Friday afternoon was filled with attempts to fix 2 air-conditioners. Failing at both I decided to leave reality.
So here we are standing on this bridge with a barreling freight coming at us.
That sequence has little or nothing to do with exploring US 190.
I once knew a lecturer who would inject X rated photographs into his barrage of mind numbing wiring diagrams just to keep the boys awake. They still absorbed nothing. At least they didn't need nudging at the end of the day.
No, I won't use his material, but I may still use his tactics.
This is from Wiki.
US 190 crosses the Sabine River and enters the western portion of Louisiana in swampy bayou terrain three miles (5 km) west of Merryville, Louisiana. Merryville is the location of the old Coushatta Indian village.
From Merryville the highway heads north by northeast to the community of Junction, Louisiana, also referred to as The Junction.[6] Junction is where LA 111 and US 190 intersect and is the site of a roadside marker and the joining of two Indian trails.
From Junction, US 190 heads east to DeRidder, where it forms a multiplex with US 171 south and passes several NRHP sites such as the Beauregard Parish Jail, Beauregard Parish Courthouse, and the DeRidder Commercial Historic District
among others. US 190 runs concurrently with US 171 to Ragley, where US
190 parts with US 171 heading east. From Ragley, the two-lane highway
heads nearly due east almost parallel to Interstate 10 until Opelousas.
US 190 crosses the northern reach of the Atchafalaya Basin near the
Morganza Spillway en route to Baton Rouge. From Baton Rouge, US 190
passes, in places divided, through Denham Springs, Albany, Hammond, Robert, Goodbee, Covington,[7] Mandeville, before reaching the eastern terminus at Slidell (US 11).
The stretch between Interstate 12 south of Covington and the intersection with LA 22 at Mandeville is multilane divided with controlled access. The highway's eastern terminus is in the bayous near Slidell, at an intersection with U.S. Route 90. This junction was once known as the "White Kitchen" after a restaurant that was once located there.
I may have used the White Kitchen picture in the original 190 write, but since the Wiki person mentioned the location, I will post it again. It was a landmark traveling from New Orleans to the beaches in Mississippi, famed for the sewer pipes that protruded into the non surf.
Viewing the date, post Katrina, it is a miracle that sign survived. Of course it is no longer there.
I guess the next place I found interesting was Slidell.
Slidell was a railroad town. I'd go into all of that but I'd have to use the lecturer's pictures to wake you up.
I was tracing the railroad between Sidell and Mandeville when I came upon LeCombe and its museum.
I came back and decided to flood the Slidell, oops, bad pun, ok, flood the Slidell part of this write with uninteresting pictures.
Historic Downtown.
Along the RR tracks. (the right side of)
This was the spur to the repair facility.
It fell off into this park.
The park people didn't like it.
It went here. There is an interesting story about my escape from this place which I will not mention.
This was the Southern RR Depot after the siding was removed.
A closer look at its parts.
Yea, I have one.
The side of the tracks was mentioned because the present station is on the east side.
I used this map in a much earlier ride report called "Back to Slidell".
Too bad the original "Slidell" is no longer with us.
This map may be wrong and to this day I can't decide if it is wrong or not.
Interstate 12 is pretty close.
Ok, I give up on Slidell. On to Lecombe, "sometimes spelled LeCombe". (I actually saw that written somewhere and looked hard to see if the spelling was different, several times. I even counted the letters to make sure.
Nope, the spelling is the same.
Lacombe Bayou
Looks to be a pretty big bayou.
Oh yes, the museum.
Be assured, I did not write what is below.
I get a little flowery at times, but this is over the line.
It was not open when I was there. A train crossing signal sat outside.
Doing an internet search was not successful though there were other museums in the area.
I think it is gone.
Big Branch hangs into the lake. The canoe set can be found floundering here.
Bet if they'd named it "Big Bad Cottonmouth Moccasin", "Rabid Alligator", or "Coral Snake" Marsh,
less floundering would occur.
I didn't need to be down there.
This is more my style. I like consistency, boredom, and reaching the edge of the Earth.
Fountainebleau State Park, the next picture, is covered in the original write. (The title below this one)
Mandeville is covered there, also.
Next up is Covington.
Covington takes imagination, a lot of imagination. More each day as what was ain't no more due to the New Barbarians.
So much is gone but the ghosts are there.
What was once this .....
..... is now this.
What was once this ... {Mike Palmieri picture}
.... Is now this ...
US 190 is the pits through Covington.
Covington is where New Orleans moved after Katrina and before.
Goodbee is next.
Goodbee had a railroad station, but it was removed. to a more prestigious location.
If interested in Southeast Louisiana RRs, that is a monumental statement. Added fact: The engine which is at the Franklinton Park, a real place, ran off the rails at Lorraine. Take that to the bank.
I know that this is probably is not of interest, but I'm sure it threw a wrench into the locals' lives.
See "Lorraine" directly below.
Below this is Wiki's testament on Goodbee.
It seems to be the location of a lot of water. The terrain is low and flat as it is coastal plain from Slidell to Baton Rouge. The streams originating in the highlands of Mississippi make there way here and slow down resisting the pull to join the lakes.
This Spring's floods drove hundreds from their home, some to their campers.
Goodbee is an unincorporated community in Saint Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States, at the intersection of U.S. Route 190 and Louisiana Highway 1077, west of Covington. Goodbee has a signed exit on Interstate 12 to its south, at its interchange with LA 1077.[1]
Northwest of Goodbee is the start of P-Kaw-Shun Creek, the major contributory to Sims Creek. The stream flows in a generally southwestward direction to join the Tangipahoa River south of Robert in Tangipahoa Parish.[2]
Seven miles west of Goodbee, near Robert, is a major distribution center for Walmart Stores.[3]
Closer to Goodbee, at the boundary between Saint Tammany Parish and
Tangipahoa Parish, is the Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center, a
correctional institution for youths.
Don't pick up any cute hitch hikers near Goodbee. Heck, don't pick up any hitch hikers near Goodbee.
Just saying, even the ugly ones could be dangerous.
You can click the map below for a larger version.
For those interested, there were rails between Covington and Baton Rouge.
The rail bridges and trestles between Covington and Hammond tweaked my interest.
I got down, up and dirty on the one at Robert, the accessible one. It was one of my few lifetime high points.
It is now broke down, washed away in the water.
The guy that ran this place was so accommodating I have to give his place a plug, again.
The bridge is probably at his beach, where I took the first shots of it after getting lost on his property.
I'll include here a short excerpt since I know you'll find it interesting.
Searching the southeastern pages of my "Roads of Louisiana" map book, I came across a Wildlife Management Area I had no idea existed. That in itself was not a momentous moment.The fact that it was very close to the sprawling metropolis of Covington did surprise me. I knew what was happening on the Northshore and that did not jive with wildlife management or maybe it did?
I would check it out the next day.
The morning came and it was nippy. The two long sleeved t-shirts went on. Then the electric liner was topped off with the leather jacket and gloves. I was good to go. The red-headed wench (MzGuzzi) waited.
I headed down La.25 towards Covington, turning east toward Ramsey WMA. The main road, hugging the neighborhoods, gave way to a reasonable country road. Things were looking up when I saw a hunter's check-in stand. What I had really wanted to see was Ramsey Lake, the supposed jewel of the management area and where I was to later find out was a lumber mill location, the "lake" being its pond. What I found was a gated community. What I am suspecting is that the state is selling off protected areas to high bidders and cronies (duh). The entrance sign was not a welcoming door mat. Seeing a private lake and protected homes of the rich and famous did not interest me. I shook my head reflecting on a similar situation I'd seen down on Lake Pontchartrain in the tidal marsh.
In a pretty disgusted, or disgusting, state, I sat at the stop sign and thought about what I could do to save the day. I flashed on the illusive railroad bridge I'd been wanting to shoot on US.190 just west of Covington.
It was over the Tchefuncta River and impossible to shoot safely. The road is too busy to stop on and there is no room to walk out onto the bridge. The railroad bridge has no access at either end and cannot be reached from below. I've looked at all the angles. It's just a dead end, or ending, if attempted.
If I gave up, then you know that all avenues short of suicide have been examined..
But, I'd seen one just like it west of Robert, farther west on US.190.
That's where I would go. I went back up La.25 to 1077 and rode it down to 190 which I took
to Robert. I continued west out of Robert toward Hammond. I crossed the Tangipahoa eyeing the targeted train bridge to my left. I stopped and sized up the available approaches. There were none I saw then from US.190.
Was I foiled again?
Hell, no. I went on down the road where I saw the sign above.
I pulled into the campground. This official looking fella eyed me and I eyed him back with my un-official, friendly, I need help expression, radiating. I asked him if there was access to the bridge from his property and could I use it. He said there was but I would have to send him some pictures.
He was also lawsuit worried. I think that subsided eyeing my old and frail situation. I did assure him that if I fell off the bridge I would not sue him due to a broken neck or drowning. He pointed the way to the bridge. Of course I did not get the simple instructions correct after having them repeated three times. I missed the bathhouse on the first try.That was OK since it gave me that gradual, savoring approach to the prey I so enjoy.
The white sand and dark winter water gave me a chance to shoot Mz.Guzzi. As you know, she demands that. I was at the swimming beach having missed the turnoff to the road that leads to the bath house where there is a trail that leads to the bridge which is between me and the US 190 bridge which is the white road bridge you see crossing far down the river.
I just want to be clear so you can follow along.
My little camera has a great zoom lens on it. This is taken from the beach, also.
Actually getting to the bridge would not be so simple, as the directions imply.
I retraced my route back to the fork in the "road" I'd missed which went to the bath house. I rode there and parked the bike. I saw the described trail, de-helmeted and began my hike. The Indiana Jones thing overtook me. This was getting good. Lake Ramsey was completely forgotten.
There was still adventure to be had here, the kind of adventures I had as a kid and I'm sure you did, too.
I've been wondering if I like adventures for their own sake or is it the act of reliving the feeling that those youthful adventures brought?
Wake up, let's go.
The old trestle can be seen above. The bridge could be barely seen through the tangle to my right. If the summertime foliage had been present, this would have been a lot harder and a lot more scary. "Snakes, I hate snakes".
I started to hear the clickity-clack, clickity-clack. A steam whistle was blowing.
Would there be the ghost of hobos past haunting this perfect hobo jungle?
I made my way to the river and hung out on a tree for a clear shot of the bridge.
The trail stayed below the bridge. The official guy had told me that people jump off the bridge every year and break their necks. I saw no way to climb the bridge to break my neck.
Look at the span this bridge has.Can you imagine a bazillion pound locomotive and cars crossing it. You know the thing had to have swayed and stretched and shook. It looked downright flimsy to me.
Since I was below the bridge and did not seem to have a shot of actually getting up on it, I kept shooting. I don't think this is a great shot. Many aren't, they are just "what I saw". Conveying "what I saw" is what this website thing is about, just in case you thought I was getting to be an artsie-tartsie photo-file.
I walked under the trestle again, measuring my chances of climbing one
of the supports for a good shot of the bridge as it would be seen coming down the line. That diagonal beam looked like a good ramp to me. I'd give it a try, always mindful of the "broken neck" possibility. Up I went, clinging to the soft, rotting creosote beams. I imagined snakes sunning on top. This was going to be dirty.
I popped my head up looking away from the bridge. I hadn't planned very well. The shot below is looking west away from the bridge down the trestle about 12 feet off the ground..
Now do you see why I was worried about snakes. I cleaned off the place where I would try to twist around and sit for the pictures of the bridge.
The next consideration was to stand up and take a shot.
The beam I was sitting on was very soft. That consideration was forgotten.
Twisting and getting down was the next trick which worked.
There is more to the west. Here is a trestle. Don't laugh, these are highly sought among rail archeologist.
The rails were probably stripped 46 yeas ago.
And the Tchefuncta R.'s unreachable bridge via Google Earth. Its situation is unknown.
There was another bridge across the Tickfaw, west of Hammond.
I'll insert it here since we are looking at rail bridges.
They've been replaced.
Hammond is a historic town with interests on many levels.
Of course you know where my interests lie.
Seems I was going around in circles.
Here are some clips off the net.
In 1854, the New Orleans, Jackson & Great Northern Railroad (later the Illinois Central Railroad, now Canadian National Railway) came through the area, launching the city's emergence as a commercial and transport center. The point where the railroad met Peter's trail to Springfield was at first known as Hammond's Crossing.
The current Amtrak station in Hammond was built by the Illinois Central Railroad in 1912 and designed by the railroad’s in-house architects. The depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a component of the Hammond Historic district. Built of deep brown-red brick, the station is in the Queen Anne revival style, with a dominant octagonal tower and elaborate molding and archways and boasts the original cove molded ceiling.
The station complex is currently owned by the Hammond Chamber of Commerce. It was renovated for the Chamber’s use by Holly & Smith Architects in 2008. The main station building houses the chamber, the former restaurant houses a Court Clerk, and the former freight house, extensively remodeled, houses the current Amtrak waiting room and ticketing facilities. Holly & Smith received the 2008 AIA New Orleans Award of Merit for Historic Preservation/ Restoration/Rehabilitation for its work on the station.
In 1854 the New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad reached Hammond, establishing “Hammond Crossing”, a flag stop a block away from the current depot. The railroad immediately began to bring economic benefits to Hammond, prompting Peter Hammond to sign a contract with the railroad requiring that all trains passing through Hammond call on the station.
From AP Wire:
DEON ROBERTS
HAMMOND, La. (AP) _ Train tracks have been a fixture here for decades
and a reality for anyone who has walked or driven the city's streets.
Likewise, architectural remnants of the railroad heyday _ from the
middle of the 19th century until about the middle of the 20th century _
still exist downtown.
One of those buildings, an old freight depot, might soon be put back
into commerce and placed on the Historic Register if a local
businessman's vision becomes a reality.
John Wong, a restaurateur who owns Trey Yuen Chinese restaurant and
other buildings in Hammond, is behind a project to covert the old depot
into a seafood restaurant. He also would like the building to be put on
the Historic Register, a move that would grant him a 20 percent tax
credit on the renovation expenses.
Wong's son, his brother and his nephew are also collaborating on the
project. Some ideas include a seafood buffet and sushi and oyster bar.
The restaurant would seat about 450 people, including about 200 in a
banquet room.
Restoring train tracks and placing old rail cars on them is another
concept that is still being developed. The cars could be part of a
railroad museum.
City officials are excited about the building being renovated, because
the part of town in which it exists is not well_traveled by pedestrians
or shoppers. The restaurant could provide an anchor that would draw
people to the area, bringing it to life and possibly attracting other
businesses.
``This is going to be a major anchor,'' said Marco Monoc, executive
director of the Downtown Development District.
The freight depot did not always exist where it is today. Sometime in
the 19th century, a combination passenger and freight depot existed on
the east side of the tracks, near where the parking malls are today,
said Tom Davidson, a local historian and train enthusiast.
Then, in 1911, a passenger depot was built on Railroad Avenue, where
the current Chamber of Commerce is housed. That left the freight depot
alone until 1922, when a work order was made to move it to its current
location.
It cost $9,115 to move the depot and expand it, with the work being
done by the Illinois Central railroad company, Davidson said.
Four years later, on Nov. 29, 1926, the depot caught fire and burned
to the ground. At the time, the damage was estimated at $50,000. In no
time at all, a temporary depot was built next to the ashes and was
standing in December of the same year, he said.
Although he didn't have a documented cause, Davidson believes the
depot caught fire when a passing train threw a cinder, a theory based on
the fact that between 20 to 30 freight trains were passing each day. On
average, eight passenger trains passed each day.
The temporary depot was replaced in 1927 for $15,486. It operated
until 1962, when the railroad consolidated its operations to the depot
on Railroad Avenue. Since then, it has been abandoned. >
Wong bought the property this year. Officials with the Baton
Rouge_based Louisiana Division of Historic Preservation visited the site
in May, asking Wong and his brother about their intentions for the
building.
The National Park Service would have to approve his plans, but the
state division can help Wong prepare the applications and go through the
process, officials said.
Louisiana has about 30 historic depots left. But only 19 Louisiana
depots are listed on the Register, said Donna Fricker, state coordinator
of the National Register.
It takes about six months to get on the Register, during which time a
state review committee goes over the application at a quarterly meeting.
If the building gets a favorable recommendation from the committee and
approval from the state historic preservation officer, the nomination is
forwarded to Washington, D.C., where the Department of the Interior
reviews it.
The Keeper of the National Register in the Department of the Interior
makes the final decision. So far, it looks like Wong's proposal might
make the cut, said Jonathan Fricker of the state division. ``This has a
good case. Old train depots are now quite rare,'' he said.
Wong wants to leave the building as authentic as possible. Some things
will have to change, though, like the bathrooms, which would not comply
with contemporary code.
He wants to put a deck around the approximately 9,000_square_foot
building, also.
Some parts of the ceiling beams will have to be altered because of
fire damage, Wong said.
The building is mostly cypress and hard pine. Wong wants to leave as
much of the original wood as possible.
=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org
Holden
A "Big Deal" .... Bayou Rail Car, Inc.
Up the road from 190 is this. I have fallen into the Tickfaw R. Somehow my hands were onshore and my feet were in the canoe as I gave instructions on how to board or exit a boat. My fellow sailors were somewhat amused.
Livingston History as remembered by an old friend.
Denham Springs
The Denham Springs Depot is located at the yellow stickpin. Its orientation may have been changed.
I think I remember that its location was changed. There is a suspicious looking scar at "Was Depot".
Was it a turning wye?
On April 24, 2004, at 6:30 PM, the Central Fire Protection District #4, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana Fire Department was dispatched to a grass fire.
Upon arrival, fire crews found the railroad trestle crossing the Amite River was on fire. With the nearest road .7 miles away, the trestle is in a remote location.
Teams used a 4x4 brush truck (2002 Ford F-350 single rear wheel, 150 gallon water tank, 5 gallon class A foam tank), along with a 250 gpm floating pump fed by the river.
(News reporting cannot get better)
Investigation determined that lightning from a thunderstorm hit the steel structure igniting the wooden poles on the elevated portion of train tracks. The railroad was notified and all train traffic was haulted.(sp!) Personal from the railroad arrived on site to survey the damage and stated that it would be take (?) about two weeks to repair the structure before the railroad tracks could be opened to trains.
I told you I'd keep you awake. Notice the firemen in active warfare.
Wonder if the 2002 Ford F-350 single rear wheel, 150 gallon water tank, 5 gallon class
A foam tank, along with a 250 gpm floating pump fed by the river went up in flames with the bridge.
The firemen had to make this run from Central, an all too familiar location.
Central is a clog and a speed trap.
And, if you go north on La.37, with its rediculous 45 mph speed limit, don't become complacent,
the "man" is there to take you away.
Central is a clog and a speed trap.
And, if you go north on La.37, with its rediculous 45 mph speed limit, don't become complacent,
the "man" is there to take you away.
After the fire the bridge began to sag.
East Baton Rouge
The Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad Company Depot is located at 100 South River Road. in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was also known as the Illinois Central Railroad Station. The building currently serves as the Louisiana Arts and Science Museum.[2]
The architectural style of the building is considered Classical Revival.[3] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 (Building - #94000463)[4]
IC-333, a 0-6-0 steam engine, and several passenger cars are on display just outside the building.
Picture taken from old La.Capital Building.
Was this so Huey Long could board his train?
I have no idea where this was, oh, Baton Rouge.
The original means trains got across the river.
There were 2 ferries, not operating at the same time.
This is the newer one.
I'm not sure which depot this was. It isn't the one above. Maybe the original KCS depot?
And this one is neither. Kinda gives me that Bayou Sara feeling.
................................................. Sorry, the needle broke.
Now, the ICG is known as the Canadian National RR, sadly.
First thing I see, after going to the 00-L School of Location Identification, is that the tracks are going uphill.
That would signify to me that the location where the photographer is standing is downhill from there.
Around the Huey P. Long Bridge at Baton Rouge is a wonderful location.
Notice the truck has just hit the rail overpass.
East bound after getting off the bridge in Baton Rouge.
When I was young I saw a truck stuck under this bridge, could not move.
Some smarty took the air out of the tires and drug it through.
If you forget which bridge gets hit, look at the west bound lane of the same bridge, It's the CN bridge.
Funny how fate works.
Still heading east.
Westbound
The right lane is the Suicide Lane.
Coming down on the west bank.
Going up on the west bank.
Train direction is not apparent. This is the east bank.
Possibly a "Bob Currie" picture?
Oh, Oh, if taken from the engine, the train would be east bound.
Man, when that OO-L School kicks in, it is violent.
There they go. I don't know what this write was but it took place between Slidell and Baton Rouge.
"Baton Rouge to Opelousas" will follow. Then after that will be "Opelousas to Texas".
Until then you can get an outline of what is to come by reading the ride report, below, "US 190 in Louisiana", my first stab at following a map. Being pretty straight, US 190 was not that hard.
