Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust in Statewide, Louisiana
Rail preservation groupNo public museum or regular visiting hours
The Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust is a statewide preservation group whose main goal is saving railroad equipment and making it available for lease, so that historic cars and locomotives stay useful instead of being scrapped.
- Statewide preservation group
- Preserves equipment for lease
- No public museum site
- Organizes through a Facebook group
Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust at a glance
- Hours
- No public hours
- Admission
- No public site to visit
- Best for
- Rail preservationists and equipment researchers
Hours and prices as the museum posts them, checked October 19, 2026. Confirm before you go.
Contact and directions
Follow Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust
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Taking the kids to Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust? Bring Rally along.
In Rally Takes the Train, a corgi's little legs can't manage the big train stairs, so Dad gives him a boost. It takes about five minutes to read, a good fit for the drive to Statewide.
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Keeping Louisiana rail equipment on the rails
The Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust, which also appears online as the Louisiana Railway Heritage Trust, describes its main objective plainly: preserve railroad equipment and make it available for lease. That approach keeps historic cars and locomotives earning their keep, which helps pay for their care and keeps them in working order rather than parked and forgotten.
The trust does not run a museum or post a public history, and it organizes mainly through a Facebook group. It is one part of a wider circle of rail preservation in Louisiana that includes the New Orleans Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, which keeps a railroad library and archives and hosts educational programs, and volunteer groups such as the Louisiana Steam Train Association. Anyone hoping to learn more about the trust's equipment should ask through its Facebook group.
Where to see Louisiana's preserved trains
There is no trust site to tour. Families who want to see preserved Louisiana rail history can visit the DeQuincy Railroad Museum in its 1923 depot, the Southern Forest Heritage Museum's sawmill roundhouse in Long Leaf, or the Louisiana Art & Science Museum in Baton Rouge's old depot, and can ride the historic streetcars in New Orleans.
Don’t miss
- The trust's Facebook groupThe main public window into the group's work and its equipment.
- New Orleans Chapter, NRHS libraryA related preservation group whose library and archives hold railroad history material.
For kids, visit a museum instead
The trust has nothing set up for family visits. Kids who love trains will have a better day at one of Louisiana's rail museums, where they can see locomotives up close, or on a New Orleans streetcar ride.
Plan your visit: tips for Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust
- Reach the trust through its Facebook group.
- For a family outing, choose one of the state's rail museums.
- Researchers may also want the New Orleans NRHS chapter library.
A volunteer circle of preservationists
The trust's work happens through its members, who coordinate in an online group. It does not post membership or donation details publicly, so anyone who wants to help save Louisiana railroad equipment should ask in the Facebook group, or support one of the state's public rail museums and volunteer groups.
Louisiana rail collections you can visit
In Baton Rouge, the Louisiana Art & Science Museum occupies a historic railroad depot. Near New Orleans, the Louisiana Steam Train Association cares for steam locomotive Southern Pacific 745, and the New Orleans streetcars carry riders every day. See every Louisiana train museum on one page.
- Louisiana Art & Science Museum historic railroad depotBaton Rouge, LA · about 1 mi
- McComb Railroad MuseumMcComb, MS · about 70 mi
- Louisiana Steam Train AssociationNew Orleans area, LA · about 71 mi
- New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal historic exhibitsNew Orleans, LA · about 75 mi
- New Orleans Streetcar historic operationsNew Orleans, LA · about 75 mi
- Southern Forest Heritage MuseumLong Leaf, LA · about 90 mi
Bring Rally along: a train book for the drive
When Rally's family boards the train, Mr. Conductor in his blue uniform holds out a hand to welcome them. I think of the people who save old rail cars the same way: they hold out a hand so the trains keep welcoming riders. My mom would have liked that. The story of how her idea became our book is on our story page.
Free for train families
Print the Rally coloring pages before you go
Watercolor coloring pages from the book, free to print. Tuck a few in a folder with crayons for the drive or the wait for the next train.
Get the free coloring pages
A train story for the ride homeRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi's first train trip to see his grand-paw-rents. Hand-painted in real watercolor. $13.99 on Amazon, for ages 0 to 8.
Buy on Amazon (opens in a new tab)More for train families
- Train museums in Louisiana: every museum by town, with a map
- Train museums in every state: search by town or near you
- Christmas train rides in Louisiana
- Halloween train rides in Louisiana
- Every Amtrak route with kids
Work or volunteer at Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust?
We want this page to be the best introduction to your museum on the web. Send new hours, event dates, corrections or photos to kelsey@rallytakesthetrain.com and we will update it. You are welcome to share this page with your members.
Sources
Everything on this page comes from the museum’s own website and social pages and, for history, Wikipedia, checked October 19, 2026.
Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust: 20 questions answered
What is the Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust?
The Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust is a preservation group whose main objective is to preserve railroad equipment and make it available for lease. It also appears online as the Louisiana Railway Heritage Trust. It is not a museum with a building to visit, and it organizes mainly through a Facebook group.
Is the Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust the same as the Louisiana Railway Heritage Trust?
The group's Facebook page uses the name Louisiana Railway Heritage Trust, and it describes the same mission of preserving railroad equipment for lease. People search for it under both names. If you are trying to reach the group, its Facebook group is the most direct place to ask.
Can you visit the Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust?
No regular public visits are offered. The trust does not run a museum or post hours or an address for visitors. To see preserved trains in Louisiana, plan a trip to one of the state's rail museums, such as the DeQuincy Railroad Museum or the Southern Forest Heritage Museum in Long Leaf.
What does the Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust do with old rail cars?
Its stated aim is to preserve railroad equipment and make it available for lease. Leasing keeps historic equipment in use, which can help cover the cost of keeping it in good condition. The trust does not post a list of its equipment online, so ask in its Facebook group for details.
How do I contact the Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust?
The trust does not list a phone number, email or street address publicly. The best way to reach it is through its Facebook group, where you can ask to join and send questions about its equipment, leasing or how to get involved.
How can I lease railroad equipment from the Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust?
Making preserved equipment available for lease is the trust's main objective, but it does not post rates, terms or an equipment list online. Contact the group through its Facebook group to ask what is available and how a lease would work.
Does the Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust have a museum?
No. The trust focuses on preserving equipment for lease, not on running a museum. For museum visits, Louisiana has several public rail sites, including the DeQuincy Railroad Museum, the Southern Forest Heritage Museum and the Louisiana Art & Science Museum in Baton Rouge's former railroad depot.
How can I join or volunteer with the Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust?
The trust does not publish a membership or volunteer program online. Ask in its Facebook group about how to get involved. If you want hands-on volunteer work right away, the Louisiana Steam Train Association is run entirely by volunteers and is actively seeking help with its move to Garyville.
Can I donate to the Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust?
The trust does not post donation details online. Ask in its Facebook group whether it accepts gifts of money or equipment. Many Louisiana rail museums and preservation groups also welcome donations, including the DeQuincy Railroad Museum and the Louisiana Steam Train Association.
Is the Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust part of the state government?
The trust is a separate preservation group. Louisiana's Division of Historic Preservation, part of the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, handles historic buildings and places across the state, but it is not the trust. Questions about the trust's equipment should go to the trust itself.
What is the New Orleans Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society?
It is a railroad preservation group in New Orleans with a library and archives of railroad history material. The chapter also hosts educational programs and events. It is a good contact for researchers and rail fans interested in Louisiana railroad history alongside the trust's equipment work.
Where can I research Louisiana railroad history?
The New Orleans Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society keeps a library and archives on railroad history. The DeQuincy Railroad Museum sells a pictorial history of its town's railroad days, and the Southern Forest Heritage Museum runs a research center with archives on the lumber era and its railroads.
Where can kids see real trains in Louisiana?
The DeQuincy Railroad Museum displays a 1913 steam switch engine, a Pullman coach and two cabooses for free. The Southern Forest Heritage Museum in Long Leaf has three steam locomotives and railbus rides. In New Orleans, families can ride the historic streetcars, which are the easiest rail ride in the state.
Where can I ride a historic train in Louisiana?
The New Orleans streetcars run every day and are the simplest historic rail ride in the state. The Southern Forest Heritage Museum in Long Leaf offers rides on a rare M-4 railbus over about 2 miles of track. Check each site's website for current schedules and fares before you go.
What other rail preservation groups are in Louisiana?
The Louisiana Steam Train Association, founded in 1997, cares for Southern Pacific 745 and is moving to Garyville. The New Orleans Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society keeps a library and archives. Museums in DeQuincy, Long Leaf and Baton Rouge also preserve equipment and depots for the public.
Does the Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust run train excursions?
The trust does not advertise excursions or rides. Its stated focus is preserving equipment and making it available for lease. For a ride, look at the New Orleans streetcars or the railbus at the Southern Forest Heritage Museum, and watch the Louisiana Steam Train Association for future steam events.
Does the Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust have a website?
The trust does not appear to keep a public website of its own. Its main online presence is a Facebook group under the name Louisiana Railway Heritage Trust. Search that name on Facebook to find the group and request to join.
Where is the Louisiana Railroad Heritage Trust based?
The trust does not publish a home base or equipment location, and it works on a statewide basis. Ask in its Facebook group if you want to know where specific pieces are stored. For a place to visit, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, DeQuincy and Long Leaf all have public rail sites.
Are there Christmas train rides in Louisiana?
The trust does not run holiday trains. For seasonal rail events, check the Louisiana Steam Train Association, which has held Santa events in past years, and Louisiana museums with railroad exhibits. Each group posts its own holiday plans on its website or Facebook page in the fall.
What train museums are near Baton Rouge?
The Louisiana Art & Science Museum sits in a historic railroad depot in downtown Baton Rouge. The McComb Railroad Museum in Mississippi is about 70 miles away, and the Louisiana Steam Train Association, the Union Passenger Terminal and the streetcars around New Orleans are all a little over 70 miles southeast.
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