New Orleans Pacific Railway Co. - $1,000 Bond

$1,000 6% Land Grant and Sinking Fund Bond printed by American Bank Note Co., New York. New Orleans, Louisiana. Rare!

In 1873, the Texas & Pacific Railroad completed their line between Shreveport, LA and Dallas, TX. The route, as it approaches Shreveport from the west, takes a southeasterly direction, then makes a 90-degree turn at Reisor to enter Shreveport proper from the southwest. This line is still in use today by Union Pacific as their Dallas Sub.

The T&P, interested in reaching New Orleans, purchased the New Orleans Pacific Railway company with intent to build from Shreveport to New Orleans. This line was completed in segments, with the first one from Shreveport, through Lucas, to Provencal, LA, being built in 1881. (The rest of the line to New Orleans was completed the next year.)

It was soon apparent that the section of the NOP line between Shreveport and Lucas, about 5 miles in length, was subject to flooding, due to its location alongside the west bank of the Red River. Thus, in 1902, the T&P built a cut-off that ran west from Lucas to just north of the 90-degree turn of their Shreveport-Dallas line at Reisor; today this connection near Reisor is known as Cut-off Junction. This cut-off now offered a bypass for traffic entering Shreveport from New Orleans, taking it west to Reisor then northeastward into Shreveport along the Dallas Sub.

It is difficult to determine when the now-unnecessary Shreveport-Lucas segment was abandoned. Relatively recent topographical maps show only portions of the abandoned route, and even the very southern end of the segment at Lucas was in use as recently as 1985 to serve a metal fabrication shop. A railroad map from 1948 does not show this segment of line, so it was most likely abandoned before then. (abandonrails.com)