Rail Fans

The parent company, the Louisiana North and South Railway Company, was chartered on November 28, 1885, under the laws of Louisiana, to construct a railroad from Gibsland, LA to Homer, LA, a distance of 19 miles.  Its construction was not commenced, however, until August, 1887.  It was opened for business early in 1888.

The company was reorganized as THE LOUISIANA AND NORTH WEST RAILROAD COMPANY, which was chartered under the laws of Louisiana, on December 3, 1889, for 99 years, and was projected to run from Alexandria, LA to Hope, AR, a distance of 230 miles.

In 1890, an extension was built from Gibsland to Bienville, LA, a distance of 15 miles.  However, completion of the road to its southern terminus at Natchitoches, LA, 44 miles, was not effected until about 1901.

In 1898 the line was constructed from Homer, LA to Magnolia, AR, 36 miles, and in November, 1898, opened for traffic.  In addition to this, another 6.4 miles of track from Magnolia to McNeil, AR, was leased from the St. Louis Southwestern Railway Company (now the Union Pacific Railroad Company), under contract dated April 27, 1897 and revised January 1, 1923.

RECEIVERSHIP

          On August 23, 1913 the company was placed in the hands of a receiver.  Under the receivership, the property declined to such an extent that in July, 1919 when it was advertised for sale with an upset price of $500,000.00, there were no bidders.  The court became dissatisfied with the administration of the affairs and on October 1, 1920, appointed E. R. Bernstein of Shreveport, LA as receiver.

           The new receiver found operations had ceased because the roadway and equipment were no longer fit for service and because there were no funds with which to pay wages and current obligations.  He addressed himself first to restoration of the service and the morale of the employees, then to the rehabilitation of the track and rolling stock.  Soon the road was capable of transporting the increased volume of tonnage then offered, although not until after having suffered the loss of a considerable amount of the traffic that commenced to move following the opening of the Homer Oil Field in January, 1919.

          Upon application of the receiver, the Railroad Commission of Louisiana on February 11, 1921, authorized the cessation of operation of 22.2 miles of railroad extending from Chestnut, LA to Natchitoches, LA, and on August 24, 1921, the Interstate Commerce Commission authorized the abandonment of that portion of the line. This action was of considerable benefit to the Company since that section abandoned had been operated at a loss, entailing a burden on the remainder of the line.

          Mr. Bernstein continued as Receiver until May 21, 1922, when the court ordered the property restored to the Company.

          In 1949, the Company received approval from the Louisiana Public Service Commission and the Interstate Commerce Commission to abandon the portion of the railroad between Bienville, LA and Chestnut, LA.  About this same time, the Company sold their portion to the railroad between Gibsland, LA and Bienville, LA to the North Louisiana & Gulf Railroad.

          Therefore, at the present time the length of the railroad is 61.5 miles, operating a freight train daily, except Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, and alternating directions every other day, between Gibsland, LA and McNeil, AR.  The railroad has connections at Gibsland, LA with the Kansas City Southern Railway Company and the Louisiana Southern Railroad (a division of WATCO Company), and in McNeil, AR, the company connects with the Union Pacific Railroad Company.

          Our timetable file dates back to 1905 when passenger trains were being operated.  In 1948, however, the Company ceased to operate passenger trains.  In that same year (1948), the L & N W Railroad became the first railroad in the United States to be completely operated by radio.

          On August 1, 1970, an immense rebuilding program was initiated.  Between Magnolia and Gibsland, bridges were rebuilt using new creosoted materials, new crossties were installed, the track was raised by 4 inches, and new rock ballast was added.

          In 1991, and for the first time in the history of the L & N W, a reroute order was issued.  Due to the devastating flood in May of that year, track was washed away to such an extent that no trains could operate.  Water rose so rapidly that headbolts were pulled through crossties and bridge stringers, moving the mainline some 20 feet downstream.  In some cases, complete sections of track were completely washed away or left dangling 5-10 feet above solid ground.  Between May 1 and May 15, cars destined to L & N W’s north end customers traveled via the MidSouth Rail Corporation (now the Kansas City Southern) to Shreveport and thence the Cotton Belt Railroad (now the Union Pacific) to McNeil, AR.  Since recovering from the flood, the L & N W has invested well over $2 million rehabilitating its track structure.

The L & N W is extremely proud of our customers and our employees.  Hard working and dedicated to improving the community as well as the company, our employees are some of the best in the world.

          Railfans and railroad enthusiasts from as far away as Australia have visited the L & N W over the years.  This shows that, no matter how small you may be, your reputation may reach much further than you dreamed.  Several full-length articles about the L & N W have appeared in national magazines such as “Railroad Modeler” (December 1975), “Railroad and Railfan” (April 1978), and “Trains” (May 1985).