returns from NO in the afternoons. It may on Sunday also,
I don't know and I'm too lazy to look.
Today, after a neck straining 2 hours of ceiling painting,
the lazy man's roof repair, I finally got the green light
to take a short run. "Short run" means one thing to me,
the Lafayette Yard to New Iberia ride. With Louisiana & Delta
always playing about, it's a constant soap opera of railroad
antics along the way. But Mama was coming up the rails fast. I would
shorten the waiting time by running directly at her. Sort of.
I had to buzz by the Yard first.
I don't know one engine from the other. Big, small, and their
colors are all I really need to describe them. I chase them,
I don't want to marry them and I don't care who their family is.
But, I've had an eye on that cute little yellow X Santa Fe.
Now, is she sorta like the orange mules down in New Iberia?
See, I do have an eye for detail.
She was hooked up with these 3 big BNSFers.
You're keeping rough company, honey.
These two BIG ORANGE dudes were moving east by themselves.
Next stop is always the 902 when I see a train positioned
for take off. It would stay put until Amtrak No.6, the train
de jour, could get by going west.
Next, I put myself into the wind and headed south.
Mz Allegheny was parked at Elks. I'll tell you about Elks one day.
I heard the Sunset get her warrant for MP124 to the 902
switch. I was very glad it was given far in advance. I had
time to scout my shot location. I might have done the depot
from the west side before, but I don't know. I was out of time.
There is one thing about the Sunset, she doesn't enter the
room quietly.
It seemed she was not stopping, but she had slowed down considerably.
Then she stopped as the very last car was even with the depot.
There she is passing the parked L&D mules.
D', is that one of those special old baggage cars you mentioned
when you were chasing 145? It's a shame they can't come up
with a slant roofed car that transitions between engine and
passenger car. That would look a lot better. That old car is shabby.
I nailed the throttle, did a 12 o'clock high wheelie and raced
that sucker to the Airport Rd. crossing, set up and got
another series off her. This is one of the prettiest places
and you'd never guess it was here next to a nasty old closed
car wash and the end of the L&D yard. Williams St. is on the
other side of the tracks.
Mz Allegheny was still at Elks. The BNSF and NS train was
still at the 902. I headed home. But:
For some reason I decided to do a little more investigation
on my thesis about a track going straight across the top
of Lafayette which connected the SP from Lake Charles to
the BR Branch going across the Basin to MP ferry at Anchorage.
This is its bump on N.Washington St.
Directly to the right is the open field that leads to the main
line at St.Antoine St.
At St. Antoine St. I fired back at N. Washington's hump.
From St. Antoine St. I shot at the main line. It's so obvious.
Next to the St. Antoine St. crossing was railroad stuff.
Railroad stuff, cracks in the road and the main line connection.
The heavy gray lines in the maps are my movements.
The red line is my thesis. Both maps expand when clicked.
The first map is probably 1960's era. The bottom map is 2009.
You may notice the main line's curve south has been moved.
Buchanan has been move also now that the Alexandria branch
has been removed. The open area east of Buchanan cements that
what I was looking at on St. Antone/N.Washington. It was not a
spur, but part of the Lafayette Bypass. Lowell, I'm looking
for a comment, please.
That's it, some of the same old stuff without much substance
and something that might be something of substance.