| This Illinois Central depot at Baton Rouge was completed in 1926, and in 1928 it was being used by 22 trains a day: 14 Yazoo & Mississippi Valley (IC), six Gulf Coast Lines (MP) and two Texas & New Orleans (SP) trains. Passenger service on the Espee ended around 1931 and on the IC in 1950, but MP trains ran until 1967. The building was subsequently acquired by the City of Baton Rouge and leased to the Louisiana Arts and Science Center (now the Louisiana Art and Science Museum).In 1975-76 LASC set up a display train next to the station consisting of IC 0-6-0 333, IC RPO car 95, Southern Railway coach 1064, IC dining car 4112 and IC office car 4. The locomotive and diner were owned by the museum; while the RPO, coach and office car were leased from the Southeast Louisiana Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. Over time, the train fell into disrepair; and in 2000 the museum decided to get rid of it. In late 2006 the three NRHS cars were moved to Hammond, Louisiana and diner went to the Monticello Railroad Museum in Illinois. The 0-6-0 is suppose to go to Tioga, Louisiana; but as of early 2010 it hadn't been moved. |