Southern Pacific Railroad> Jeanerette to Franklin

This is another flashback. Another chance to move pictures from "unpublished" to "published". It's a digestive process and merely an interoffice thing.

The story rap goes like this:

I was wondering about where the old train stations were in Sugarcane Alley. I had found coordinates that described their whereabouts pretty well if you did a little calculating, so I gave that a try. To the untrained eye, or one non receptive to "make believe", this will be a little "out there" or possibly surreal. Acceptance of the past in the present can be like that. To help with the transition, I'll ask you to accept the past in a past context.

This is where the station was at Olivier, La.87.

The following will be along present day La.182, aka OLD US 90.

This one was at either Sandager, Lifenite or Hope. These place names, for the most part, are lost to history.

Here's a tough one. It is where the Albania Plantation siding was.

Down in there is an old mini trestle. To bad this shot doesn't show it well.

Stretching out south of Jeanerette, past Sorrel and Matilda.

This is the old Adeline Plantation smokestack.

Here is the location of the depot. The road probably marks the spot?

Or, those bushes might reflect high ground where the depot might have been.

You may have witnessed the last mention of the Adeline Depot to be found anywhere.

I arrived in Baldwin. I like Baldwin. I don't don't know why?

It might be this old warehouse? It is right next to where the Baldwin Depot was. The Baldwin Depot is now at the Patout sugar mill in Patoutville. I've seen it. I've seen Mary Ann and the other 2 girls, also. Look in the list of writes for Mary Ann and you can see it, too.

Here's the depot's first location.

Wrong. That's just a shell driveway. The station was on the railroad in one of these pictures.

For those interested, this is where the branch down to Weeks Island originated.

This is looking toward the Charenton Canal Bridge. Baldwin is big time railroad stuff. No, Baldwin engines were not made here. That's another Baldwin.

Closer:

And closer:

The bridge is obviously closed, or rather open. Open is closed. Told you'd it be surreal. We'll have to take the old 90 bridge which was used in the filming of Easy Rider.

This shot was taken at great peril. Don't tell my wife. She rightfully worries. What? Me? I'm Alfred E. Newman.

Look what was waiting on the other side.

I rode into Franklin. I've never fully explored Franklin. Franklin is bipolar. I'll leave it at that.

I found what was shown as tracks on my GPS. Seems like some rails had come right down this street. I was thinking "Franklin and Abbeville RR".

In reality, I know this route was where the Missouri Pacific came in from Irish Bend and joined, side by side, the Southern Pacific. In fact, that's a fact.

Close your eyes, things are going to get bright. I'm pretty sure I was in the Foster neighborhood right where you see "High" written.

Next time, I'll find the Garden City spur. I need to take the ladies at the store some postcards I found. Later.