"....... but it is getting late and I'm not even dressed yet, been looking at shelving options on the net and I think I'll go with wire shelving from the home depot", lamented Al.
I know Al was on a mission because he'd previously turned down Alette who had pleaded with him to go stump hurling. Stump hurling? Google it.
"Not today for me...I'm committed to a few things, cooking, etc", said Mark.
And, Mark? Winn Dixie had whole cows on sale today, and he, being highly carnivorous and a "shopper", had been camped out at the door since 4:00 AM. There was no doubt he'd be cooking and stuffing the freezer with the other 1ooo pounds while singing the theme song to "Raw Hide" and picturing himself as Cooky, driving the mules high up on the chuck wagon.
Yes, I took off to Eunice by myself. I don't know why I even try with these guys. {LOL}
I had remembered this YouTube done by a local train chaser. I couldn't place where it had been taken near Eunice and neither could Mark. I should have asked Al. It was Place No.85 in a long list of his prior residences. But the Port O Let address was his best.
On with the ride:
In Carencro I went by the old Southern Pacific right of way.
I had never noticed this cement block abutment. I did this time.
To add to the excitement, there was some cement on the
ground.
But nothing can beat the "2 tracks" trestle.
This is not going to be all tracks, so don't get your undies in a knot.
I'd entered the Eunice city limits and was looking for something
I'd seen in a U2ube deal and didn't recognize. That troubled me.
Later: I don't know why I get defensive about a ride being
"all tracks". That's a question for my therapist. I'm sorry
I asked you. I don't know why I get defensive about "asking
you". That's a question for my therapist.
What I was looking for was neither way, but I'd be back
here when things heated up and buddy, things heated up.
I don't know why I called you buddy, that's a question ......
Here, I was on the north side of the mainline surveying the old
industries which were served in better times by the rails.
This area was very close to where one of two railroads
had traveled north to Mamou. My guess, the Texas & Pacific.
The torn up cement is a mystery.
Above was on Bucciochi Street which connects La.13 going
east to MLK.
I turned south on MLK and crossed the tracks. Nothing
to the east looked like what I was looking for besides the
fact that there were 2 tracks.
Looking west, bingo. I'd seen this in the mysterious video.
So, there is a side track between MLK and La.13. But, how
does it all hook up? Obviously one of the tracks above dove
down as a sidetrack. It had to be AKDN's route to Crowley.
Heading west through a subdivision, what was this?
"Wasted tax dollars foolishly spent" is what it was.
They call it "Prairie Restoration". Geezus, am I dreaming?
It's a field full of weeds in a "remote" neighborhood
and it probably cost us 400, 000 dollars. I could scream.
It serves no one. There weren't even any basketball goals.
Some friend of some politician made off like a bandit putting
down a parking lot overlooking a useless field off Martin
Luther King Dr. Are the pieces fitting yet?
Ah, a plus point. I had to brush aside the thousands of
interested tourist to read this highly educational display.
If you don't want "Cajun Prairies" to disappear, don't
build on them people. Don't raise food on them. Don't
walk on them, don't ride your 4 wheelers on them.
Get a grip and don't let your government waste your
money on "pork for votes" though this probably garnered
zero with no basketball court, a total waste except for
the builder?
OK, I'm calmed down. I asked my therapist why I was so
personallypist. He said it was normal and he was, too. His
saying he was normal is troubling, but who do I ask about
that?
At Coburn's, the AKDN tug to Crowley and Back sat.
The rails here are interesting. The top left ones go to the
main line west. The bottom left ones go to the old Southern
Pacific going to Midland on US 90. The ones on the right
top go to that sidetrack. The bottom right ones go to Crowley
on what was the Missouri Pacific and priors. The ones
that kind of weird me out are the top right ones to the yard.
If I'd been on the lighter bike I'd ridden the ROW to check it out.
Looking down the AKDN mainline to Crowley, you can see
the rails do some snaking. The street ahead may not have
been a street, but part of a large yard serving the MP and
SP. I think I was standing on an abandoned bed. I could
feel a shaking. I accepted that as normal with old beds.
The aged tug once slept below which required crossing a road.
Possibly she sleeps at Coburn's to avoid that crossing and
the probable associated shaking phenomenon.
Moving west, this is the Coburn's crossing on La.13.
OK, now I get it, those mystery rails went to the little yard's
south rails. Remember the double side track? In the
picture below, the rails branching left go to the side track,
north rails. The rails branching right go to the AKDN rails
which were the old MP rails and to the old abandoned
Southern Pacific rails that go behind the depot museum
which was not the Eunice depot but the moved Midland
depot. Midland was quite important as it was where the
Southern Pacific coming from Abbeville crossed the SP's
main east west line which follows US 9o. I won't elaborate
any more or my head might explode.
Again, at La.31 looking west, nothing is coming. Here
you see the rails from the "Exchange" converging
with the main line. Proceed on.
I then decided to run around a little as there is just so much
Eunice can contribute rail wise. Here's an old something.
I went out west of town and finally got some shots of the
old tourist court out there. Tourist courts were predecessors
to motels. There is a fine one in New Iberia where Percel,
Al's buddy, lives. He's the big guy with the pork pie hat and
Hawaiian shirt smoking meat on the pit and drinking Jax beer.
Then I went back into Eunice and passed what I thought was
super, Eunicians at work. It was a live and kicking industry in
Eunice, I thought.
I saw what looked like a watch car at the entrance. I rode on in.
It was a dead car protecting a sea of dead wrecks.
Night of the Living Dead came to mind. It was not a good moment.
Or, maybe it was from one of those nuclear war movies where
only junk cars are left? Or, Obama's economic plans for the US.
I headed back to the little yard's east connection at the
mill up from the likewise pork pie prairie weed field.
I needed a closer look. It is wonderful when you hit one
over the bleachers. The cars on the left came from Crowley
or are headed back there? The right track goes back to the
mainline. Clarity is all I want out of life. I know I'm screwing
up. I just wrote it wrong and had to correct it.
My life will never have clarity.
Feeling clear on that, I headed back into Eunice. Gee guys, bet
you wish you'd come on this one.
I passed Picou's Drugstore. Seeing the name Picou and
Drugstore, together, may have clarified something in my past.
I was clearly on my way into historic Eunice which runs
north and south following the old SP and MP rails. Old
Eunice is not aligned with the Louisiana Western Rails (SP)
or US 190 as it is today. Traveling US190, you'd never
guess that there was a charming historic Eunice. It's on
the south side of US190. But wait. Possibly US190 was
moved, as I did see a nice boulevard in front of the
Liberty theater. Who knows? But, it is far away from
the UP east-west rails, so my thesis may have merit?
Will I be remembered? I'd ask, but who wants to ask
a therapist who thinks he's normal?
Moving south.
Moving south. Sunday was perfect for being in this area.
"Gateway to the Great Southwest Prairie".
But, Scott is "Where the West Begins". I once knew the
story behind that. Google, "Scott Louisiana".
For couyans that don't know nothing, those are Mardi Gras
flags.
I'm sure this place is familiar to some.
Side of the Liberty Theater.
This is the theater's front and that boulevard I mentioned.
Since I was in the area, this is the rear of the depot and the
old SP tracks. Not every tourist sees this angle.
There, AKDN snakes south. Actually that is the only curve
until it gets to Crowley.
Back to the mainline. I was leaving Eunice in a melancholic
mood. I'd just head home. Then I went to a crossing and
saw that there was a yard and far off in the distance .....
was that a parked train?
Or, just cars?
Below:
I looked east. A green light was lit on the mainline.
A red light was lit on the sidetrack. I think the
train, if so, was waiting for another to pass going east.
It was facing west if it had a face.
It's intermission time. You can look at my bike, a sign
and some turtles while I change reels.
Like I had to be told to?
I saw a couple of turtles swimming around.
Part II
Going back to the first crossing I had checked out, there
she was, sitting.
If I hadn't had "zoom", this is what she'd look like.
You have to have a good hunting eye for this work.
"A train came from the west".
From time to time I like to go heavy in my prose.
She was flying low.
If the zoom had worked, I could have gotten a great shot
of them almost meeting, but..........
It was gone off to Opelousas.
I knew the red train would be coming. When it bent exiting
off the sidetrack, I'd nail her.
This shot is not very dramatic.
This next shot is a collectible. It's very big and will not
be here long, so download it. Click the picture below. That
will open the large version and you can save it to your
computer. No, no Pay Pal required.
But, Mr. Engineer Dude wearing the white front hat,
clean your windshield, will ya? You won't see diddly going
into the sun with that mess on your glass. That's got
to be a no no.
There she goes off to the west and all that prairie,
if he can see it?
I had had my railroad yayas and now I was headed home.
A junk yard caught my eye. There were a lot of old classics
there. It must be a specialty junk yard or a very old one.
East of Opelousas, I spied another one. What's the deal?
I don't see these except in winter? That's a classic dump
truck.
Neatly parked, fence side. I liked that.
Very nice presentation.
Being suddenly into symmetry, I rode out to the Bayou
Courtableau bridge. I have some history out here and
it's a landmark of sorts.
What else can you do but take a bunch of bridge pictures?
Fish? Then I'd really need a therapist.
These are the mystery scenes that invoked this ride.
These 2 pictures turned out to be one place.
I believe the title to his U2ube was something about
the UP hauling grain. If the engine was going to the right,
it would be going to Opelousas or going up on the mainline
and then going west. You've got that all straight, don't you?
This would be to the right of the above picture on a little
2 track yard south of the main line in Eunice. The west end
is near the La.13 crossing at Coburns Supply. I know, you've
been there, done that and are about done with this.
This one I should have known, but seeing a train on it made
it confusing. I was further confused if he was headed west, away
from Opelousas. The U2ube guy calls this area "The Exchange".
The train was coming from the little yard in the upper 2 shots.
The Acadiana rails are the right fork below "D". They go to
Crowley. I believe this is the deal. I think AKDN brings processed
grain to Eunice and puts the cars in the little yard. UP
comes along and picks them up, so the load is "exchanged".
Now, where is it headed?
Visit the You Tube site these pictures came from. This guy is the
king of documenting local train chasing on video. His catalog is
awing..... CLICK HERE to visit him.
That's it.