Alexandria & Western Railway

Standard Gauge Headquarters: Alexandria, Lou. Years of Operation: 1909-1925 Predecessor Roads: none Successor Roads: none Miles Operated: 14.15 miles Locomotives Owned: 3 known	Equipment	Click Map for Larger Version
HISTORY from Wikipedia:   The Alexandria & Western Railway was a railroad chartered in 1909 with George F. Cotter of Fort Worth, Texas as its president and a number of investors from Kansas City, Missouri. Its purpose was to transport lumber from Alexandria, Louisiana west to Texas, though it only reached as far west as Gardner, Louisiana. Construction began in early 1913 after the Bayou Rapides Lumber Company purchased 8,000 acres of land on the proposed right-of-way and guaranteed the railroad a steady supply of lumber to haul. The first spike was driven by Rollo Jarreau. In the spring of 1914, the line expanded service to include passenger travel using a 21 foot car powered by gasoline engine operating from a depot at Second Street and Lee Street in Alexandria. By June 30, 1915, the railroad ended its fiscal year operating at a loss of $7,000. In 1916, a suit was filed against the Alexandria & Western Railway by Brewer-Neinstadt Lumber Company concerning the rate the railroad was charging to transport hardwood and cypress lumber and lathes and shingles from Miltonburg to Alexandria. A hearing on April 27, 1916 concluded that the rate of 4 cents per 100 pounds that the railroad charged was in line with or less than the rates charged by other railroads in the state, and the suit was dismissed. Continued financial difficulties forced the railroad to file for abandonment in May 1925.
ROSTER by Gil Hoffman:

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