| In May 1948 the Gaylord Container Corp. bought a pair of Alco RS1's to power pulpwood trains from Hammond, Louisiana 63 miles to its big paper mill at Bogalusa. The two diesels -- 302 and 303 -- cost $117,000 each, and replaced 4-6-0 No. 72 and 2-8-0 No. 301. The pulpwood train typically ran three times a week, on days when the GM&O's Shore Line Local didn't operate. One RS1 could handle 45 cars and a caboose. In 1955 Gaylord became a division of Crown-Zellerbach, but regular operation to Hammond continued until Hurricane Camille struck the Mississippi Gulf Coast in August 1969. The Bogalusa mill began using damaged Mississippi timber, so the puplwood train ran less and less often; and ended completely at the end of 1970. After that, Crown kept the RS1's to switch the Bogalusa mill. This photo was taken by an unidentified CZ employee using Jim Selzer's camera, since they wouldn't let Jim photograph it himself. (month OK, approximate day) |