Louisiana Through My Lens - The Abandoned Shreveport Transportation Relics in Ford Park

 Last July I stumbled upon Ford Park and its many relics from Shreveport's transportation history while driving around Cross Lake looking for place to take some photographs. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted an old steam locomotive at the entrance of the park and my attention quickly shifted from wanting to capture some images of the water to getting images of the locomotive. What I didn't know at the time was that Ford Park was full of mysteries as well as historical relics both neglected and sadly forgotten.

This past week I revisited Ford Park to capture more, and hopefully better images, of the steam locomotive, fire truck and trolly bus that most people in Louisiana don't even know exist.

Dardanelle and Russellville Railroad 2-6-0 Steam Locomotive #10

I wrote about the amazing history of this old steam locomotive last July, here is an excerpt from that article:

This 2-6-0 Mogul type locomotive was built at the Cooke Locomotive & Machine Works in Patterson, New Jersey in 1907 for the Isthmian Canal Commission for use in building the Panama Canal and was given the number 278. For seven years 278 served as a workhorse around the canal construction hauling both freight and passengers. When the Panama Canal was completed in 1914 the ICC was dissolved and the locomotive returned to the US and was rebuilt from the 5ft gauge of the Panama Railway to standard gauge.

In 1920 the locomotive was sold to the Dardanelle and Russellville Railroad in Arkansas and given the number 10. Information about the locomotives days on the D&R are nonexistent but I did manage to find out when it arrived in Shreveport via a 2011 Red River Valley Historical Society Newsletter that republished a 1957 article that states:

It is fitting and proper that we mark this year as the 100th anniversary of the first locomotive in Shreveport, especially with the arrival of another engine, Dardanelle and Russellville No. 10, which is being displayed at Ford Park. It was secured through the efforts of the Civitan Club of Shreveport and the donations of hundreds of people who wish to remember this little engine and cars that did so much to build this community into what it is today.

Shreveport Railways Company Trolley Bus

After I had published my original article about Dardanelle and Russellville Locomotive #10 I was contacted by a few Shreveport residents that informed me about an old trolly bus that was hidden in the brush at the far end of the park. Going on the information provided to me, I returned to Ford Park and hiked along the fence line until I was able to find the bus. At that time it was almost completely covered in vines and other flora making it both hard to see and photograph.

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The main reason for my return to Ford Park this time was to get better photos of the old trolly bus. I figured that most of the plant life around it would be dead in winter allowing for a better viewing and I was right. Sadly, upon a better inspection, I discovered that the bus was in worse shape than I had originally believed. Sometime during its time hidden in the vegetation a tree had fallen on it smashing the whole front end.

As was the case for the locomotive, I was able to dig up a little history about the Shreveport Railways Company Trolly Bus as well:

Trolley buses of this type were built between 1931 and 1947 by the J.G. Brill Company of Philadelphia. These rather unique form of buses replaced traditional trolleys that ran on railroad tracks embedded in the street. Like the trolleys they replaced they received power via transits that made contact with overhead electrical lines. Otherwise these trolley buses resembled traditional buses in most respects.

These trolley buses were operated by the Shreveport Railways Company, and then the Shreveport Transit Company from 1931 until there last run on May 26, 1965. This particular unit was rescued from the scrap yard and placed on display in Ford Park in 1974 where it still sits today.

 Old Shreveport Fire Engine

Parked right in front of the Dardanelle and Russellville Locomotive #10 is an old Shreveport fire engine. This example of a fire engine would be dwarfed by the units used in Shreveport today for sure. 

Unfortunately I was unable to find out any information about this old fire truck except that many Shreveport residents that commented on my Facebook post about the steam locomotive noted that they remembered playing on it as a child. I can only assume that it was placed in the park in or around the time that the locomotive arrived in 1957, but that is just a guess.

As a side note, I discovered through my research that Ford Park used to have a WWII era Sherman Tank on display as well. According to an old newspaper article, the tank was purchased and restored by a couple of local enthusiasts. 

I wish that some local museum of private collector would rescue these three relics as well. I believe that the locomotive and fire engine are still in good enough shape to be restored, but sadly I feel that the trolly bus is too far gone to be saved. 

Check out my photos below: