Hi. It’s Tuesday 9 July 2019.
At the homestead in the middle of a hot day, The Duke alerted me to the sound of train horns off in the distance.
So, I went in search of a train, and I found this.
The LDRR 1709 had just pulled those five hopper cars at right from the rice mill and was spotting the cars at left.
Hey, big truck!
That tank car is loaded. It is bound for Coastal Chemical on the return trip and arrived in town with the cars that the 1709 is spotting at the mill.
This is the Louisiana & Delta Railroad’s Abbeville Branch, and the last time that I saw a train here was a memorable rainy day in April.
The boxcars are a treat, as, most of the time, there are no boxcars here, and I do wonder if these are the same boxcars that I saw yesterday on the UP New Iberia Turn at the Bayou Sale siding.
The boxcars carry bagged rice, shipped to I-don’t-know-where.
Now, the work spotting the cars at the mill is completed, and the 1709 and the tank car leave.
Hey, look, that is Peartree riding the tank car!
The locomotive is now back almost to the main track.
Let’s see a cropped version of that image.
I like this view, with the mill in the back, whereas I often dislike outside-of-the-curve shots.
Yes, I am being redundant here. I am sorry.
Okay, Peartree has dismounted the tank car, apparently to line that switch at right before lining the one to the left of the frame where the two tracks at the left frame meet.
Here he is lining the switch at South State Street.
Did I mention that it was really hot today?
Now, Peartree protects the shove, as the 1709 and the tank car move to couple to the five cars pulled from the mill, an act that will complete the building of the outbound train.
So, I need to get ahead of the train so that I can find a shot, right?
What do I do now? The lighting is bad, but that presents me an opportunity of sorts. Since there are no other options, there is no “good light” to waste on a “good shot” somewhere.
I am satisfied with the results there. The lighting wasn’t great for that shot, but it wouldn’t have been any better at any other shot.
The train is crossing Duroq Street here. The sun is high in the sky, this being midday a few weeks after the summer solstice, and about the only thing that I can do is get the train against a dark backdrop.
In these last two pictures, you can see the remains of spur that went to what looks like a gravel tipple. I would liked to have seen that spur in operation.
Okay, the lighting situation is not going to get any better, and it’s just too damned hot to be out casing trains. So, that will be all for this chase, for this episode. I am hot, sweaty, in need of water, and in need of a shower.
I hope that you enjoyed the brief show.
Jbx
