Freight trains have passed through New Orleans, La., for over 100 years. The Southern Railway was one of the first freight train companies to use the rail lines in New Orleans after the company formed in 1894 and took control of the Queen and Crescent line. According to the Southern Railway Historical Association, the Queen and Crescent route consisted of the Alabama Great Southern; New Orleans & Northeastern; Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific; and for a time, the Alabama & Vicksburg lines. In 1916, Southern Railway purchased the New Orleans & Northeastern lines and continued to run them heavily throughout the company's operation.
The Rio Grande Pacific Corporation, founded in 1986, focuses on Class III freight trains and short-distance railroads. The Rio Grande Pacific Corporation runs on the New Orleans and Gulf Coast Railway Company's lines. According to the corporation's website, the 32-mile-long line just outside of New Orleans is the only railroad operating southeast of Avondale, La. These freight trains carry steel products, chemicals, petroleum and a variety of food products.
The Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railroad evolved from the Aurora Branch Railroad founded in 1849. Then, the company had 12 miles of track pieced together from second-hand scraps purchased from the Buffalo and Niagra Falls railroad. Today, Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railroad, or BNSF, covers nearly 10,000 miles of rail lines extending from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, including New Orleans.The company ships a wide variety of goods, including chemicals, building materials, coal, ethanol, vehicles, and consumer goods.
