One Shot Short of Perfect

First of all, the pictures from this ride are pretty bad and anything but perfect. 

I messed with a setting.

The "short of perfect" part of the title refers to what I like to do,"coming back to where the first shot was taken"  or as close to that point as possible. It almost happened but it didn't, thus the title.
Today's ride was manic. I'd go fast, stop, stay, wait, wonder, shoot fast and ride and wait some more.

The players in this one are:

2 700 series Warbonnets (Old Red and Silver ex-Santa Fe's (which are beautiful), 

708 & 744, and a green/creme SD70MAC,an AC model.
ID of that train came an expert source, not me, no.

Then there were 2 other BNSF trains, one led by BNSF 4121 and the other,6673.

Those are all just numbers to most, but when you listen to the representative 

crew members on the radio, they take on personalities, very differing personalities.

Oh, I almost forgot the little 1502 Louisiana & Delta train 

in Baldwin seen later at Bayou Sale. 

The places are "Before Cade", "After Cade", New Iberia, Penn Road Crossing,

Wax Lake Outlet Bridge, Patterson, Burwick, Baldwin, Bayou Sale, Palmetto 

Hicking Trail Parking Lot, the Albania Ditch and back to New Iberia. 

Sugarcane Alley is one of the finest train chasing courses in the country.

I still haven't figured out the fastest routes because they change by the hour.

 This was my first view of 4121, one I'd chase all the way to Morgan City in

two heats. She won the first, I the second. 

 This was my first encounter with a train.

 The guys that do this stuff think that they are bad ass.

No, they are just brats.

The Ramones, a city wise band, suggested this.

Beat on the brat 

Beat on the brat

Beat on the brat with a baseball bat

What can you do?
What can you do?

With a brat like that always on your back
What can you do?

You don't need Einstein to solve some problems.

Back to the day's search for competition.

4121 waited as another train passed her going west at Cade.

I turned around and came back for a better shot of her as she prepared to go.
First, she'd need a new crewman, probably an engineer.

I knew that would take some time so I went on into New Iberia to choose a shot (documentation) location.

L&D 2009, Mz Utah, along with the X Allegheny 1506
were on the runway.

That red beak is her signature.

 Mz Allegheny is another lovely.

 The uniformed L&D's huddled together at headquarters.

4121 was pulling out.

At a fried chicken place, next to the tracks, I would wait.


Soon she came.

East of New Iberia she stretched out.

She would have to stop at Baldwin.
Another crewman was exchanged or something.

I sat at the blocked crossing waiting for a manual gate lift.

This "older" crewman had to walk a fur distance to switch that switch.

While he was headed back to the train I snuck around to see
what was happening at the L&D Baldwin office.
1502 was poised in a sleeping kind of way.

He was still trucking back to the engine. Thank goodness it wasn't hot.


4121 pulled out.

And headed for the Charenton Bridge. The race was on and she was not fooling around.

She beat me across the Wax Lake Outlet  Bridge

This is what I call the Patterson Stretch.

She can go 60, I can go 65.

She has no traffic or stop lights. I  have a lot and a few.

She was tucked in and gators where running for their lives.

 First she'd have to cross Mt.St.Mary, highest point in S.Louisiana.


Yes, she was pulling ahead, now on St.Mary's down slope.


But, then she was slowing. That is common here before the bridge.

I'd edge on  up.

Even with the 2 engines I hit a near perfect shot at 50 mph.

I backed off since I knew .....

.... that this was bear country. Patterson City Police that is.

I like taking pictures at historical locations.
I was sitting where the Patterson Depot had been.
Directly across US 90 is Railroad St.

For some reason I thought she'd have to wait at the base of the bridge so I let up.

No. Here she came at max crossing speed.

These are the old depot and dock rails. I'm almost positive they served both.

I decided to stop at Bayou Sale on the way back feeling somewhat anticlimactic.
A crewman was blocking the crossing so good ol' 1502, the same engine that was at Baldwin, could
head down the North Bend Branch.(Once it was SP's South Bend Branch before The Canal)

This is Yellow Bayou at Bayou Sale.
I pirogue down there to see the trains and more.

Leaving Bayou Sale and Yellow Bayou, I decided to
take the short gravel road out to the Palmetto Trail.
That my bbq pit on the back.
The faster I go the sooner I eat.

That's a bear.

I realized why I was anticlimactic.

I'd run out of trains.

I crossed the Charenton Canal and ....

... there was one waiting in the sun tan parlor down from Penn Road, aka, the Baldwin passing track.

It was 6673.

Earlier I was talking about personalities.

Kathleen radioed this guy.

He answered like he'd been sleeping.

If there is one thing that puts  her in a bad mood  it's not a chippy and willing response to her calls.

Be chippy and willing and she will pave your road.

Don't be and prepare for chug holes.

This guy was messing with the wrong gal.

Two Couch Bayou at Albania Ditch.

I was intently listening. I don't think I have this wrong.

She gave him a multilayer set of instructions.

I had figured he was sitting for Amtrak to pass.

It was getting late but then I heard The Sunset was

still in Beaumont at 4 when it should be out of Lake Charles by then.

Amtrak was not a factor.

So he sat at Penn Road, and I sat in the Albania Ditch, a hot unsheltered place, but

the best place until New Iberia, sun and distance of shot availability considered.

Then she asked him, "Have you left Baldwin yet?"

No, this was the reason.

The two Warbonnets and a Mac from the west were headed his way fast.
I heard no more chatter. Maybe I'd pulled the earphones loose.

Time passed. I heard him way off. Then finally.
He would be my final chase and a chance to kick the anticlimatics..

 
Into Jeanerette he sped. I'd have to wait for him to clear the crossing.

I wanted the final shot to be at the fried chicken place with a BNSF coming in the opposite
direction from this morning so I could make some bookends.

Remember?
Both cameras did not work and I'd gotten here just in time.
The day had been great but it was one shot short of perfect.