Beginning in the 1870’s a new mode of transportation in America came into being. Railroad lines crossed the nation and both passengers and freight could be carried on both passenger and freight trains. One of the railroad lines that came through Louisiana was the Kansas City Southern Line that came from Kansas City, Missouri down to Lake Charles, La. and along southeast toward New Orleans, La. and west to Port Arthur, Texas. Up and down the KCS line were many depot’s in both large towns, small towns, and just small communities. These depots were known as “rail stops” and passengers could either board the train or disembark at the depot and freight could be received or shipped from these deports. One such depot was located at Sandel, La. in Sabine Parish La.
Sandel was a small community that was located about 4 ½ miles south of Florien, La. on US Hwy 171South. The little community was named after the Sandel Family that lived there. The Kansas City Southern line ran right through Sandel and a depot was located there. When the sawmill town of Peason was built and the Peavy Wilson Lumber Company Mill was established in 1917 the Christie and Eastern Railroad was a spur off the KCS line and it went all the way to Peason. The rail line was vital for the Peason Mill since it allowed timber and all types of lumber products to be shipped throughout the United States. As the mill began a full production run, loads of lumber of all types were shipped on the Christie and Eastern to the KCS and it eventually ended up in San Francisco, California. In 1906 San Francisco had been ravaged by a fire and earthquake. The terrible fire was caused by the earthquake that ruptured gas mains that caused the fire, and water mains were broken and damaged and a large portion of the town was destroyed. But the reconstruction began and lumber from Peason held reconstruct and also build complete new buildings. And many of those buildings still stand to this day !
The Sandel Depot was a fine building that was on the west side of the KCS tracks. Passengers could get off the train here and freight could be unloaded or loaded onto the train for shipment. Coming from Peason each morning and afternoon was the “Toonerville Trolley”. The trolley, a 1919 Ford Model T with railway wheels, had bench seats for the passengers and it towed a Sheffield flatcar that had been converted to carry both excess passengers and freight and mail to and from the mill town of Peason. The trip to Peason from the Sandel Depot was about 10 miles on the Christie and Eastern Line.
The Sandel Depot was a large wooden building that even had some upstairs storage, and for the passengers convenience, an outside “water closet” or as country folks say, an outside toilet. Around the depot, water closet, and small outbuildings there were white rock walkways. Several people worked at the depot, including the station master, and several workers who assisted with the freight loading and unloading, along with assisting the passengers.
As all the timber was harvested the mill run at Peason came to an end in 1935. Most of the timber had been cut by 1934 and it took until 1935 for all this timber to be cut into lumber and shipped to buyers. When the mill whistle blew for the last time in 1935 the mill closed and was later shipped to Holopaw , Florida where it ran until 1947. But with the mill closed the Christie and Eastern Railroad ended its operation from Peason to Sandel La. and was abandoned. Since the Sandel Depot was a “junction point” with the Christie and Eastern Railroad, after the mill closed it only became a “standalone depot” where only passengers for the Sandel area were loaded or unloaded and very little freight was received. In the KCS archives the depot may have sat along the KCS line until the mid to late 1950’s. But the little community of Sandel, La. once had a thriving rail depot located there. Sadly nothing remains of the depot but it was part of the large timber harvesting conducted in this area from the early 1900’s until the mid 1930’s when many of the mills closed. Many thanks to the KCS Archives and most of all the Southern heritage Museum at Lonfleaf, La. for the assistance and the use of photographs of the Sandel Depot.
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