Photo of IC 0-6-0 #333 at the Louisiana Art and Science Museum in Baton Rouge, Louisiana:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tjean314/2 ... 425158@N25

The 333 has been at the Museum, along with 4 passenger cars, for a number of years. The local chapter of the NRHS was supposedly maintaining the equipment, but it fell into a state of disrepair (as can be seen by the photo of the 0-6-0). The museum finally had enough of the eyesore and said that the equipment had to go. The passenger cars were sent (or are to be sent) to various locations. To a new Hammond, Louisiana children's museum. To join the rail equipment on display in McComb, Mississippi. And to the Monticello Railway Museum in Illinois. But the 0-6-0 was to remain at the musuem, with the NRHS chapter restoring it cosmetically. Not sure if this restoration has yet been started or not.

Les

Well, I've obtained some further information and find out that I sent out some incorrect info on the situation in Baton Rouge. In reality, the Southeast Louisiana Chapter of NRHS owned the passenger cars, which were originally located in Hammond, Louisiana. The 333 belonged to the City of Baton Rouge and it was originally on display at the airport there. The NRHS Chapter worked out a 99 year agreement to move the passenger cars to LA&SM with the proviso that LA&SM would maintain the cars. The 0-6-0 then showed up at the front of the string of cars, apparently courtesy of the Illinois Central Railroad. After all of the equipment was in place, the IC removed the switch into the museums display track. The museum, and not the NRHS chapter, were the ones that did not maintain the equipment. In fact, LA&SM would not allow the members of the Chapter to work on the cars while at the museum. In February of 2000, LA&SM advised the Chapter that the cars "no longer fit their mission" and asked to disolve the lease. Thus started a number of meetings and scenario's that finally ended up with 3 cars being moved to the site of the new Louisiana Children's Discovery Museum which, ironically, went into the very location in Hammond where they had originally been located! The Chapter offered the IC Diner to the Monticello Railway Museum who made arrangements to move that car to Monticello, Illinois, where work has already started on the cars restoration. The Southeast Louisiana Chapter would have preferred that the cars remained at LA&SM and be open to the public there, as they were in the early 1980's. Failing that, they are happy that the cars are now located in a place where they can be worked on by Chapter members and eventually opened back up for the public to enjoy once the Children's Museum is built on the site.

I regret that the information I originally furnished for this thread, put the NRHS Chapter in a bad light. Certainly this situation was not the Chapters fault. The cars could well have ended up as scrap (it was a close call at times) and the Chapter is glad they were all saved and will eventually be restored.

Les

-A little bump, hope its ok (: -

As to most of the things said in this thread, are true, I actually am not sure about if the passenger cars will be restored to working order in Hammond or not, but thats what I heard. As for the photo at the top, its a bit out of date actually. A visit to the capital today for a legislative meeting led to the car ride home and I drove by the museum. The locomotive itself has not changed much, but when the passenger cars were taken, the engine was moved a bit, as seen here:

This photo was taken at a traffic light on April 30 2008, fact really about 30 minutes ago. Just like everyone else here, I'd love to see this engine run again someday. It deserves better than rusting up and having broken windows in the cab...

Can anyone give an update on this equipment? Yes, the ICRR diner WAS moved to the Monticello Railway Museum where I recently saw it and it is undergoing a very nice, thorough restoration by that fine group. The other 3 passenger cars were supposed to go to a new Children's Museum in Hammond, Louisiana but I heard that that plan fell through. Saw some recent photos and the cars are just sitting in a field there. Anyone know what's going on with them? Finally, I read a report that 0-6-0 #333 was supposed to go to some place called Tioga, Louisiana some time ago, but I heard that the engine is still sitting there at the museum in Baton Rouge, still very much uncared for, and apparently unloved. So, what is going on with the locomotive?

Thanks for any info that can be furnished.

Les

Locomotive took quite a roundabout journey last month from Baton Rouge to Alex sitting high on a flatbed truck. They planned out a route that would avoid all kinds of height limitations.



From Alexandria Town Talk:

TIOGA -- Tioga Heritage Park and Museum received a long-awaited gift this week when a nearly century-old locomotive completed its journey from Baton Rouge to the museum site on Tioga Road.

"It's just a beautiful sight to see," said Jimmie Nelle Lewis, president of the Tioga Historical Society, as the locomotive was getting ready to be unloaded by crane from a flatbed truck. "We have been looking at this for some time. We brought our caboose in years ago, but we never dreamed we would have a locomotive to go with it."

The 80-ton locomotive and coal car were housed at the Louisiana Art and Science Museum in Baton Rouge. They were donated to the Louisiana Secretary of State's Office in 2009.

"The logistics of moving something like that are just phenomenal," Lewis said. "There are railroad crossings they have to cross, overpasses they have to go over, electric lines they have to go under. And they have to get permission for all of that."

Tioga Heritage Park and Museum celebrates the history of the former sawmill town and Central Louisiana's contributions in areas such as the timber industry. It took its place under the Secretary of State's Office in 2009 and houses other exhibits that travel through the state museum system.

"We're so thrilled," Lewis said. "It's going to be such a compliment to our site. We're so thankful to the Secretary of State's Office for this. I think it's really going to stimulate our park."

Sorry to bump a thread from so long ago, but this news appears to have been lost in the shuffle of COVID and some of the good news we’ve received surrounding other projects.

To my knowledge, the Tioga Heritage Park & Museum is now closed due to COVID problems. It was shut down in 2020, and going to google, it says it’s permanently closed. I would guess that this means IC 333, as well as the caboose behind it, are now left without a home and a future.

IC 333 is one of two surviving 0-6-0’s from the IC, albeit in very poor condition, the other being #268 in Mississippi (and she’s also in a pretty bad state).

With all the good fortune that has come to some of the historic “basket case” projects in recent preservation times, I’d say that 333 is now prominently on that list of pieces that need help and fast. If 333 is going to survive into the next decade, it will need a new home.

Steamguy73 -

Thanks very much for the update.


Les