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ROUNDHOUSE

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ROUNDHOUSE
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, February 21, 2007 9:31 AM
I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIND A PICTURE OF A ROUNDHOUSE THAT WAS IN LAKE CHARLES LOUISIANA AND BELONGED TO KCS RAILWAY AROUND THE 50'S ANYBODY KNOW WHERE A PERSON COULD FIND THAT. AOORECIATE ANY INFO. AM NEW TO THIS SITE. THANKS
  • Member since
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Posted by tomikawaTT on Wednesday, February 21, 2007 2:38 PM

Can't help directly (sorry) but I'd suggest two angles of approach - the KCS railfans (who probably have some kind of organization to collect everything KCS) and the Lake Charles (or county - name?) Historical Society.  The worst either can say is that they don't have it.

Chuck

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Posted by azbobcat on Tuesday, December 28, 2010 4:32 AM

Well..... I can do you -- almost -- one better: I have a picture of the Roundhouse but it is of very poor quality. The picture is dated Aug. 1923. It was a 4 Stall Engine house That appears to have been made from brick. The Roundtable seems to have been very small and looks like it was manually aligned, but only part of it shows up in the photo and it is hard to make out any detail.

I have a picture of the Old KSC Station / Depot in Lake Charles Dated Sep. 1926 of medium quality and a color picture of the station all boarded up and before it was torn down to make way for a parking lot, as well as the plaque on the station that reads: " The Kansas City Southern Railway Company / Louisiana & Arkansas Railway Company"

I also have pictures of the Southern Pacific Station / Depot in Lakes Charles both early (horse and buggy era -- no date, very poor quality) and a color picture before it burned down circa 1982.

I'm still looking to see if I can find a picture of the Missouri Pacific (ex- St. Louis, Iron Mountain, and Southern Railway) Station / Depot that was also located in Lake Charles that was located somewhere around Kirby and Ryan St.

Hope this helps.

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Posted by Deggesty on Tuesday, December 28, 2010 11:56 AM

You could look for Calcasieu Parish (there are no counties in Louisiana); Lake Charles is the parish seat.

Johnny

  • Member since
    December 2010
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Posted by azbobcat on Tuesday, December 28, 2010 12:12 PM

I just found the following in the Southern Reporter Vol. 33  pp 351-354 The case is (I *think*) Bradley-Ramsey Lumber Co. v Perkins: I *think* this is a pre 1908 case:

""Said railway company also agrees to construct and maintain, within the corporate limits of the city of Lake Charles, its repair shop and roundhouse," etc. The roundhouse constructed and maintained by the company has but four stalls, and, for aught that appears, there may be many others on the line capable of accommodating than that at Lake Charles." 

The purpose of the small roundhouse is stated as follows: "... In the instant case it appears that the company has at Lake Charles a shop in which there are a few tools, and that it has there in its employ, a few (possibly three) men, who with these tools are able to make such light repairs as may be necessary to enable a damaged car or engine to get to the better equipped shop at Shreveport."

There is another section that states: " ...the company should "construct within the corporate limits of the city of Lake Charles, freight depot, of brick or stone, and also a passenger depot of similar material, unless converging roads in the city of Lake Charles build a union depot of similar material; Lake Charles to be the end of the division so long as the road is not further extended."; ...." 

All of this wqas to have been completed by December 31st, 1898. This was when it was still klnown as the Kansas City, Shreveport, & Gulf Railway Company . The freight and passenger depots were indeed made of brick. The size of the rail used was 60 lb rail

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