| With bell ringing, the Missouri Pacific’s westbound ORLEANEAN was pulling out of the Illinois Central’s UNION STATION in New Orleans to begin its all-day trip to Houston. This train and its overnight counterpart, the HOUSTONIAN, operated over the Illinois Central for the 90 miles between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, where they crossed the Mississippi River. An IC express car was right behind the locomotive and would be set out at Baton Rouge, while the last car was a Pullman bound for Oakland, California via the Santa Fe. The 1153 was one of five Pacifies (1151-1155) built for MP subsidiary International-Great Northern in 1926 and transferred to the St. Louis, Brownsville & Mexico in 1947. All were scrapped by 1954, the same year Union Station was replaced by the new New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal. (approximate month and day) |