Southern Pacific steam locomotive No. 745, it is the sole surviving Louisiana-built steam locomotive, and though capable of full steam, federal regulations require a steam engine to be rebuilt after either 1,452 days in service or 15 years, whatever comes first. So in 2019, the engine stilled. There are no millions of dollars for a rebuild

It's been parked on a short stretch of rail surrounded by Ochsner Medical Center's expanding Jefferson Highway campus, since 1984. Before that, it stood in Audubon Park.

It has less than 12 months to be relocated, or be scrapped. I hope someone in Louisiana jumps at this chance to buy it, or give it a new home, hopefully in a public museum or engineering university. Few steam locomotives are in this good of condition, anywhere, that are not able to legally power a cargo or passenger train. 

No. 745 was home-built by the Southern Pacific in 1921 at its Algiers Shop, located just outside of New Orleans. The locomotive was donated to the city of New Orleans after being retired from service and was placed on display in Avondale Park. In 1984, it caught the eye of preservationists who hoped to restore it to functioning condition, and their efforts bore fruit in 1997.

The Mikado-type locomotive, a unique and iconic freight locomotive from the golden age of steam, has a rich history in American railroads. Its distinctive wheel arrangement was first seen in a group of Japanese type 9700 2-8-2 locomotives, built in 1897 by Baldwin Locomotive Works for Nippon Railway of Japan (3 ft 6 in gauge.)

https://www.nola.com/news/jefferson_parish/steam-engine-new-orleans/article_765c7973-9836-4bdb-a56c-97c29cd70d83.amp.html

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/07-sp-steam-to-make-appearance-in-new-orleans-dec-15/

https://lasta.org/