The Shreveport Railroad Museum at 142 North Common Street has really been upping its game recently with additions to their already great displays. The most recent, according to Railroad Museum newsletter editor Dave Bland, is two unique brass train models.
Photo by Dave Bland
Dave says several brass models and other items from the collection of the late Clay Rowe (1964 – 2022) were recently donated to the museum by a friend of his. Clay was a train enthusiast from childhood who worked at Cook’s Collector’s Corner (or more commonly, ‘Cook’s Trains’) on Youree Drive in high school, became an engineer for Union Pacific and later a Yardmaster.
“The two locomotives represent local railroads of the past”, says Bland. “One is a 2-10-4 representing the famous Texas & Pacific locomotive that pulled the Freedom Train in 1976. The other is a 4-6-0 like the ones used by the Louisiana & Arkansas Railway to pull their famous passenger trains known as the Shreveporter and the Hustler.”
Photo by Jim McClure
One of the models represents a locomotive used by the Texas & Pacific Railway, known as a “Texas Type”. Dave says the most famous locomotive was number 610 which was restored to pull America’s Freedom Train across Texas in 1976. This model was built in Korea by SAMHONGSA and sold by Sunset Models in Saratoga, CA.
Photo by Jim McClure
“The other model we have on display is a 4-6-0 (4 leading wheels, 6 driving wheels and 0 trailing wheels) locomotive like the ones used by the Louisiana & Arkansas Railway to pull their famous passenger trains known as the Shreveporter and the Hustler,” says Bland. “This model was made in Korea and sold by Pacific Fast Mail of Edmonds, WA.”
Read more about the history of brass models in the newsletter, here.
Keep reading for the interesting story of the Railroad museum’s new (mighty old) Velocipede!
Read Downtown Gets a Velocipede, published Dec. 15, 2022
…But what the heck IS it? It’s actually very cool and part of the city’s history, too. Read on, and remember that the Shreveport Railroad Museum at 142 North Common Street is open to the public Tuesday- Sunday and admission is free. If you love trains or history or trains AND history, become a member for $40 per year! They also have cool t-shirts for sale for the train lover in your life. Now, here’s the story about our new Velocipide, by Dave Bland.
