Alexandria and Western Railway
Encyclopedia
The Alexandria & Western Railway was a regional railroad chartered in 1909 with George F. Cotter of Fort Worth, Texas
as its president and a number of investors from Kansas City, Missouri
. Its purpose was to transport lumber from Alexandria, Louisiana
west to Texas
, though it only reached as far west as Gardner, Louisiana. Construction began in early 1913 after the Bayou Rapides Lumber Company purchased 8,000 acres of land on the proposed right-of-way and guaranteed the railroad a steady supply of lumber to haul. The first spike was driven by Rollo Jarreau.
In the spring of 1914, the line expanded service to include passenger travel using a 21 foot car powered by gasoline engine operating from a depot at Second Street and Lee Street in Alexandria.
By June 30, 1915, the railroad ended its fiscal year operating at a loss of $7,000. In 1916, a suit was filed against the Alexandria & Western Railway by Brewer-Neinstadt Lumber Company concerning the rate the railroad was charging to transport hardwood and cypress lumber and lathes and shingles from Miltonburg to Alexandria. A hearing on April 27, 1916 concluded that the rate of 4 cents per 100 pounds that the railroad charged was in line with or less than the rates charged by other railroads in the state, and the suit was dismissed.
Continued financial difficulties forced the railroad to file for abandonment in May 1925.
locomotive manufactured at the American Locomotive Company
's Schenectady Locomotive Works
(Construction #30988) in April 1905. The locomotive was originally built for Genesee and Wyoming Railroad
(road number 7) before it was sold to the Birmhamton Rail & Loco Co. and then resold to the Alexandria & Western Railway in Garden City, Louisiana.
Manufactured for the Alexandria & Western Railway were two 2-6-0 "Mogul" type locomotives built at the Baldwin Locomotive Works
in 1914, numbered 9 and 10. After the railroad filed for abandonment, Crossett Lumber purchased engine number 9 and renumbered it to either 102 or 103. Crossett Lumber later sold it to Frost Lumber Industries.
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
as its president and a number of investors from Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. Its purpose was to transport lumber from Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
west to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, though it only reached as far west as Gardner, Louisiana. Construction began in early 1913 after the Bayou Rapides Lumber Company purchased 8,000 acres of land on the proposed right-of-way and guaranteed the railroad a steady supply of lumber to haul. The first spike was driven by Rollo Jarreau.
In the spring of 1914, the line expanded service to include passenger travel using a 21 foot car powered by gasoline engine operating from a depot at Second Street and Lee Street in Alexandria.
By June 30, 1915, the railroad ended its fiscal year operating at a loss of $7,000. In 1916, a suit was filed against the Alexandria & Western Railway by Brewer-Neinstadt Lumber Company concerning the rate the railroad was charging to transport hardwood and cypress lumber and lathes and shingles from Miltonburg to Alexandria. A hearing on April 27, 1916 concluded that the rate of 4 cents per 100 pounds that the railroad charged was in line with or less than the rates charged by other railroads in the state, and the suit was dismissed.
Continued financial difficulties forced the railroad to file for abandonment in May 1925.
Equipment
Amongst the engines operated on the line was a 2-6-02-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Mogul...
locomotive manufactured at the American Locomotive Company
American Locomotive Company
The American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO or Alco , was a builder of railroad locomotives in the United States.-Early history:...
's Schenectady Locomotive Works
Schenectady Locomotive Works
The Schenectady Locomotive Works built railroad locomotives from its founding in 1848 through its merger into American Locomotive Company in 1901.After the 1901 merger, ALCO made the Schenectady plant its headquarters in Schenectady, New York....
(Construction #30988) in April 1905. The locomotive was originally built for Genesee and Wyoming Railroad
Genesee and Wyoming Railroad
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. is a short-line railroad holding company that owns or maintains interests in 63 railroads throughout six countries , and operates more than of owned and leased track, with more than under additional track-access arrangements...
(road number 7) before it was sold to the Birmhamton Rail & Loco Co. and then resold to the Alexandria & Western Railway in Garden City, Louisiana.
Manufactured for the Alexandria & Western Railway were two 2-6-0 "Mogul" type locomotives built at the Baldwin Locomotive Works
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
in 1914, numbered 9 and 10. After the railroad filed for abandonment, Crossett Lumber purchased engine number 9 and renumbered it to either 102 or 103. Crossett Lumber later sold it to Frost Lumber Industries.