Train Chase: AMTK Friday

Here comes another one.
Arriving at Cade, a north bound freight sat. That usually
means more entertainment is forthcoming.





Yes, it was the container train. I've seen it down at Bayou Sale
several times.



I settled in at Camp Pratt between Cade and New Iberia (LA)
Mz Mountain Laurel sat there running, also. She'd be there for a
long long time. She may still be there.



What?

You cannot mistaken those horns and it was moving fast.
I thought I'd missed the eastbound Amtrak. It was 3 hours late.













That last car was very strange. My shooting today was
sloppy. Here it is highly magnified. Is it an engine?



The sky was getting very picturesque.



My camera has now started taking pictures on its own.



Some are better than others.



There was a large truck on the road. It looked like a Volvo,
but could have been a White or Freightliner.



Identical cars create a pretty fancy design. Lace curtains come to mind.
Check with your wife first.



I wonder if Dave Robicheaux was moving to a lower floor.



The lone tug sat next to the old scales with the depot in the rear.
You get points for the more stuff you put in a picture.



This one caught my eye.







Heading back north with the storm on my tail I stopped here
and checked the switch before proceeding.



I dove into Spanish Lake.





I wandered up and down Old US 90. The westbound
never came. It is multiples of hours late having just cleared
Bayou Sale around 6:oo pm. At least I'm home. I could be
at some station waiting for a brother in law.
7:14pm: AMTK 44 W has just cleared New Iberia.
Soon Mz Laurel Mountain can go home.

Train Chase: Spedless

On 7/20/2011 1:39 PM, Donovan R wrote in the TrainChasers group exhange: There was a sign that AKDN ran a train between Eunice and Crowley. Flange marks in the dirt at crossings plus 8063 has a long string of cars parked with it. We saw a guy messing around the engine so hoping to see it in action today, maybe. If Sam doesn't get impatient ... we might catch the afternoon Amtrak also.

My Re to Donovan's [trainchasers] A sign of life...
Join Train Chasers and enjoy these lively exchanges.
I replied:

Good luck on your afternoon. I was at West Switch at 10:15 and must have missed the Amtk going east. I stayed until 11:oo. A long misnamed train stopped dead at the switch, head end west. He told the dispatcher he was "tying her up", lights out. Before he said that I figured Amtk was coming along......nope. There he sat with the main line blocked. Evidently it was just a delayed crew change. I thought Amtk might head in at the siding and let the freight exit west like last time, but nothing showed up and I was cooking. Rode down to Cade and New Iberia and saw that Mexican and another engine pulling a small train. They were headed east. Then I made the mistake of heading back through Lafayette to the yard. I think that was my worst outing ever in my whole life. I have never been more grossed out by traffic and urban sprawl, yea,the time I got lost on the 610 in Houston in August with no AC in an ancient van with children crying. I guess that it affected me that way because I lived in Lafayette in the 60's and don't visit much except along the railroad and that's decay, not sprawl, a concept I understand. Got back to the yard and it was dead like a door nail. Hauled it home and here I sit thinking about how I should have been doing something else more enjoyable like painting or mowing. Anyway, if you go to the Pecan Grove crossing (west switch) you can park on the far north side (near the tracks) in Apple's towing or the north side of the tracks in that closed auto repair business. I talked to the guy that owns it and as long as you park near the street he doesn't care. 3:15 to 5:00 pm. Have fun. Bring an umbrella.

PS: I almost went west. I would have if that big freight had moved out. I enjoy easy pursuits and may have tried to get enough ahead to get through Jennings and beat him to Iowa Junction. I laugh when I see them mouth "geezus, it's that dude on the bike again".


Below are the pictures which go with the above text and then a little more text.

A couple of engines sat beneath the overpass (for shade?)
A small train was attached. They never did anything.



Several fellas were busying about.



I retired to West Switch where stuff happens. I'd missed
the Amtrak I think. Nothing much happened for a while.

There were workers down by one of the switches.



Finally, here came a freight.









One of the crew exited. Here we go again.



He piddled around and got back in. That's when I heard
the term "tied her down". I'm glad that was not broadcast
on the PD frequencies.





South of Lafayette, at Elks, the usual assemblage sat.



2000 and Mountain Laural also sat in the L&D yard poised to go.
From the looks of the cars they would be headed to Bayou Sale.



Returning to Old 90, I headed north and saw the Tres Amigos
train headed south in the direction of New Orleans.









I nailed a picture of "the Mexican".
Remember him in Sergio Leone's spaghetti western?



The rest of the story is not pretty so I'll spare you. Instead,
here are some Zoomies.

Here the train came. The light was on, there was hope.



Here the train is being "tied down". Hope dashed.



Having "tied the train down", he returned to report that
the train was "tied down". A discussion about their
limo ride followed. Yep, limos. 40ft. stretchers with 20 inch
wheels.



The two L&D engines waited in New Iberia.



Los Tres Amigos sped eastward. I sped to the yard through
spedless Lafayette and then home. I'm thinking this ride
was a game changer. Like, "find a new game". More or less
later. Don't bet on "more".

'

Now for the song of the day by War: "Low Rider".

All my friends know the low rider
The low rider is a little higher
Low rider drives a little slower
Low rider is a real goer
Low rider knows every street yeah!
Low rider is the one to meet yeah!
Low rider don't use no gas now
Low rider don't drive too fast
Take a little trip
Take a little trip
Take a little trip and see
Take a little trip
Take a little trip
Take a little trip with me

Now, don't you feel chippy? I do.

Train Chase: 3 x AMTK + Swamp

I'd sworn I'd go back to Chastant's Feed Store and get the missed pictures of the Sunset Limited coming into Lafayette from New Orleans. It looked like rain but caught in the rain would be the high point of my day. I didn't care.

At about 3:00 I was there. I'd test the funky old camera
and see if it would take consecutive shots. It seemed OK.
I'd check the best angle. I had 2 choices, one side of the
tracks or the other. There would be no crossing them in
the heat of picture taking. These are looking south toward
the Vermillion River trestle.



No, this would not work. There are two bends in the tracks
where the train would twist and I wanted those shots.
That's the old switch for Chastant Feed.



This is from the other side of the tracks.



Looking in the opposite direction is the Pinhook Rd. crossing.
Evidently the stop sign is obsolete or for the siding.



This is looking back along the side of Chastant's.



I opted to jump the tracks when I heard the horns. Here
she came through the first turn.



Looking closer: Big pic....Click to enlarge.





Looking closer: Big pic..... Click to enlarge.



And through the second.



Looking Closer: Big pic ..... Click to enlarge.



Looking Closer: Big pic ..... Click to enlarge.



I got a few howdy beeps. She loves attention.



And away to the depot she went.



Looking Closer: Big pic ..... Click to enlarge.





I would try to get to the yard but I was too show. At the
BR Junction I set up quickly. There were two L&D tugs
parked on the branch.

















I'd head on to the Lafayette yard's west switch where I'd
seen the standoff the other day. I had expected her to be
long gone. If I would get that earphone hooked up I would have
known she was stopped by a signal malfunction and the switches
were all wrong. These Amtrak guys must live with frustration.



A large man had climbed down from the cab. I think I saw
him trying to fix a switch at Cade a while back. He and a
woman conductor and another man were kicking this switch.
It was the funniest thing I've ever seen on the railroad.

He was coming around the front of the engine.



He had the tool box opened.



Looking closer:



He whacked it a couple of times and I swear, the train
started moving before he was in the cab.



Looking closer:





Looking closer: In the above photo you can see the black
smoke from the engines. That happens when they are revved up.



Notice below. It was under power. This was no freight trying
to attain 25 miles an hour. In comparison it is a dragster.
I gave chase but it was gone.





At the east switch these two were waiting, but they were
not going anywhere. I didn't care. I'd gotten 3 X's AMTK
in one afternoon. Not bad ...... Especially not bad for one hour.









I checked back later and all the lights were off.


I went home by way of Lake Martin.
There's no excuse not to. In one of my favorite viewing spots
here came a tourist boat.







The bird didn't care, either.



Friday afternoon at Lake Martin is somewhat different
than Friday afternoon in Lafayette.