HISTORY HUNTS WAREHOUSE: The Long Long Bridge Rail Plate Ride

I never thought I'd end up in Long Bridge.

00-L and I'd been discussing Long Bridge a while back.

He and I'd done satellite surveillance on the subject and I was satisfied that very little evidence of the Texas&Pacific's visit there existed. I would not ride a 140 mile round trip to see noting. My approach to history hunting had obviously lost some of its zest. First of all, you can't ride 140 miles and see nothing unless you are on a cellphone the entire trip. I know that but seeing stuff was not topping the charts of what I had in mind when I left at 11:00 Saturday morning. An old friend had sent me a picture of a big fish he'd caught at Chicot St. Park and that was why I took off.

When I have absolutely no idea, I usually go to Cade or New Iberia and east to hunt trains, take a few pictures and chase them if that suits me. I was not doing that again. I had no interest in going west, either. I'd ride over to Livonia. You really can't get up close and personal with Mother Livonia anymore. The field road that once took me to her side is now blocked with ominous signs. I guess my visits, which usually are fruitless, are done just to do. It's sort of like watching striptease to stay with the female metaphor, though I really wanted to use "watching football from the top bleacher" and that is what I used first. I'll compromise. It's like watching striptease from the top bleacher.

But, every once in a while I'll catch a train leaving for Addis or Alexandria and race it for a while. Those are different tracks demanding different strategies to address different obstacles.

The ride pictures began in Krotz Springs.

Down on the siding, which in reality was the original rail route to Courtableau until they were elevated with the coming of the Morganza Floodway, it seemed work has been going on. I noticed a crew at the tank car filling station doing some construction, also.

I alway check out East Krotz Springs. It's like buying a buck lottery ticket. I just go for it. Once in a while I win and catch a few shots of a train coming one way or another.

No jackpot Saturday, so I moved on down the line approaching Livonia. On the new parallel track there were two engines passing a sitting train. I liked the raspberry color so I pursued it. As I suggested, I had no direction and following fitted my mood perfectly.

It was returning to Mother, no doubt.

There she went. I'd try to intercept them at the La.81 crossing.

Instead, at the entrance to the yard, a long long long tank car train crossed La.81.

I retreated back to the crossing pictured above and rejoined US 190 catching this rare photo from atop the overpass.

In fact, the little camera is so fast it caught 2. Too bad the picture quality is sub cellphone.

I saw an escapee from beneath the bridge and took off after her.

I was just behind her at the River Station crossing

There she went. I've chased a train from here to the Melville Bridge and won. It had been a "squirrely", out of control, fishtailing, poorly considered and conceived blunderbusstic act which miraculously resulted in a classic shot of that train traversing "Stonehenge", a long ago acquaintance's name for the rail bridge approaching the Melville bridge, again created as a result of the Morganza Floodway.

I'd let it go and smile about surviving the Stonehenge run of yore. Up La.77 I'd ride and enjoy the day.

Virgil had expressed enjoying the McNeely Spur updates. There goes my train off to the Melville bridge, Palmetto, Bunkie and ultimately Alexandria.

I'd duck down and enjoy a little break on the west end of the new passing track.

Back on top, this is looking east toward the new track. What is different form the 40 shots I've taken here before? There is no work being done on it. It's as finished as Louisiana tracks get.

Looking back at McNeely it seems the railroad is dumping old ties at the end of the rails.

That was interesting. I'd continue north.

The Levee Maintenance Shop is the steel building..

South of Morganza, the town, I'd find the old, trucked in railroad building.

This time I'd get the shots. I say it either came from Morganza or New Roads. I'm sure it was not trucked across the spillway bridge. It has to be from Morganza or very nearby.

I'd go into Morganza and be very disappointed.

Something was missing.

The "Welcome to Morganza" sign was leaning up against a building "in the back".

Morganza is in self destruct mode. First, it tore down the one building that could have made it big bucks, the cafe where the characters of "Easy Rider" went to eat and the locals berated them until they left, then pursued them, killing George while they slept in the swamp. Maybe that's why they tore it down.

Maybe hippie vigilantes tore it down or burned it with the sheriff and and his goof ball redneck buddies in it.

I never heard anything on the news.

Still, something was missing.

Note the white fence.

2005

2011

The destruction had begun.

Of the trip, this one is all that is left.
It is pictured above. I didn't recognize it without its friends.

This one is across the tracks from the depot location.

This place is in the movie shots. It's the Citgo station beyond the pickup truck.

This is a lumber yard. Had a spur been here?

Time to head on across the Floodway on the Spillway bridge.

It seems the Corps of Engineers is scurrying to finish repairs on the leeward side side of the control structure which was mined out during the 2011 flood. Large rock is being unloaded from barges on the Mississippi side, trucked across the highway and moved down to the area beneath the gates to fill the scoured holes.

The Fat Stack

Remnants of a long gone sugar mill.

A house on the Mississippi side of the levee.

The driveway can be seen topping the levee.

You never know.

Buddy might have played here.

Whenever I see these old shotgun houses I think of Buddy Guy.

Well, he'll have a damn good choir director, guitar player one day.

Cotton gin?

This is near where I found the Lettsworth depot. Some foul woman's friends moved it away somewhere.

What a southbound traveler sees.

If he looks quick he can see this.

If he pulls over he can see this.

If he gets drunk he can see this.

I was now at Keller, where La.15 has its southern terminus. This is where the T&P RR station was.

At Legonier I caught this fact filled picture. That's a trestle. Those are horses. That's a highway and a levee.
I could elaborate but we'd be here forever so you get the abridged version.
"Abridged", that was a joke. Hope it wasn't "over your head", another joke.
You may laugh now.

Over the Atchafalaya. Honest, it's been so long I was surprised when Simmesport showed up.

I wasn't thinking about where I was, I guess.

But, I did nab Edenborn's Bridge. Now he was a son of a gun. The bridge doubled as the La.Highway 1 motor vehicle bridge until 1971 for sure. And we say we are not a 3rd world state.

If Obama keeps it up we will be a 3rd world country.

Stuff I've explained before.

La.451 makes a loop and comes back within a couple of miles of itself.

If a circus performer it would be a contortionist.

These are pictures of what I think was the Moreauville depot. The shower head is troubling.

He missed seeing me or the day was too pretty to stand out in a field and look at a mystery shower head.
I'm sure he could answer my questions. I'm not sure I could have answered his.

Is that a sprinkler?
I really didn't inspect it that well.
In fact you are now inspecting it as well as I did.

I really was tempted.

Moreauville News, "Older Gentleman cyclist arrested for simulating a bathing act in public".

He is being held in the Bates Hotel.

No, I couldn't find the location of where the T&P came into town. I went by it, but I hadn't planned on being in Moreauville or anywhere else. I'm speaking of the line from Cottonport so don't start emailing.

I was on La.29. The line from Cottonport, after the fork in its route, went to Mansura and Marksville. This is where that fork crossed.

There is still a mild hump in the road.

Go that way to the fork that went to Moreauville and the one that came from Cottonport.

Looking carefully.

Bingo.

This is as good as it gets. Yea, I'm easy.
Boot could use a polish. I should maybe check the other one, too?
Note the worn steel toe. Ain't tellin' how that happened.

Looking north toward Mansura.

A north bound traveler would see this.

And this when he entered t he curve.

I was soon in Cottonport.

Fried Catfish and Shrimp are on Heaven's menu.
You can also order that in Cottonport.

The rails went right down-down town.

That wasn't there back in the day.

This was.

And, Steve, sadly the Foster Store is no more.

La.361 is one of those roads you don't mind traveling.

The Big Cane Store continues.

I was at the tracks that had come from McNeely, and US 71 at Lebeau, and the end of La.361.

Out on US 71 headed south the Lebeau church's domed steeple has always been a landmark. I feel this one is an old one.

This was the Mason's Hall.

Rays has likewise been a landmark. It sits at the entrance to the Rideau Community, an area settled by free blacks back it that day.

Ray has kept the community rolling and plowing forever.

I headed across to La.359.

Gotta be good people.

Bayou Courtableau, the steamboat route to Washington.

The small barn was gone, another loss to time.

The Opelousas Gulf and North East's RR depot location, Port Barre.

I've always wanted a picture of this old place.

I have too many of these.

The bayou is to the left and the turntable for the Southern Pacific RR along with a bayou side siding were just down the way.

Heading south in the vicinity of what is called Dupville is this old repair shop serving much the same purpose as Rays. Look closely and you will see a rise in the ground. It is the hump of the SP's rail bed. The extension to the back of his shop was not there back in the ....