The Opelousas, Gulf and North East Railroad Project is going to get finished. I have declared war. The little railroad, spanning all of 57 miles and existing for only 10 + years as an independent entity seems like a very weird choice to take on as a project. If the little railroad had only lived a few years and died, then I'd agree and just let it go as a blip on the historical screen. But, the little railroad was to be seen by an admirer in its time of desperation and subsequently adopted by the mighty Texas & Pacific RR as a means of further exploiting the blooming trade in southwest Louisiana.
I never take on large projects without incentives. I am not a historian but a gatherer of incidental, easy to find facts, usually available through Google. Re-presenting that stuff alone would be soulless. When I pursue a subject, it has to have human connections. Mike Wilson has put a face on my Texas & Pacific outings as his father was connected to the railroad for many years. Everett has added his expertise helping immensely with my understanding of Crowley. Mark and his father have assisted in raising my interest and helping peg the "OG" in and around Opelousas. In fact, I think that Mark might have introduced me to the railroad. And, Al, seeing his wonderment as we rode through the museum which is Lewisburg let me know I'm not crazy. I'm ignoring what you just thought. Then there's this. I've ridden the lands of the OG for 10 year thinking I'd seen what there was to see or understood at what I was looking. It became apparent that I was clueless, raising the old red flag which says to me, "It's not done yet, dummy". Armed with those incentives I have battled on. I know this will not be the end of the trail but will be the end of a pretty good outline from a gatherer of incidentals.
At the end of this page there will be a list of links to all my on the ground evidentiary investigations done earlier. I'll also lists Mike's stories which are relevant to the rails between Melville and Church Point. By the way Mark, the Palace Cafe was confirmed.
The next picture will be of a 1925 map that shows the rail line (in red) drawn from Melville to Opelousas to Church Point to Rayne where it turned west and headed to Crowley. The original planned route never considered Rayne. That story will be included. To quote, "Rayne and Crowley were quite competitive". The intensity of that competitiveness was brought to court.
This page is a teaser. There's much more work to be
done. I have to go back to Crowley and walk the tracks with
my drawing pad as there is stuff in the bushes which I don't
want to leave out.
And, I'll tell you where you can buy this book.
And, for those who like ROW pictures, oh yes.
And, there will be a few old rail ties in a ditch.
And, there will be towering rice castles.
Prepare for the excitement of it all.
CLICK HERE to continue this ride.
While you are waiting you can see a little of the
historic rail scene in Opelousas. Here, both the
T&P/OG and the SP and a railroad repair shop
are checked out.
Up the Rails into Opelousas p.1
Up the Rails into Opelousas p.2
Up the Rails into Opelousas p.3
This was my first attempt to follow the OG., maybe by
accident. The Swampers Ride was purposeful. I think
Mike had mentioned the route. His Christmas Story, below
takes place in the middle of the swamp where I ended up.
about this stretch. Then, the Christmas Story
A Railroader's Christmas Story
Then read this and be up to date.