Pontchartrain Rail-Road
Encyclopedia
Pontchartrain Rail-Road was an early railway
in New Orleans, Louisiana
. Chartered in 1830, the railroad began traffic of people and goods between the Mississippi River
front of New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain
on 23 April, 1831, and closed more than 100 years later.
The 5 miles (8 km) long line connected the Faubourg Marigny
neighborhood of New Orleans along the riverfront with the town of Milneburg
on the Lakefront. When built, the majority of the distance of the route between neighborhoods at either end of the route was a mixture of farmland, woods, and swamp. The route of the railway ran down the center of Elysian Fields Avenue
.
drawn railway carriages. The first steam locomotive
, "the Shields", arrived on 15 June, 1832. This first locomotive proved unreliable; a second locomotive "the Pontchartrain" proved better, allowing the line to advertise regular steam service of 7 round trips per day (9 on Sundays) starting on 27 September 1832. "The Shields" was canibalized, the boiler used to run equipment at the railroad's machine shop.
At first, the passenger fare was 75 cents
round trip. For some years both steam and horse drawn traffic ran on the line, with steam only gradually becoming dominant with the acquisition of additional more reliable locomotives. One horse drawn car was kept on the line as late as 1861, although the line at the time also had 5 working locomotives.
For much of the 19th century, a significant portion of sea traffic to New Orleans came in not via the river but to Lake Pontchartrain. Thus the railway was important in transferring cargo between ocean going ships docked at the lake and riverboats. Many passenger sea ships also arrived via the lake, and the railway took passengers the remainder of the way into the city.
For decades the passenger fare was 15 cents for a one way trip, 25 cents for a round trip. The railroad had terminals at the two ends of the line; stops would also be made at a small station at Gentilly Road, about the mid point of the line, by advance request.
In 1871 the line was purchased by the New Orleans, Mobile and Texas Railroad.
In 1880 the Louisville and Nashville Railroad
leased the line, and the following year purchased it outright.
In the early 20th century rates were 10 cents for adults, 5 cents for children one way, and double for round trip.
Generations of New Orleanians fondly remembered the archaic veteran steam engine nicknamed "Smoky Mary" running on the line as late as the 1930s. The somewhat less outdated companion locomotive on the line was called "Puffing Billy".
routes and growth in automobile
ownership. The final straw, however, was the closing of the Milneburg resorts while a land reclamation project dredged earth into the shallows of lake Pontchartrain there in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The last passenger service of the line was on March 15, 1932, the line having been in business for over a century.
Freight runs on the line continued to 1935, mostly servicing the Lakefront land reclamation project work which made the line obsolete.
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. Chartered in 1830, the railroad began traffic of people and goods between the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
front of New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish estuary located in southeastern Louisiana. It is the second-largest inland saltwater body of water in the United States, after the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and the largest lake in Louisiana. As an estuary, Pontchartrain is not a true lake.It covers an area of with...
on 23 April, 1831, and closed more than 100 years later.
Faubourg Marigny
The Marigny is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Bywater District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: North Rampart Street and St...
neighborhood of New Orleans along the riverfront with the town of Milneburg
Milneburg
Milneburg is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Gentilly District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: Leon C. Simon Drive to the north, People's Avenue to the east, Filmore Avenue to the south and Elysian Fields Avenue to the west...
on the Lakefront. When built, the majority of the distance of the route between neighborhoods at either end of the route was a mixture of farmland, woods, and swamp. The route of the railway ran down the center of Elysian Fields Avenue
Elysian Fields Avenue
Elysian Fields Avenue is a broad, straight avenue in New Orleans named after the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris. It courses south to north from the Lower Mississippi River to Lake Pontchartrain, a distance of approximately . The avenue intersects with Interstate 610, Interstate 10, and U.S....
.
Early history
Meetings discussing building a railway between the river and lake began in 1828. The Pontchartrain Rail-Road was chartered on 20 January 1830. The right-of-way was approved by the New Orleans City Council on 15 March, and construction began immediately, with a pair of parallel railroad tracks. Some of the route included swampland that required up to 4 feet of fill to create a sufficient road bed. A 150 foot wide bed was constructed along the entire route, with the rail line laid with red cypress timbers and English rolled iron rails. Construction of the line was completed on April 14, 1831, and it officially opened on the 23rd, with horseHorse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
drawn railway carriages. The first steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
, "the Shields", arrived on 15 June, 1832. This first locomotive proved unreliable; a second locomotive "the Pontchartrain" proved better, allowing the line to advertise regular steam service of 7 round trips per day (9 on Sundays) starting on 27 September 1832. "The Shields" was canibalized, the boiler used to run equipment at the railroad's machine shop.
At first, the passenger fare was 75 cents
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
round trip. For some years both steam and horse drawn traffic ran on the line, with steam only gradually becoming dominant with the acquisition of additional more reliable locomotives. One horse drawn car was kept on the line as late as 1861, although the line at the time also had 5 working locomotives.
For much of the 19th century, a significant portion of sea traffic to New Orleans came in not via the river but to Lake Pontchartrain. Thus the railway was important in transferring cargo between ocean going ships docked at the lake and riverboats. Many passenger sea ships also arrived via the lake, and the railway took passengers the remainder of the way into the city.
For decades the passenger fare was 15 cents for a one way trip, 25 cents for a round trip. The railroad had terminals at the two ends of the line; stops would also be made at a small station at Gentilly Road, about the mid point of the line, by advance request.
In 1871 the line was purchased by the New Orleans, Mobile and Texas Railroad.
In 1880 the Louisville and Nashville Railroad
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business...
leased the line, and the following year purchased it outright.
The line switches from shipping to recreation
In the late 19th century, the Pontchartrain Railroad became less important for commerce, as ships too large to use the Lakefront routes became common and the extensive network of long distance railways grew. However, at the same time, the line became more important for recreation. Especially during the long summer, excursions from the city out to the lakefront became common, to enjoy the cooling breezes and the entertainments at Milneberg.In the early 20th century rates were 10 cents for adults, 5 cents for children one way, and double for round trip.
Generations of New Orleanians fondly remembered the archaic veteran steam engine nicknamed "Smoky Mary" running on the line as late as the 1930s. The somewhat less outdated companion locomotive on the line was called "Puffing Billy".
Final years
Thanks to the popularity of recreational excursions at Milneburg, business remained brisk for the Pontchartrain Railroad through the mid 1920s. After this, however, the railroad declined for two reasons. One was less demand for short distance rail passenger service with expansion of electric streetcarTram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
routes and growth in automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
ownership. The final straw, however, was the closing of the Milneburg resorts while a land reclamation project dredged earth into the shallows of lake Pontchartrain there in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The last passenger service of the line was on March 15, 1932, the line having been in business for over a century.
Freight runs on the line continued to 1935, mostly servicing the Lakefront land reclamation project work which made the line obsolete.