I walked outside to go to the gym today, Thursday 17 October 2019, two days after I returned to this land, and then, at 13:51, to my great surprise, I heard train horns. I then uttered the sentence that is the title of this post.
I guess that the gym will have to wait.
So, I arrived at the mill after the work there was done and the train was about to leave.
I was prepared for a confrontation with the Rispone-supporting owner of the business at the corner of Railroad Ave and S State Street.
There is Peartree! I surmised that the tank car, to be set out at Coastal Chemical on the return trip, was the main reason for a train today, since, obviously, even a week after the previous train, the mill has only three cars, one of which isn’t even loaded (it’s bad ordered), to send out.
I was told that my hunch was more or less accurate!
LDRR 1846 left New Iberia with two empty hopper cars for the rice mill and a tank car for Coastal Chemical, the only Abbeville cars that had arrived in New Iberia in the last week, picked up the four empty hopper cars at Erath that were set out there by the train one week ago today, and arrived at the mill where only three cars of the 11 that were there were pulled, one of which was another bad ordered car.
Yes, in one week, the mill had only loaded two of the 11 cars that were there; this year’s rice harvest was off due to Hurricane Barry.
There is Peartree! We again had the NI1 crew today.
So, what you see in the image below as the train approaches Duroq Street is the return trip, with the LDRR 1846 pulling one loaded tank car for Coastal Chemical, one empty hopper car that was rejected by the mill, and two hopper cars loaded with rice, while 14 hopper cars, the maximum that can be spotted at the mill, are sitting at the mill now, waiting to be loaded.
This year’s rice harvest has been negatively affected by Hurricane Barry.
The weather today is cool and cloudy, a hugely welcome relief.
I like this location, because it’s easier here to imagine the much more lengthy trains, including some passenger trains, that ran on this line ‘back in the day.’
I am being repetitive here, but my repetitiveness here has an actual specific purpose.
I am to show you the evidence – mainly crossties – of a spur that went to some gravel or cement place just behind me.
I wish that I could have seen that action!
At 14:23, I am hoping that motorists have their headlights on as I am about to do this highway shot where Abbeville meets Erath.
Some do; some don’t.
This isn’t really working, because the highway is too bright.
What do you think?
I don’t know what to do.
But, as I so often say, I am here, and so is the train.
That is the credo of the indecisive railroad photographer.
Now, this is better, now that the train is passed the point of tangency with the road, and that the train is short enough to fit into this shot.
I don’t remember exactly why I gave up chase after this last shot, but I did.
I guess due to the confusion surrounding how this outing started, not being out looking for a train, I didn’t have my tablet with me, and that was annoying.
I then went to the gym, but only to use the bathroom, not to work out.
I like this weather.
I was back at the homestead and making a turkey sandwich shortly after 15:00.
That’s all for today!
Thanks!
Jim
