Texas and Pacific Railway's train No. 21 "Louisiana Eagle", headed by Engine No. 2005, a 4000 H.P. electro-motive diesel locomotive in Dallas, Texas on June 22, 1952.
(Plummer, Roger S. ["Louisiana Eagle" in Dallas], photograph, June 22, 1952; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth28822/m1/1/?q=Louisiana%20Eagle: accessed July 23, 2023), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Museum of the American Railroad.)
LOUISIANA EAGLE
The Louisiana Eagle was a long distance night train operated by the Texas and Pacific Railway that ran from New Orleans to Fort Worth, Texas. The route was distinct in contrast to other routes running west from New Orleans to major Texas cities. It ran northwest-ward from New Orleans to northwest Louisiana and to the major North Texas cities of Dallas and Fort Worth with continuing service to El Paso on the Missouri Pacific's Texas Eagle, whereas other east-west trains from New Orleans into Texas went to the south, to Houston and San Antonio.
The train was No. 21 westbound, No. 22 eastbound. It had a daytime counterpart in the Louisiana Daylight (No. 27, westbound, 28, eastbound). The Missouri Pacific ran successor night and day trains to the Louisiana Eagle and the Louisiana Daylight as late as 1968. By 1969, all that was left was the successor night train, which was shortened to a Marshall, Texas to New Orleans route. By 1970, passenger service was completely discontinued.
Major stops served
New Orleans, LA (Union Passenger Terminal)
Addis (for Baton Rouge)
Alexandria
Shreveport (T&P station)
Marshall, TX
Longview (T&P station)
Dallas (Union Station)
Fort Worth (T&P Station)
via the MP's Texas Eagle:
Abilene
Midland
Odessa
El Paso (Union Depot)
Louisiana Eagle Route.
(Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0; via Wikimedia Commons)
Louisiana Eagle Overview
Service type: Inter-city rail
Status: Discontinued
Locale: Southwestern United States
First service: 1949
Last service: 1963
Former operators: Texas and Pacific Railway
Route Termini: New Orleans, Louisiana / Fort Worth, Texas
Distance traveled: 547.4 miles (881.0 km)
Average journey time: Westbound: 13 hrs 20 min; Eastbound: 13 hrs 50 min
Service frequency: Daily
Train number: Westbound: 21, Eastbound: 22
On-board services
Seating arrangements: Reclining Seat Coaches
Sleeping arrangements: Open sections, roomettes and double bedrooms
Catering facilities: Dining lounge car
Technical
Track gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)