Stopped into Ponchatoula Louisiana the other day, and looked at the condition of a locomotive identified as the Louisiana Cypress Lumber Company # 3, which is on a small panel track across the street from the old IC depot in downtown Ponchatoula Louisiana. The locomotive is showing significant signs of deterioration and overall decay. The locomotive is identified as # 3 ( a round number plate on the front of the boiler ) and hand painted on the tender is Louisiana Cypress Lumber Company. In doing some research on line, its a 1914 Porter 2-8-0

Question for anyone that might know is, who actually owns the locomotive, what is its history, and if it is owned by the local municipality, why is nothing being done to make the locomotive presentable. If anyone knows the above information, it would be greatly appreciated. I have a few photographs of the locomotive, should anyone be curious as to its style and condition. Just send me a message with your email address.

On a side note, it strikes me funny that a unique small locomotive, along a main street in a semi-historic little town, would have no identification on it as to its history, or why it is even there. In some way, it doesn't say much to have a rusting 90 plus year old locomotive in the center of your downtown does it ?

thanks for any information !


Dean Levin

I am curious what you will find out about this loco. It is my screen saver picture. I was in contact with a local musuem who had some artifacts of the Louisiana Cyprus Lumber Company {LCLC} trying to find any info I could that might be useful for a later project of putting the LCLC #2 back together. I know of 3 LCLC steam locomotives surviving #1 is a real cute little 2-6-2 that is somewhere by Atlanta, supposedly taken apart down to the frame, The LCLC #2 cutest little Lima 2-6-0 you'd ever lay eyes on {can you tell this is my most favorite loco in the country?} this is at Mid Continent in pieces taken apart in mid to late 1970's. Until this fall it was laying in the dirt, half buried in mud. Now the wheels are up out of the mud and most of the parts are on pallets up off the ground. This is a sore subject with me and I'd better get off this subject quickly. And of course the LCL #3. It is just a doll of an engine if you like small steam, I have always wondered what condition it is in, especially after Katrina went through the area. Good luck and keep us informed on what you find out.

Below is obviously a pic of LCLC #2 while still in La, some folks from the area sent this to me when I was looking for anything I could find that might be usefull. They even put an ad in the local paper hoping that maybe a former employee or family member of an old employee might respond. Got nothin, nice folks for trying and I thanked them for there efforts. John. PS I couldn't get my only pic of the #3 to cut and past. I will have to send it to photobucket and then I will know how to move it here.

This has really got me thinking. I have been thinking about posting the same question for the longest while, nobody ever talks about this engine.

Richard Hinebough {maybe mispelled here} was the guy who brought the #2 to Mid Continent, I remember reading or hearing that at the time this engine was being looked at, Mid Continent also had the option of buying the #3. I have always wanted to ask Richard if he remembers why they didn't go after the 3#. I think they paid somewhere around $750 for the #2. I have always guessed that the #3 was in bad shape and that is why they chose the #2. The #2 spot {as it was referred to back in the day} had steam jam brakes, horribley thin tires, no air pump, and was so small that anything more then a couple of cars was overworking it. This little engine was rode hard and put away wet. My guess is the #3 was in tough shape when it was parked many years ago. Would of been a much more useable engine at MC rather than the #2 spot. I rode around in the cab of the #2 when I was a kid. It made a lot of noise when you pulled anything, the stack talk from that little Lima was really cool stuff. Anyway.......

It would be a gas to take a close look at #3 and see, but I can almost imagine what you would find. The pictures I have seen of her also look like the jacketing was still on after all these years. With the high humidity and rainfall of La, I would imagine her boiler must be about rusted through by now.

Richard was one of the founding members of Mid Continent and last I heard was living in an assisted living or nursing home down by Milwaukee, Wi. I must go and look him up, I would get a real kick out of seeing him after all these years. John

John,

I'm curious about the story of #2 and how it came to be disassembled and set aside at Mid-Continent. Didn't it run there many years ago? If it won't stir up too much trouble, I'd like to hear more about it.

I don't think it would serve any real purpose in telling a story like this. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions"pretty much sums up this story, just like many other failed restortations. Sorry don't want to go here. John.

This is a poor screensaver pic, but here it is. For anybody interested. John.

John !!!

I've never seen a picture of LCLC #2 before, but I will have to agree with you that she is most definitely adorable, and the right size to fix up and play with, too. I'm also seriously impressed that you rode in her cab. That must be one Hell of a story.

About 40 years ago #3 was parked out in front of the Louisiana Cypress lumberyard in Ponchatoula, and we stopped there on a family vacation so I could take some pictures. She was in pretty decent shape in those days, complete with fresh black paint and gold letters, and RED rods and tires if I recall. The folks inside let me know that #1 was still parked out back, and I could go back there if I wanted and take some more pictures, which I did. The tracks, cars, and cypress logging equipment were still back there, and I should have taken more shots. But, I'll be glad to share what I have. They're real contrasty slides made at mid day with shadows in all the wrong places, and I haven't seen them in awhile, but I know that I've got them somewhere....

That seems to be an awfully long wheelbase for the drivers of LCLC #3. Even with only 41" diameter drivers. I'm going to assume that the engines two middle sets of drivers did not have flanges. Can anyone confirm this?

Thanks.

Les

I would love to see your LCLC pics. Ya the #2 was almost toy like. I think she is about 30 tons if I remember right. Poor thing was really worn out though. There is a contingency of guys who would like to put her back together and there isn't a lot of parts as she was a bare bones little creature. But we have a lot of more important things to work on first. She would never be a road engine that I can forsee, but for special occasions and training purposes, who knows. Needs tires, quite possibly axels, pistons and rods, crown brass, rod brass. Not sure what parts have been lost or scrapped by good intentions during clean ups. The frame has been welded in a few places and I would want to make sure those are xray'd. I mean she is a kit that needs everything. My worry is the saddle/steam chest sat exposed for a lot of years, I hope the casting is not broken apart somewhere. The good news is that she is already taken apart. The original prints for the engine are available. The boiler is about the size of a Case 60 hp thrasing engine. It is anybodies guess on it's condition, but I would presume the worst as the rest of the machine is toast.

Being a kid in the early/mid 60's did have some perks if your older brother was a member at MC. You got to witness a lot of cool happenings. New equipment just appeared constantly. Saw a number of engines steam for the first time since there arrival at MC. Mc Cloud #9, Montral #1, little tank engine #6 and later on the rebirth of CN&W #1385 which had only ran one year back in 1963. We fired her up for a test in 1970 and then in 1972 or 1973, then she ran pretty steady till 2000. I didn't realize that it was odd to sleep in wooden cabooses or old wooden camp cars with coal stoves burning red hot on winter nights or sweltering hot during summer nights. I remember a few trips to LaRue, which is what is left of a mining town down towards the end of the line. Only thing in LaRue is a tavern. Remember piling a bunch of people into the cab of a steam engine and go have a few beers. I was just a kid so I probably had a soda.

Some of the older members {some gone, some still around} were quite the characters. Some were real gentleman and salt of the earth types, some were just salts. There were some real movers and shakers {small scale compared to nationally known types} who knew how to get things done, might of been seat of the pants style, but things got done just the same. Member meetings in basements of members houses, beer runs up town filling glass gallon jugs. Bon fires at night with everybody welcome. The first generation members were a different breed. In an earlier post I mentioned Richard Hinebough {one of the four founding fathers}, it is these memories that make me want to go see him. His grandson tells me he is still around and would probably remember my brother, I doubt he would remember me as I was just a kid. I remember moving a ton of his firebrick and an incredably worn out pickup that he had.

Steven, Richards grandson has a set of pics of the #2 being loaded on flat cars {probably 1961 or 1962} I would love to see. If Steve ever comes home for more then a week, maybe he could find them for me, hint hint hint. Well I have rambled on enough, I am sure many others had simlar experiences if they were around back then. I love reading about the mainline excursion stories and some of the behind the scene things that went on. People wouldn't believe that this stuff really happened.

Oh by the way Les, I think you are correct that the two center drivers are blind on the #3, can't confirm, but the picture I posted was much more clear on my screen saver. Now it is gone and I don't know how to get it back, These computers are black magic. Cheers and sorry for rambling on so. John

Engine(#3) is probably officially owned by the city of Ponchatoula.

From LRMRG yahoogroup:

Last time all three were together was in the mid 1960's, #2 loaded on a
flat car for the trip north, #1 was loaded on a big truck for the trip
to Houston.

#1 was last to run on Louisiana Cypress,, #2 last to run,
probably late 70's to early 80's at North Freedom

#3 can be restored cosmetically, but the crown sheet is damaged, a night hostler let the water get too low, info varies on exact date, but result is a burned crown sheet. The engine was not worth repairing, LC was going to cut it up but scrap prices were too low so they parked it by the lumber yard about 1947 and it stayed there until moved to present location.

LA Cypress 2 at North Freedom, WI:
http://www.midcontinent.org/collectn/steam/lc2.html
http://www.steamlocomotive.info/onephot ... splay=1333
http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vowners ... splay=1333

La Cypress 3 At Ponchatoula:
http://www.pbase.com/bre/image/34273048
http://www.steamlocomotive.info/onephot ... isplay=553
http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vowners ... isplay=553


LA Cypress 1 at Griffin, GA:
http://www.steamlocomotive.info/onephot ... isplay=371
http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vowners ... isplay=371

Greg -

Thanks very much for the info and photo references. But excuse me, might that be CB&Q 2-8-2 #4960 parked behind the number 2 in the fourth photo down? And if so, is this before or after she was given to the Circus World Museum in Baraboo? If that IS her, she is still wearing her C&S style headlight, but missing her number plate. From fame on the "Q" out of Chicago and other places, to the anonymity of North Freedom, to newfound fame on the Grand Canyon! What a story!

Les

Louisiana Cypress #3 has been painted three or four times since she was placed in the heart of town. Paint jobs don't hold up more than two or three years in the Louisiana climate. The town does not have the money to cosmetically restore the engine to a proper degree. The engine still has its jacket and asbestos lagging. All appliances have been stripped or vandalized and the tender is close to falling apart as its wood frame is rotten. LC never used this engine much as it was too heavy for their swampland logging operation, so it wasn't steamed much at all while they owned it. Visually, the crown sheet looks fine. I never understood the urban legend about the #3's crown sheet being "burned," which I have heard many times. I doubt the town would sell the engine, but they will have to build a roof over it if they want any of it to still be here in twenty years. As for putting it in running condition, probably two million would do it. It's a large engine for a Porter. I remember when I had the cylinder heads off prior to its move downtown that the cylinders were worn egg-shaped.

Tim,

thanks for that information on LC #3. I find it interesting your comments about the city of Ponchatoula not having the money to address the problems with the locmotive. I sent the city a letter last year offering a substantial donation, to stabilize the locomotive and clean up the display area. The conditions of the donation were open allowing either the city to perform the work, or for me to hire subcontractors on site to perform a good cosmetic restoration. Unfortunately the letter came with no response, from the mayor or city director, therefore I assume that at the moment either Ponchatoula has plenty of money and no desire to preserve the locomotive, or no money and no desire. Unfortunately, I suspect the end result will be exactly the same, as like you said, unless that locomotive is covered, it will be of little value in 20 years.


Dean Levin

Les,

That is you-know-who attempting to hide behind the #2 at North Freedom. The photo had to be taken after 4960's arrival at North Freedom in July of 1966. 4960's assignments on the Circus Train took her as far as Baraboo but not the museum grounds at North Freedom.

Don C.

I just want to thank you guys for sharing more info about the #3. Dirty shame that all 3 engines sit in their present condition, but I guess we could say the same thing about 95% of all steam engines not running or under cover. I was paticularly interested in her mechanical condition. I figured she was toast mechanically if they parked her before the #2. It is amazing that the #2 actually ran at all after she left La. All of LCLC engines were great logging examples, wish one of them was running, or at least all were put back together. It is too easy for parts to sink into the ground or get thrown in a scrap dumpster because some well meaning rail fan is hell bent on cleaning up the property.

I am happy to say that most of the #2s parts got put in bins and put in a pile for now. The drivers are no longer sitting half buried in mud. I think all the parts are now above ground. No excuse to have left the parts like they were, but at least they are off the ground and won't disintigrate much more then they already have. I wanted to sandblast, paint and inventory the parts and get them in a box car or under a roof of some sort, so later on we can put her back together.

I can imagine the climate in La is not condusive to iron sitting out in the weather, especially with the lagging still on. I would hate to see the deterioration of the #3s boiler shell. I saw what outside weather did to the UP #440 2-8-0 and its lagging was removed in 1975, only sat for maybe 20 years. Bad juju. Cheers and thanks again for sharing your info. John.