HISTORY HUNTS WAREHOUSE: 2013 T&P The Unexpected History Hunt

That title could be used for many of my ride reports.

My healing wife was taking a nap. I've been Nurse Maria for about 2 weeks and this would be my second outing besides the hurried grocery shopping I've done to replace the chips that I ate that were suppose to be for one of her planned meals that I was to cook. I knew I'd have to replace them but ate them anyway. So much for my self control course.

Enough personal information though I know you find it irresistible.

Getting into this one I can hear the moans of "Oh My ...... another collection of train pictures interlaced with stupid commentary in an attempt to link train pictures into a story line whose humor I can't understand".

Whatever

Enough self doubt. Obviously I care but the official line is that "I don't".

I better get this going before I lose my train of thought, tee hee.

This gig begins in Port Barre as do many. It is where I first intercept any rails going north.

I go into town and then down a back dead end street.

The dead end is the historic Port Barre (aka Frisco) rail yard.

Better, by being different, pictures of the same usual area were taken.

No matter how similar scenes can be, each has a personal story to tell.

You just have to look into them.

This is my personal opinion of which I am still allowed.

But, there's a time coming when that right may be taken away.

That opinion is that what I see is a stopped train. I also see it facing east toward the big yard at Livonia. I see that as a sign that either something is coming west or there is a problem between here and there, possibly. I also see it as a suggestion that I go east as there's something to investigate, possibly again. There may have been possibilities to the west but the picture tells me, along with signals, that if something was happening to the west I might have to go to California to find it, since my luck has been trying of late.

I stop at set places. The Bayou Courtableau RR Bridge is one.

By the way, whoever took that footage of the Union Pacific train crossing this bridge in the fog which was shown in a KATC ad deserves a compliment. Too bad the station deals in liberal indoctrination using Newsweek as its information source. That's is according to their news director when I quizzed him about his sources for a Gov. Palin lying story. What a wart he was.

From the levee you can see two cuts going east.

The cut with "do not anchor" sign is the route of old US190.

On the levee side there is this evidence. It aligns with the highway right of way.

Can you see the sign dead center to the rear?

The other cut is the old railroad right of way. The paying folks got to see that.

At Krotz Springs I shot the only thing happening, a railroad crane.

Seems a crane person was getting ready.

I next crossed the bridge trying my best to get a shot between the supports at 45 mph.

Don't try this at home.

I did get lucky.

I left this shot darker in hopes you could see the white truck working at the first joint from the left.

Ok, can you see him from this direction?

Now this is strange.

I flipped this shot on end and the welder changed sides.

Train shots coming over the bridge are a dime a dozen.

A big white truck doing work is a catch.

I would continue on a roll.

Though blurred you can see now.

At Blanks there would be more.

This, well most of it, is all new. It's UPRR's upgrade of the Livonia Yard master plan.

There was a cypress lumber mill at Blanks.

It had its own little railroad which was probably "narrow gauge".

But, it also had a spur.

Had I found it?

The rails go off into the woods. I thought.

No, probably what I was seeing was this, the present or past approach rails to the yard.

Yep, it's the present trip into the Livonia Yard.

Bing Maps offers a real good look at the area. You might find the old spur if YOU try.

On the south end of the yard I found these two engines

Lately I've been fond of mating engines of the same species.

The boxcars behind the engines would be one of the only boxcars.

Don't expect to go to Livonia and see this with the naked eye.

This shot and others were taken from the highway at an extreme distance.

The "round house" is in the distance.

I continued south and found this engine at the end of what I believe was the same train.

Again a box car was next to it.

This is the reason for the boxcars.

They are a protective buffer in case all of those flammable tankers explode.

Now, why did this train have a "tail engine"

My guess is that it was needed in some yard work while gathering these cars or it was just hooked up for that purpose here. A local company uses engines on both ends, my source for that guess.

Climbing beneath one of the tankers, I tried to shoot this approaching engine.

The train began to move causing me to blur the picture.

Heading into Maringouin, this scene of the namesake bayou settled me down from the effects

of the moving tanker.

South of town I had to stop and take a shot of the Bayou Grosse Tete Falls.

Not shown is the power station.

While on the subject of the "unshown", the hill upon which the The Hill Bar and Lounge sits probably
only appears while leaving the bar. Possibly the steps are the "hill".

Next up was Live Oak Road. It connects La.76 to La.77.

My guess is that this could have been a church.
The evenly spaced windows might say that.

Just past it is the crossing.
This is also a favorite shot spot of mine.

I had regained mon faculte'.

It was pulling what I've grown to know as pipe carrying cars.

They were headed toward Grosse Tete and ultimately to Addis.

I caught him at Grosse Tete.
The ride report was almost called "The White Truck Tour" because of all the big rail working trucks
I'd seen on this one.

I had attempted to meet him at the historic crossing of the Southern Pacific Basin Branch (BR)
and the Texas & Pacific, the still active rails of the Union Pacific.
I was late but noticed an old signal support block by the side of the right of way, the road that it is now.
History would once again join what was a chase.
It would not be the last.

I followed the rails around as they changed from southbound to eastbound.
There he goes across the Basin Wilderness to the Morley Rail Bridge and Addis.
What could have been great shots are not. I'd forgotten to real back the brightness and ended up
having to doctor them which is never successful.

A kind local let me in line so I could be next to the guard rail.
Once, long ago, I was hitching back from New Orleans.
A kind soul picked me up in Baton Rouge and brought me all the way to my house in Lafayette.
No charge, glad to do it. I was in bad shape having been on the road all night and he saved me.
I have always had a good feeling about Grosse Tete, his home.
Once there I was approached by someone who reads this blog
That was while I was at this bridge.
She invited me over to her house.
I presume to talk trains.
Unfortunately, I was on an in progress mission and had no time to reminisce.

I had decided to take Interstate 10 home.
10 is crazy, but, on the Basin crossing, the speed limit is 60 which makes the game manageable.
I would go back up to Rosedale and take 77 west to Ramah where all I had to do of 10
was the slowed ride over the 16 miles of swamp crossing.
Besides, I'd be able do one more rail crossing of the
busy tracks between Livonia and Grosse Tete.
The last time I crossed here I was with my wife and I remarked to her uninterested self
that the road next to the tracks was "Depot St." I wondered what Depot St. was doing so far
out from the center of Rosedale which is several miles to the east.
Since I was going back on 10, I'd have time to run north on Depot and look for where
the depot HAD BEEN.

At the end of the road, the last chance to find the spot was the spot.
Ok, it's an old house, can't be the depot.
But, look at those closely grouped red bordered windows.
I have no depth perception. I have to compensate.

I moved to take a look along the front of the building.
Uh, Oh. It's a "bay window"
Only depots and subdivision houses have bay windows.
This was no subdivision house.

These folks evidently maintain it.

On their website they say this in the "Directions" spiel:
"Turn Right at Depot Road (just before RR crossing), at the corner of Depot and Augusta the Iberville Chapter is the long white building, (an 1864 Train Depot) next to Depot Park"
I beg to differ with the date.
Possibly the location can be associated with another RR company, but not the T&P.

I found this:

Then I found this which seems to be a less abridged version and clearer.

And now there is another clue, "the old Louisiana Central roadbed crosses the T&P R".
My first hit while searching is HERE.
I'm running out of gas fast on this one so I'll have to move on.
Here's a few more shots and then we'll have to hit the road.

Wait, there's someone coming out.
Look the station mistress is at the bay.
Time to go.

Back at the crossing I saw the train that had waited for the pipe car train.
It was pointed north out of the Grosse Tete siding. Again, the picture tells a story, or many.
That is I 10 behind it.

Closer, you can see the switch.

I was ready for the Basin elevated highway.
This was it. I've been meaning to do a bridge shoot.
The boat ride Mark, Captain Mike and I had taken in search of the Southern Pacific trestles
had to be augmented by shots from above.
Below was an accidental shot but it shows the correct holding position.
Watch that ring finger. It can really detract from a good
shot and give away your identity if that's problematical.
Ever have to press your thumb at a bank. Don't.

What I wanted to do was to get a shot of the truck behind me.
Look, there is a lot of beef about truckers. This guy
was a champ. He stayed behind me at a good safe distance.
It was just right so that someone passing him would see me.
He knew what I was doing (taking pictures) and I truly think
he was blocking for me.
The truck in front ran at 56 mph and I sat in the wide open envelope between them.

That afforded easy shots like this.
Mark, this is where we stopped first.
It is under water.
This was all under 20 feet or more of water in 2011 when Morganza was opened.
The rush of the water caught the 4 wheeler boards and caused the rails to be uplifted and bent
off the supports. They had survived for over 100 years.
It only took a few couyans to lead to their demise.

I believe I have that Basin boat ride posted. If not, I will.
The remnants can be seen of the old fill trestle that crosses the lakes.
Check the thin red line.