Putting a lot of fuel into the boiler to climb a small hill, T&NO 745 now has a large crowd following her as she heard north.

The Louisiana Steam Train Association is dedicated to educate the public about railroading and steam railroading in particular. The pride of the organization is it’s SP (T&NO) 745. The only surviving steam engine built in Louisiana. It was built by Southern Pacific in Algiers and served mostly in Texas, It was decommissioned in the 1950’s when diesel engines replaced steam. The engine was donated to Audubon Park and sat on static display there until 1997 when a group of enthusiastic steam volunteers descided to restore her.

In December 2004, she made her first mainline run between New Orleans and Reserve Louisiana. In 2005, she made a historic trip with displays in the theatre cars showcasing the Bicentennial of Louisiana. From New Orleans to Lake Charles, Shreveport, Jackson Mississippi, Baton Rouge, and back to New Orleans.

An historic trip indeed, with many people seeing a steam train in operation for the first time in their lives.

Hurricane Katrina came along that summer, and scattered many of the volunteers who lovingly restored her. But she was taken to Kansas City for the Grand Re-opening of Union Station there, and there are plans to have the grand engine tour the state again in 2012 to commerate the bicentennial of Louisiana’s statehood.

For more information about LASTA see their website
http://lasta.org/