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 Story and Photos by Ken Hulsey In 2023, I captured a delightful image of the Kansas City Southern Executive Train powered by vintage FP9 and F9B locomotives as it passed through Pineville, Louisiana at night. This photo has always been a favorite of mine, as it was one of my first successful attempts at photographing a train in action after dark.

 Story and Photos By Ken Hulsey During 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.

 From CPKC Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) is pleased to announce the schedule dates for its historic Final Spike Anniversary Steam Tour, which will kick off April 24 at the company’s global headquarters in Calgary, Alta. and culminate June 4 in Mexico City. The tour will bring the story of CPKC’s uniquely North American railway history and compelling future to life for rail fans and visitors as it travels across CPKC’s network.

A few days before Halloween I ventured out to the Sarto Old Iron Bridge in remote Avoyelles Parish to check out the local legend of a ghostly apparition known as The Marlboro Man who reportedly haunts the area. While talking to Mr. Boo (a local legend in his own right) of the Big Bend Post Office Museum, he informed me of another interesting bridge site less than a mile away on the other side of Bayou de Glaises. He said if I looked closely that I would see the remains of an old Louisiana & Arkansas Railway bridge in and along the bayou. History of Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana (Parish Histories) Paperback - $44.99 @ Amazon.com - Order Here Boo told me a little bit about the old bridge site, stating that in the old days the L&A line from Simmsport to Angola via a ferry on the Red River ran straight through the area. A massive flood in the 1920s destroyed the railroad's bridge over the bayou and they chose not to rebuild it. In fact the damage to the railroad was extensive t...

Traveling around Louisiana I have discovered a lot of abandoned things ranging from buildings to boats but I never thought that I would find an abandoned section of road in the middle of a city. Lost Shreveport: Vanishing Scenes from the Red River Valley Hardcover Book - $21.99 @ Amazon.com Back in June of 2022 the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development closed Linwood Street between Texas and Dalzell Street because they determined that the bridge over the Kansas City Southern railroad tracks was no longer structurally sound enough to support daily traffic.  A couple of weeks back I took the chance that the bridge would be sound enough to support my 200 pound body and ventured out over the deserted road to take photos of any trains that may perhaps pass underneath.  I have to admit that it is kinda surreal to walk down the middle of a four lane road without any fear of being run over by a truck load of Amazon purchases. It was quiet, calm and surprisingly i...

I was going through my phone this morning and I discovered that I had a lot of railroad images that I had never posted for one reason or another. I thought that the local railfans here in Louisiana might enjoy seeing them. I have a lot more that I have taken with my actual camera that I'm planning on posting in the next few days. Until then try and see if you can figure out where these were taken. I'll come back and add the actual locations in later and you can see if you guessed right.  Check Out: From My Library - Iron Horses: The Illustrated History of the Tracks and Trains of North America by Michael Del Vecchio Abandoned Louisiana - The Powhatan Railroad Depot / Blair & Co. Gas Station in Coushatta Louisiana Through My Lens - Railroading Around Baton Rouge California Through My Lens - Ghosts Of The Southern Pacific Railroad Narrow Gauge in Perris California Memories - Union Pacific Railroad E8A #942 and Ventura Railroad Steam Locomotive #2 - Southern California Railway...