It’s late Thursday afternoon, 15 August 2019, and I am in New Iberia, scoping out what is happening on the track, mainly trying to ascertain when the Abbeville Branch might be served again, since it was last served one week ago today, but soaking up whatever scenes and information I can while I am here; you will see that “soaking” is a good word to use for this afternoon!
Well, I do see a couple of rice-mill hopper cars in the yard, but I see something else worth photographing on this rainy afternoon, too.
That is an eastbound loaded BNSF Railway crude oil train, bound either for the crude-oil-by-rail terminal in Raceland or the crude-oil-by-rail terminal in New Orleans, with BNSF 4904 leading and a 2×3 power arrangement passing the interchange yard.
I really like that. I really don’t care for these unit crude oil trains, but the lighting effect on the tank cars combined with the flooded road and ditch in the foreground really make the image.
There were some really neat-looking skies and scenes there this afternoon.
The LDRR 1712 was working the interchange yard and then ARA, and the LDRR 1707 was building the Abbeville Branch train and then dragged the train and the LDRR 1847 on the siding southeastward toward the depot.
Yep, more than a week after bringing a train of only six empty hopper cars to Abbeville, all that there are to bring to Abbeville are two empty hopper cars and the first tank car that Coastal Chemical will get since July 25.
In the above images, I am standing just west of where the Missouri Pacific Railroad branch crossed the Southern Pacific mainline until about 40 years ago, and you can see at the lower right part of the picture the remnants of the roadbed of the connector track to the SP interchange yard.
At the depot, the crew broke the 1847 off of the back of the train and tied it down and then parked the 1707 and those three cars past Pershing Street and went home. Presumably, tomorrow, the Abbeville Branch train will start right then and there.
Anyway, this centerbeam flatcar loaded with what looks like framing lumber is in the interchange yard.
I imagine that this is a mistake, that this car is bound for Schriever for Dufrene Building Material, because I know of no customer around here that gets such cars, though I wish hat there was one on the Abbeville Branch!
It’s getting dark, I got the information that I wanted out of this trip, knowledge about when the Abbeville Branch will be served again, and I should just return to the homestead now.
I checked out ARA on the way there.
I guess that I will take another ridiculously large quantity of pictures on the branch tomorrow. Oh, well.
Jbx
