Exploring Alexandria Railroad History | Louisiana and Arkansas RR and Southern Pacific RR Depots | Abandoned Rails
Story and Photos By Ken HulseyDuring my lunch break, I explored the sites where the old Louisiana & Arkansas (KCS) and Southern Pacific railroad depots once stood, just south of downtown Alexandria. These sites were once bustling railroad hubs, but today only their foundations remain, the structures having been demolished. To the casual observer, the sites would appear to be nothing more than an abandoned parking lot or old car dealership - in fact, I drove by the former Southern Pacific depot numerous times without ever noticing it, until a colleague pointed it out to me.
The location of the former Louisiana & Arkansas railway station is still visible, just off 3rd Street. The station's foundation remains clearly marked on the ground. Beyond that, an area now overgrown with weeds is where the passenger train tracks used to run into the station. Across from this is the levee, which served as the main rail line for the L&A. The elevated main line required the station tracks to be at ground level, essentially functioning as a siding.
When northbound Southern Belle passenger trains arrived in Alexandria, they would be switched off the main line and pull into the station forwards. To depart, the trains had to back out of the station, rejoin the main line on the levee, and cross the now-demolished bridge over the Red River towards Shreveport. Southbound Southern Belles would follow the reverse process before continuing on to Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
This image shows the former site of the Louisiana & Arkansas Railroad bridge over 3rd Street. In the distance, an abandoned hotel building can be seen - a place where crews of the L&A railroad once stayed.
This was the location of the platform where passengers boarded and disembarked the Southern Belle trains. The actual train tracks were situated to the left of the platform.
Atop the levee, a Louisiana & Arkansas concrete mile marker emerges from the weeds. As part of the Kansas City Southern Railroad network, the marker displays the distance from this point back to the railroad's headquarters in Kansas City.
A second set of Louisiana & Arkansas railroad tracks remains embedded in the concrete, running the full length to the former site of the Alexandria station. While it's unclear if these were the exact tracks used by passenger trains, a local resident may be able to provide more information and clarity on their history.
Across 3rd Street, northeast of the Louisiana & Arkansas station, sits the crumbling foundation of the former Southern Pacific Railroad depot. Unlike the neighboring L&A facility, this depot exclusively handled freight traffic, as the Southern Pacific did not provide any passenger service to Alexandria during its decades of operation in the city.
In this location, looking west, it is easy to see where the old Southern Pacific tracks once existed.
The once-vibrant presence of the Louisiana & Arkansas Railroad and the Southern Pacific Railroad in Alexandria has been largely erased over time. Families used to gather on summer nights to greet the arrival of the Southern Belle from Baton Rouge, racing to Pineville to catch one last glimpse as it crossed the highway on its way out of town. Sadly, those cherished memories now belong only to the elderly. The prosperous economy that once supported these and other railroads serving Alexandria is also a thing of the past. The area's decline has resulted in the abandonment of countless businesses, homes, and landmarks, leaving Alexandria a mere shell of its former self.
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The Southern Pacific operated regular passenger service between Lafayette and Alexandria until 15 May 1933, and the station was located along the Red River. This site is now covered by the Red River levee. After that, the railroad provided mixed train service until 1 January 1942.
ReplyDeleteRemember the SP Depot near our station when I was with mo.m and dad. We got on the Belle and headed for Joplin
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