Louisiana Southern Railroad

Not to be confused with Louisiana Southern Railway.
Louisiana Southern Railroad
Overview
HeadquartersMinden, Louisiana
LocaleLouisiana
Dates of operation2005–Present
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Length195.4 mi (314.5 km)

The Louisiana Southern Railroad (LAS) is a shortline railroad operating in the state of Louisiana.[1] It began operations on September 25, 2005[2] on two unconnected lines leased from the Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS).[3] The northern branch runs south from Springhill, Louisiana through Sarepta and Cotton Valley to Minden, Louisiana, with one set of tracks continuing south to Sibley, Louisiana, and another set running west through Princeton to Shreveport, Louisiana.[4] The south branch runs generally south-southeast from Gibsland, Louisiana through towns like Bienville, Hodge, and Winnfield, to end at Pineville, Louisiana.[4] The total trackage is currently 195.4 miles.[4]

The LAS interchanges with KCS at Gibsland, Sibley, and Pineville.[2] The line has 42 employees.[2] Its operational headquarters are in Minden,[5] and the line has a mobile repair services location in Hodge.[2] It is owned by the Watco companies.[4]

While the line will move any commodity,[4] major commodities include sand, chemicals, petroleum, metals, ores, paper, and forest products.[2]

  1. ^ "Freight Railroads in Louisiana" (PDF). Association of American Railroads, January 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e "LAS: Louisiana Southern Railroad" (PDF). Kansas City Southern Lines. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  3. ^ "Louisiana Southern Railroad, Inc.--Lease and Operation Exemption--The Kansas City Southern Railway Company". Federal Register Online, October 7, 2005. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Louisiana Southern Railroad (LAS)". Watco. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  5. ^ "Louisiana Railroad Fact Book 2019, p.27" (PDF). Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development. Retrieved September 2, 2021.