Louisiana & Arkansas 503, displayed for years at Port Arthur, Texas.

http://www.railroadforums.com/photos/sh ... ll&page=18

Ex-L&A 509 4-6-0. Taken when at TVRM, Chattanooga. I think it has moved since. Has had many owners and been many places since being saved from scrap in a Louisiana gravel pit.

http://www.railroadforums.com/photos/sh ... ll&page=34

yes bob, the 509 did leave the T.V.R.R.M. a while back...i visited there this summer and i was disappointed to see that the ole girl had gone some place else...i just hope to see her runnin' agin someday...hopefully before i go on to the big roundhouse in the sky!!
sg

The 509 is sitting next to the depot in Cookeville TN lettered for the Tennessee Central, coupled to a caboose. It's a well done display, and the engine looks very good.

You can take a train from Nashville on fall weekends to Cookeville. It's about 90 miles and very pretty scenery. They had been using E units to power the train but have purchased ex-Amtrak F-40s they use now.

Bob;

As I mentioned before on the old Interchange, 503 is still on Gulfway in Port Arthur, and was repainted a couple of years ago; the picture you found depicts her current condition.

The repainting was sponsored by the Kansas City Southern, who relettered it for KCS and donated it to the city many years ago. The city had requested a steam engine, but KCS had already scrapped theirs. They purchased 503 from the L&A and gave it to the city.

The Texas State Railroad expressed interest in acquring 503 for operation; but a Port Arthur citizen argued for it to stay, and won out. They were raising money for it's restoration for years when they passed away; the KCS stepped in to complete the job.

To mark the occasion, her bell was taken out of storage in City Hall, and rang for the occasion. Gulfway is one of the busiest streets in Port Arthur, and it has remained free from vandalism with just a fence around it.

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a

Steam Locomotives in SE Texas and SW Louisiana