1831 bought 1 single CPT PM AR DD (open upper deck) BLT Balt. & Ohio RR, named “Louisiana,” poss. Winans design. C reported “elegant car” at road's inaugural. Unk. no. gondolas PM w/wooden benches, C said “rough.”
1832 added 4 PM AR DD (open upper deck) 3-CPT w/facing fixed seats, no aisle, top deck back-to-back LGT benches. BLT 1831-32 by Worsdell (father & son carriage builders, famous for BLD carriages, other stock for Liverpool & Manchester Ry., world's first strictly commercial railway, opened in 1830). Metal grips allowed access to top deck. Cars were named, used on inauguration of steam service on PRR in 1832. One, the “Orleans,” SLD 1834 to New Orleans & Carrollton RR for their streetcar services which began Jan. 1835 — several of these Worsdell style DD cars BLT by NO&C, became their standard streetcar until 1868. See p. c, also G, MP & N.
Subsequent eqpt. for sub'n service — details unk. When Louisville & Nashville RR purchased the PRR in 1870s the L&N repl. all old cars with hand-me-down open platform pass. cars which were used until the road had its 100th year of steam service in 1832. See S p. 6 for P.
C. F. Zimpel in charge of engineering, car, loco. acquisition, building track & structures. Streetcar lines distinct from suburban RR except for sharing tracks from Jackson Ave. to Perdido & Baronne; streetcar service went up Baronne to Canal St.
Began with Green Bros. eqpt., definitely PM DT AR pass. cars (P - N) and poss. 3 CPT PM AR types from same bldr. From 1834-35 BLT own PM AR DD, economically designed 3 CPT w/p doors, canvass curtains, canvass top & LGT back-to-back benches top deck cars. Fire 10/8/38 burned much eqpt. (approx. 1 streetcar & 15 steam pass.) but car building capacity quickly restored. Harper & Merrick ownership period 1/1/37 to 7/1/38 saw sale of PM DT AR coaches in 1838 to New Orleans & Nashville RR (RG required) - 2 cars, and to Red River RR (Alexandria, La., the first RR west of the Mississippi) the remainder of those, poss. 2 cars. The economical copy of the Worsdell 3 CPT car prevailed as the NO&C standard steam sub'n car.
BLT poss. 8-10 PM DT AR cars circa 1852 for subsidiary Jefferson & Lake Pontchartrain Ry. Co. More DT PM types (roof type uncertain) BLT later OS and poss. 4 BLT in St. Louis by S. B. Rowe (latter SLD 1868, see N, sale advertised in DP), buyer unk. Steam locos. retired 5/30/67 (see G) and 6/1/67 roster (G) listed: 8 locos., four 42' coaches just sold, 10 - 40' coaches, 3 - 30' coaches, 15 - 30' flats, 8 - 12' “wooders”, 1 - 12' baggage, 4 - RR hand cars, 4 - 30' box cars besides the 6 DD and 5 “single horsecars” mentioned on p. c.
Poss. pass. service, but surely freight operation to serve the levee Cotton Press, which probably owned this railroad. Shown on J. Gibson's 1838 directory map — probably connected with Mexican Gulf RR.
Planned as long distance carrier, built approx. 18 miles, always a sub'n operation, to Prairie Village. Ceased operations early 1840s.
Besides 2nd hand cars — from NO&C RR, SS reports show locos and pass. cars from Newcastle, GB. VG listed 3-axle type pass. cars. All cars probably AR open platform types, disposition of eqpt. unk. SS needs research.
From Elysian Fields & Good Children St. (now St. Claude) to Shell Beach, oper. susp. during Civil War. Attempts to revive it failed in 1868 loco. boiler explosion. RB 1877-84 by new capital as Mississippi Terre aux Boeuf (Cattle Land) & Lake RR Co. Tumultuous finances. Several SS before/after Civil War. SS needs research. Orig. cars PM DT AR, no other details. Cars furnished after ca. 1884 revival unk., poss. 2nd hand. Pur. 3 Dec. 86 by New Orleans & Gulf RR Co., then 3/5/91 reorg. as New Orleans & Southern RR Co., and finally as Louisiana Southern Ry. Co. 10/26/96. On 6 Feb. 53 bought by NO&NE RR (Southern Ry. Sys.).
Circa 1912, the Frisco System, under Pres. Ben Yoakum, purchased the LS and added a GE gas-electric, center door open rear platf. DT AR, but after the Yoakum empire collapsed circa 1914, the LS again had local ownership. The auto cut into the pass. traffic, and by 1923 only a mixed train made the once busy Shell Beach run. However, in 1924 the LS bought two 26' Four Wheel Drive cars (motor - Wisc. 4 cyl. 42 hp. gas, 4 window, bagg. CPT - 16 pass.; trailer - 8 window, 40 pass., both 4 WH). By the depression this had been replaced by station wagon on highway to fulfill U. S. Mail contract and carry pass. (See: The Short Line Doodlebug — Galloping Geese and Other Rail Critters, Edmund Keilty, Interurban Press, Glendale, Cal. Interurbans Special No. 99, 1988.) Road known for years as “Shell Beach RR.”
Organized 1850 to BLD RR from Naides (St. Charles Ave.) & Jackson to Lake Pontchartrain. Chartered 3/12/52. Never completed, probably never provided any service. No details on eqpt. SS poss. circa 1855, needs research. Few references DP, C - see N (sometimes referred to as Jackson & Lake P. or J. & Pontch.) The L. & P. RR. Co. is clearly, but lightly, drawn and correctly shown on Norman's Plan of New Orleans & Environs 1854, B. M. Norman Publishers, 6 Baywood ______, 120 Water St., New York.
Always subsidiary of NO&C RR, extended from Carrollton, connection w/NO&C RR, to Bucktown on Lake Pontchartrain. Used NO&C cars and locos, provided through service to Tivoli Circle station of NO&C RR in New Orleans (NO&C streetcars made trips to Canal St.). Service ended during Civil War, 11/23/64.
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