TEXAS AND LOUISIANA LINES
Southern Pacific's Texas and New Orleans Railroad Company was located east of El Paso, Texas. Until the Huey P. Long Bridge was opened in December 1935, the Southern Pacific provided ferry service between New Orleans and the west bank of the Mississippi River. In addition, T&NO was either a part-owner or merely a user of terminal railroad companies in Dallas, El Paso, Galveston, Houston, New Orleans, and Shreveport. On November 1, 1961, T&NO would be merged with Southern Pacific. Much about the T&NO will be explored, including why it was a stand-alone company for many years, the explosive growth of the petrochemical industry between the greater Houston area and eastward to Lake Charles, Louisiana, and what was known internally as World War III.
