Missouri Pacific: Breaux Bridge to Port Barre ROW

This was once an article dealing with two railroads and two areas. I have chosen to split it. This one is about following the bountiful amount of evidence between Breaux Bridge and Port Barre. There is also evidence below Breaux Bridge all the way to New Iberia and then east to Garden City, all once the realm of the New Iberia and Northern Railroad. I should group those and maybe someday I will. Here's BB to PB on the MP:

Saturday was evaporating into more humidity. Summer was here. It would not retreat again as it has, thrown back by an enduring Spring. Now her time was gone. I moped around like an abandoned child left at the station as the train pulled away, two lights on behind (Rolling Stones). Could I leave the dogs for a few hours? Did I really want to go? Maybe I'd take a nap. Maybe I'll take a nap, now.

Stop that, get back to work.

OK.

The process of preparation commenced. At least I'd be ready if I decided to go. Food, water, camera, oil, a light t-shirt, sun screen, helmet, rain coat, leave, go one mile, and ride back because I didn't have the GPS. I almost continued without it, but, I know better. I would not be writing this if I'd blown it off. It is the only thing that sustains my interest in local riding. Without it, I'd just park the bikes, believing I'd seen it all. It is my microscope and my telescope. It suggest points of interest it doesn't even realize its doing. That is what it did today, saving an early return with nothing gained.

I finally broke lose from preparation hell. Again I was headed up the same old route out of Sub-190 Louisiana. I melded with the dull haze of the silver sky. No matter, I knew I was doing the right thing as sitting at home is terminal. I just didn't have any enthusiasm. Then I noticed my route was following the old rail line, long gone and disappearing quickly. I would investigate and photograph every bit of evidence I could in the short stretch north to US 190, the location of the existing main line. I was already above Cecelia so I had missed some of the bed north from I-10, but not much, and it would be easy to catch it later as that is my neighborhood. At least I had a mission and a game, a well worn game.

I don't expect you to be interested in this report or the pictures or my bizarre attraction to invisible trains or rails. If you decide it's a good time to go bathe Fideaux, that's fine with me. You can go your own way, (Fleetwood Mac, urg) Come along if you want. Here's a big old map of the first section of track tracking. It gets big if you click it. The yellow line is me. The purple line is the tracks, or close.

Viewing the following pictures of humps in the road, bare places in the fields, weeds, trash trees and broken down houses, remember, they are only a bit of what is to be seen down yet another Louisiana yellow brick road (Wizard of Oz). Ray, the beds passed no churches. Gotcha, yes they did! But, you'll have to wait until Part 2. I don't want to lead you on, LIKE YOU HAVE ME. Mobile Zoo, bad.

I'm not going to tell you, "this is the rail bed at Beknell Road", unless I find that bump or hump or dark tunnel extremely interesting. Here's A bunch of pictures:

One day some jerk running for Parish President will put into his platform a promise to level all humps, an equivalency to burning books.

First, I snap the hump and then I try to shoot from its apex up and down the line. Some humps only got one shot as shooting a mass of green tangle doesn't say much. Try to think of the humps as Indian Mounds. All right. Are you with me that far? No, go back to where you were.

The rails now bordered a wheat field. I bet they weren't ready for that.

Steve Miller

Some guy was using the old bed as his dive way. This is all taking place between Cecelia and Arnaudville. Here are the names of the communities that were visited by the tracks between I-10 and 190. Two are just south of I-10, but I'll include them anyway. This is going north. Right click that map and choose "open in new window" or something so you can follow along. If you want to sing along, use Johnny Cash's "I've Been Everywhere" for the music part.

Patin

Champagne

Cecelia, also known in the old days as Grand Point

Huron, Huron?

Bushville, I wonder if Tina Turner lived there?

Darby

Arnaudville

Robin

Pecaniere

and Chiasson, our first landlord.

Back to the pictures.

Here's just one worthless picture to give you an idea. I won't do that again.

I promise.

Now the peripheral looking beyond shots.

Well, pickins were slim.

Here's a picture with a message. (Canned Heat)

Telephone lines follow railroads. Telegraph line did.

Arriving in Arnaudville, the hump is on 347 going into town. Look at the creosote planks. Had there been a bridge here or a station or platform of some sort?

I followed the bed into Arnaudville. The train ran between the trees. I'm not saying the trees were there. I think they've been planted since the bed was abandoned.

North of town, a peripheral appeared.

Back on track, better move, I hear that train a comin'. (JC again).

Sorry, I'll make it up to you (Dick and Dee Dee?) Here's a bunch.

Now we're getting into the Pecaniere area.

Here's the old school house in Pecaniere. It's a pretty nice home, now.

If there had been a station in Pecaniere, it would have been here.

Almost to La.471, there's another hump just before the highway.

The next shot is along 741 between Pecaniere and 190.

I could see where the wye had been connecting this line to the main at 190. I turned toward Opelousas and then crossed back over and pulled over. I was going to jump the ditch to see if anything remained of the connection. Then, duh, a train came along. I couldn't have anyway, the ditch was full of water and way too big. I had to give up on that one. It hurt. Below is how it was set up. Remember, I'm yellow, the old bed is purple and I was on La.741.

That's it until I join all the old NI&N tracks into one article.
The Sugarcane Railroad is about the MP/NI&N ROW between
Breaux Bridge and New Iberia.