
Southern R.R. #1, Amite, LA, in 1946.
Louisiana
Eastern R.R. #1, Shiloh, LA, in 1950.
Stone Mountain Scenic R.R. General
II, Stone Mountain, GA, on 10/12/1961.
|
105
|
4-6-0
|
Baldwin
|
55912
|
12/1922
|
19x26
|
52
|
140000
|
New.
Cost $25,430.
Baldwin class 10-32 D 1302.
|
Sold 10/1945.
|
106
|
4-6-0
|
Baldwin
|
57203
|
9/1923
|
19x26
|
52
|
140000
|
New.
Cost $28,500.
Baldwin class 10-32 D 1303
|
Crowell
& Spencer Lumber Co. #106, Long Leaf, LA
Crowell
Long Leaf Lumber Co., Inc. #106, Long Leaf, LA, by 6/1949.
Southern Forest Heritage Museum &
Research Center, Long Leaf, LA
|
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