2008 The Sugarcane Railroad

Update: This was one of the first "Tracking the Tracks" adventures.

The area is practically in my back yard.  It covers a short distance that was a mystery to me.

Short distant mysteries are easier to figure out than long distance ones.

"Easier" is a key word, always. Rewriting this one will not be "easier", but if it is to see the light

of day again, that is a must.

On with the outing.

This one will be about tracing the Sugarcane Railroad  (SRR)  from Loreuville to New Iberia. To orient those who care, the line progresses north to US190 at Port Barre. The section above I-10 has been covered. The stretch north is still visible on the back roads and fresh in local memory, including mine, what a surprise. This one covers the ripped rail bed in Loreauville and its route across the big bend of the Teche to New Iberia. Next, I followed the existing rails which were a part of the original route into NI and out of NI toward Abbeville. That's where things got manic. It was like the first time I'd gone bowling.

[remember, this is an old one and statements may have spewed without foundation]

The ride and report will be and was of a nonchalant nature until the manic part. The first pictures are not quite up to Grand Canyon standards but work for the mission. Actually, there was no mission. I was at home and it was 2:30. In a last ditch effort to ward off insanity, I hopped on the bike and aimed it south. I had the urge to sit on the end of the world at Cypremort Point for some reason. The place is not the same anymore and every time I go there it disappoints. Being diverted from CP was not a problem. I guess the last time I really had a good time there was when I was at the bar and the Apollo whatever had just landed on the moon. One fella said it had landed in Hollywood. I said it was Arizona, another thought it was New Mexico, then I agreed with him.

I bypassed Loreauville on its back side. Somewhere along that route I remembered the bump I'd found in town, or sorta out of town, it matters not here as I'd like to keep this as nonchalant as long as possible. I just hope I can contain myself long enough to show and explain the heavy archeological finds of the first half of the ride.

Here's a map.  There you can see the bend of the Teche, the numbered shots which will be nonchalantly presented, possibly incorrectly, and also featuring the spot where the depot was and the cistern, which is what Mr.Breaux called the elevated tank which was used to fill the steam engines. Yes, I opened a library when I interrupted Mr.Breaux as he was mowing his yard. If you want to learn stuff, look for white hair.

Back to the ride. I was on the backside of Loreuville thinking about the bump. I know, my ride criteria has gotten pretty personal, and to some, twisted. Nevertheless, I will continue to share it. I was without the GPS so I couldn't see the old line. I was going to have to think on this one. I had met a fella on a previous ride who lived near the VIDA bridge on the west side. He had said the bump near his house was indeed the railroad's. So I knew the rails had come south through town and crossed La.86 and then BayouTeche and gone off into the sugarcane fields toward New Iberia. My first mission was to find the bump in La. 86. Sure nuff. I've crossed it a million times and never thought about it. You?

Actually, you and I haven't noticed because the bump is gone. It's more of a slight rise in the road. If you stop at its apex you can see the bed both ways, what gorgeous sights. Chilling.

Here's from the other side.

I progressed northward toward town, taking these shots at each bump.

Then I turned at the high school. The phantom rails ran right behind it. Actually they ran into the football stadium parking lot. The football team all stopped practicing to see what that fool on the bike was doing. I had visions of being a tackle dummy. I could hear Coach Dupre' yell, "Get him". They'd call Sheriff Touchet and he'd call Homeland Security. And none of them would be wrong for doing it. We haven't met, have we?

I returned back to where I'd started, at the La.86 bump and looked for a road to take to get a shot of where the rails had crossed the Teche. I stopped where this fella was working on his car and asked if he knew. I also asked if he knew where the old depot had been. Sure he did, just go down Railroad Street. I guess I'm no Indiana Jones. Unfortunately, he had nothing to offer besides trespassing to get me to the crossing. I declined, thanked him and went looking for the first stop light, duh, La.86 and Railroad St.

That's where I interrupted Mr. Breaux while he was mowing. Our conversation was textbook Cajun etiquette. I introduced myself and apologized for the interruption asking if he could answer a question for me. He said, sure. I asked him about the depot and if it had been removed or torn down. He said it had been torn down and that it was the size of a small house. The depot was made up of two parts, a sitting area with a ticket window and a baggage area. He told me that it had that cistern for servicing the steamers. He went on to say that the circus would come to town on the train and there would be touring exhibits. That map shows a siding where these cars could park. He also said that most passenger traffic went to New Iberia where a transfer could be made, and that the line went north to Port Barre, also. He added that there was a spur to the Caroline Plantation toward Lake Dauterive. I forgot to ask him if there was a mill at Caroline or did the train just pick up the cane there and how did it turn around? I'm amazed I remember that much. Anyway, to continue.

Next, he had questions. The usual, where do you live, what is your name. Luckily, I live next to a landmark which everyone knows and I can convey my location simply and exactly. My wife also taught locally and is "famous". Yes, she has gray haired ex students and all of their parents know her. I am simply known as her husband, originally known as her husband with the horse hair until I cut it off. I knew some of the names of his relatives and relatives by marriage, his wife being from Parks. I sure hope I can catch him again. He was a delightful person and a true library of local knowledge. That was the true high point of the ride. I heard him say as I left, "Now I have to cut the rest of this grass". I think Mr.Breaux was about 75, pushing his yard in the mid afternoon heat and humidity, looking as fresh and neat as a cucumber on ice in his pressed white shirt. I was sitting of a bike, sweating in a nasty Walmart t-shirt. Got the picture? Some have class, some don't.

I rode on down Railroad Street to the elementary school. Its back parking lot is where the station was. This is not a good picture. It was taken from the parking lot looking north. I should have included the parking lot. Oh well. Imagine a parking lot.

I rode back up Railroad which then crosses the red light on 86, Main Street, then crosses the Teche Bridge. I was ready to attack the big bend area in search of the rail's route to New Iberia.

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I parked and walked back out onto the Teche Bridge. I zoomed down the bayou to see if I could catch a glimpse of where the turn bridge which Mr.Breaux had told me about had been. There was some concrete down there but I doubt that was the place. My camera is 10x and it does reach out.

After taking these shots I hopped on the bike and headed for the bump near the Vida Bridge. I was told these cement blocks were used for a water tank at the bridge.

I was at the old threatened bridge. You can't have to many bridge pictures so she got shot again. This time, I'll show you a prize which backs that last statement. It is of the Vida Bridge in working order doing her job.

This bridge, unlike the ones at Ruth and St.John, did not carry train traffic.

Looking up the river from as far out as I could get on the bridge approach, no sign of the RR bridge was seen. I'm sure it was completely removed.

Wait, look at the photo again. Just before that indention on the far shore, there is some gravel next to the water. Gravel is not common on our bayou shores.

Since 2008 things have changed, including technology. Garmin combined with Google Earth now can pinpoint the crossing. The old bridge is at the bottom. The black line was the railroad. I probably was close, the wooded area being the RR ROW.  That cut is now someone's back yard.

Here's the map before I forget. We are at the bridge near where it says BUMP.

Next, I headed west out Vida Shaw.

This is where the line crossed Vida Shaw Road.

I crossed what I though were other bumps, rail crossings. This was a huge plantation with a mill very close by. Could there have been rails to the fields?

The road passed some very nice homes. I saw this cart in the front yard. I immediately thought it might be from the depot. Carts, similar to this, were used to carry baggage and pieces of freight. Yes, they had flat steel wheels.

Here's the nearby mill. I don't know how old it is. We'll see an older one soon.

This is the La.677 crossing. I tried shooting back toward the sugar mill to see if there was a siding to the mill. The shot failed. I'd gone over into digital zoom and it's trash. I am guessing the old line is used to service the mill and then stops. I need to check out the Sugar Oaks crossing, or maybe I did?

I thought I'd turned off of Daspit onto what is still called 677. There were sidings there. I was getting into track wonderland.

Here's a look at all those tracks and what is to be seen next.

Here's the old mill, marked as "refinery" on the map.

Update: It is gone.

And the siding that went to it.

Update: It is gone.

I followed 667 to La.31, a very familiar old area.

More of the Sugarcane Railroad.

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Here's a map update.

See La.31? Daspit Road brought me there. La.31 coming in from St.Martinville has classic 1950's steel buildings and other old architecture along its route. That was the era when I came to south Louisiana and was introduced to this architecture.

But first, these are the crossings on 31, then the buildings.

Here's our main line:

And more tracks in the maze.

Now the neat steel warehouse. These were common all over south La. A twin was in

Houma on Bayou Black near the golf club, I think.

Here's a very old warehouse that is being renovated. This is on Jane Street going south. Jane (La.31) curves to the southwest and crosses Main where I turned north toward Lafayette trying to pick up the tracks again.

Which I did. I stopped on Main, La.182 and shot this looking back east .

And this, west.

I followed that road until it left the tracks. Then, not to lose them, I crossed a vacant lot and did a hill climb up to another street. I was at The Junction. Junctions, confluences, they are all very powerful places. I got railroad overload and took 50 shots. Here are some.

Here's our rails coming in from Loreauville. Pretty, huh?

Here's the SRR entering the mainline. What was that concrete structure? Use your imagination.

Here's another view of the approach.

This is terrible. Here I was at a magical moment in time and space and I blew the picture. I should have gotten the switch and the whole deal from the other side. You can just see a little of the approaching SRR across the rails.

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From the junction I headed to the station. I'd been there before but it was at the end of a ride and I was whipped and not really into absorbing my environment. Whipped or not, if I had seen what I saw this time, I would have been a bit more absorbing. OK, I'll start with the depot. First, the depot was in pretty good shape but the area around it was overgrown and  unkempt looking.

This is the backside, or the side the passengers would see. At least it had a good roof.

At least it was still there.

Moored in engine only parking were these behemoths.

It was like I'd sneaked up on a heard of elephants on the Serengeti. Quiet!

[I was very new to "railroaing" and had no idea what was to come

from this first foray into trying to figure it out]

2009 and I would become friends.

I jumped the tracks and got this picture. The little building must have been for the scales. Just guessing as usual.

While over there, I saw these rails headed off to the west. Of course I'd follow them.

[The rails would not be "associated" with the ones I'd followed into town.]

I decided not to goof off and check the front of the depot for a parting shot.

Ah, the depot is now the office of, or a office of the Louisiana and Delta Railroad which explains no municipal upkeep. It doesn't explain little corporate upkeep. OK, money is tight, fuel is high and it's rained a lot and engineers don't mow grass.

Nearby this grand old house stands, and look at the brick street. Was it a hotel in the grand old days?

[the place is extremely important and linked to the history of Erath, how? I forgot]

Back across the tracks I went to follow the westward running rails. I stopped for this great shot of the depot. Mother Nature lent a hand in mellowing the scene.

I followed the tracks west paralleling La.14. I can see it was headed for Abbeville and Avery Island, home of Tobasso and so much more. These pictures were taken in New Iberia. I hadn't gotten to Admiral Doyle yet.

Then this mundane shot:

What was that down the line?

This would demand extending the ride. It was approaching 4:30, no matter.

The street I was following, that was following the railroad, turned, but not before offering this nice shot. There was a guy sitting in this yard giving me the stare. I don't blame him. I'm sure he's no different than Coach Dupre', Sheriff Theriot or Homeland Security.

The place off in the distance on the rails was a shop.

The pictures that follow will have to do. I felt I was in a toy store and wanted all of them. There was no big gate or enclosure to block most of them. I rode the bike right next up close, and if I'd had the nerve, I could have touched them, probably setting off some alarm. I will admit that when I was 11, Kim and I tried to take a diesel from a lumber yard. Thankfully the watchman caught us before we could find the keys. I wasn't going to draw the watchman again.

But, it wasn't over yet.

I was stopped by nothing less than a train.

The crossing was just before Old 90 or La.182.

As soon as the gate cleared I swung left and chased the light fast moving freight down. I needed more engine pictures. I think I was infected with the same thing those train nutz get. I collected stamps at one time and experienced a little of that mania. But this was different. This was big boy stuff, pictures of real engines. No game there.

This next picture is the animated one. I took it on the fly moving with the freight at over 50 mph. Pretty awesome.

I caught the freight because it had stopped in Cade. I pulled into some business across the tracks and leisurely took my shots in a relaxed professional manner. No, I fumbled the camera in that goofy fetish I was experiencing.

This was my first Train Chase.

Here's the kicker, all of these engines can be found on the internet. They are all cataloged and the history of each is documented. Yes, there is a following. I don't get it, but different strokes for different folks. Heaven help me if I ever get interested in freight cars. Those are cataloged and memorialized, also.

Update: LOL

Now I was tired. I knew a place to relax if I could avoid the alligators. I couldn't go home. My wife would have pulled out the blood pressure cup and wondered what was going on.

Later gators.

PS: There is no Sugarcane Railroad to my knowledge.

The line through Loreauville was the Missouri Pacific / New Iberia and Northeast