10 - 17

10 - 17 Ride Report

Route Explanation:

La.1061 North, some of which was the ROW of the Kentwood and Eastern RR.

McEvlyn Rd.

Stateline Road

Osyka

US 51 North

Chatawa

US 51 North

Magnolia

South McComb

US 51 South

Osyka

Osyka Progress Rd East

Smithburg Road East

Various small roads

La.438 East 

Angie 

La.21 South

Bogalusa

The Hook: 2 Mystery Pictures.

The Report:

La. Hwy 1061 North from La.10 at Wilmer.

Past Crawford Road there is drilling going on.

Spring Creek

My landmark since 2002, the old house on McEvlyn.

Stateline Road into Osyka.

Road May Flood sign.

Flood Source

Old houses on RR St.(west side of tracks, north side of town)

Recent work:

Cemetery leaving Osyka. It marks the end of Railroad St.

US 51 North

Chatawa Road

Chatawa Post Office (RIP)

Chatawa Crossing, location of the artisian spring that once supplied the community until littering caused the railroad to shut it down.

The new Chatawa bridge across the Tangipahoa River.

Foot travel is only allowed east to west.

There is no word on when the west to east walkway will be installed.

The old piers beneath the new bridge can present a boating hazard. 

The postmaster once told me that his wife was a canoeist and that the river had many divergences 

 which could get one in trouble in the snake infested jungles..

Rail pictures. Looking South. The "detector" is down there.

It is one that I would hear later.

It would end an "in progress" chase.

Zoomed down to where now one cannot go.

MP at Chatawa

Looking North

Returning to US 51 North 

Looking around Magnolia, Miss.

The Depot, better pictures previously published.

Rail Stop on what was probably the depot track.

The cone head house has always been amusing.

North of the depot.

Unloading looks to be a slow job done by that auger.

I would guess the cargo is feed, maybe.

North from Magnolia

Zoomed ... there were lights, the first of the day.

Headed to South McComb I dropped in to check the tracks. Two black beauties were moving north.

A CSX sat with a crewman standing in front of his engine.

And the Beauties moved on.

And the crewman looked on.

I raced back south as I knew what was about to happen.

Here he came.

I thought it was a short train, but I was wrong and I was on the wrong side of the tracks to get a 

competitive start.

And the train kep-ta-coming.

He beat me to Osyka where I could have gotten a shot.

Instead, this is looking south at empty rails.

I had done 60 mph down US 51.

But, that was over hills and he had a straight shot with no restrictions.

I headed east on Osyka Progress. I'd try to meet the Bogalusa Special. 

I felt that it was destiny that I would.

South and then east on Smithburg.

Smithburg turned into Dillons Bridge. I knew where I was.

Over the Bogue Chitto River

MS 27 & Dillons Bridge

I continued east and south and where should I appear but Thomas, La.

I had somehow bypassed the Welcome Center.

Then I arrived at the lovely entrance to Angie through the motorcycle / 3 and 4 wheeler junk yard.

 I need to stop some day. The  place has been an institution of the community for years.

I waited for the train.

No train but it was early. I was running out of energy and enthusiasm. 

I rode down to the Bogalusa yard and looked for the engines. One was there.

The train, the only time I've seen it, used both engines.

Looking around as the light was good.

Then I went on home.

Oh, those mystery pictures.

This is looking south at the Magnolia depot.

This is looking north from that spot.

Zoomed out you can see there is a crossing to a mystery  place.

Zoomed into Magnolia and the details of the situation there.

I'm wondering about that mystery place.

Since that wasn't very interesting I've added a few more pictures from GE.

 The purple line is where I saw the Black Beauties and the waiting crewman.

That is a sewer lagoon to the north.

Lovely.

 This is looking from the Adams Rd Crossing

You can see the hovering pink line.

(not in real time)

  Ths is at the entrance to the South Yard. (not in real time)

 Moving on up to McComb.

Some of the black lines, which represent rails,  may be a little out of date.

 Here's  the old depot.

 Miss. Hwy 44 Overpass looking north at depot.

A sander can be seen across from the depot.

 North of the Miss 44 is the old coal building which was used to supply the steam engines. It is a prize.

 Another angle.

You can see that no rails go beneath it now.

That's it.