The Southern Pacific in Opelousas (cont.)

With Mark's and his father's help, I think I pretty well have a handle on the rail scene, at least of one era in Opelousas. So, when he asked to see the Opelousas pictures taken at the tail end of the Hub City search, I couldn't side step him. Opelousas was actually more of a rail center than Lafayette when you combine the outlying community of Port Barre whose rail presence was phenomenal with at least 4 companies represented at one time. But I'm straying.

I had had a hard hot ride up from Scott through the congested prairie west of Lafayette. Nevertheless, I wanted to start the re visit to a couple of places from the north and work south. The last time I'd gone looking for the "end of rails" {where the steel was allowed to stay when the rest were pulled up}, I'd found a hopper car sitting on a dirt road. I think it was Delprimo Lane. I went by there twice and saw nothing this time. There is a house trailer right next to where the tracks would be but I felt very uneasy at the time and let it go. I'm learning to follow my instincts.



But, I'm ahead of the story. I came in from I 49. I have no
idea how, oh, I used it to get from 190 up to La.10 and then
cut across to La.182 where the SP lies. I avoided grid lock
Opel traffic on that end of town.



At "B", I stopped and looked around. Right after it you can
see where the rails crossed La.182, what was once US 167.



Haha, thought that was the old rail bed, no, it's just the sign
you look for to find the old rail bed. The "B" on the map is
for "Barry".

Right after the cement place is this. That's the SP on the
west side of La.182 headed into Opelousas from Washington (La.).



From there I went down to Compress Rd. That's an interesting
name. A "compress" was a machine that compressed cotton
into bails. Opelousas was once cotton country. I think "bo
weevils" ended that. On Compress is a large industrial looking
place next to the tracks. It is still operating in some capacity.







I don't understand the need for a water tower at a warehouse.
There must be more going on down there.

Anyway, looking south from Comress the rails continue, this time
very alive to Opelousas. In the description of the Acadiana Railroad's
holdings, it mentions 5 miles of swithching track at Opelousas. I think
the SP's rails above Opelousas are what they are talking about.
That was why I was here, again.



This is Opelousas's Rail Museum. Down at the wye is
Lou Ana Foods. In the past, it appears that the SP yard
only existed from there to right below "R".



It now proceeds further north. This is looking south from
as far as I could progress on Progress Street.



This is taken from the end of Progress, north of Hwy. 749,
where you wouldn't think someone would go to get a picture
of anything. Going in. I saw this rig.



It's an "E-Z Throw", switch, I presume.
"by Chemetron"? Maybe you can read it better?



Well, Mark, that's about it. Not much new but a different
angle on the yard. Priceless. I won't go back for another one.

Preview