Today is Thursday 1 April 2021, one year to the day after I got my “Just A Fool To Believe” post, and, today, I got the kinds of pictures that I had hoped to get yesterday.
Two days ago, I got a memorable “hat trick” of Acadiana Railway action on the branch from Eunice to Crowley, a Kansas City Southern Railway train coming off of the Lake Charles Subdivision in DeQuincy, and a Port Rail train here in Lake Charles moving wind-turbine blades.
Yesterday was really rainy, but today was clear, and I got some shots of a more normal train leaving the Port Of Lake Charles.
So, here I am at Lake Street, and here is our train this morning, with the GMTX 2134 leading.
The train has 14 cars.
There is a tank car at the end, and the rest of the train is hopper cars.
In front of the tank car was a block of BNSF hopper cars. Right before it was a block of three UP hopper cars. Before it was a block of five ITLX hopper cars.
That was neat, even if not that great.
Next, we are at Ethel Street, where we get a much cooler view, a telephoto view, of the street-trough running along West Sallier Street.
I love it!
Next, I am at Kirkman Street, the first time that I do this shot.
It’s not that great; so, that may be the last time that I do this shot, even if I would photograph much more on this line, which doesn’t seem likely.
Next, I am at 2nd Avenue.
I do love this view.
I am being repetitive here again, but, again, I love this view.
Also, note that the lighting right now is almost perfect for this shot.
This was the first time in months that I use a monopod.
Next, I set up for a shot at Gerstner Memorial Drive, a shot that I think that I have done only once before, the first time that I photographed a train on this line.
Here is a northward view on Gerstner, which is also Louisiana Highway 14.
Here comes the train.
I am again, being repetitive, but, again, I think that it’s worth it.
I am actually surprised at how well these views turned out, because I was just doing this shot to go through the motions.
Yeah, the lighting is starting to get harsh, as it is April now, which means that foam season is really over now.
Well, this was fun, but it needs to come to an end.
A half-hour later, at 11:07, the westbound run left the yard with seven cars, all hopper cars, UP, BNSF, and lease cars.
That’s all for foaming this morning.
I went by Chenault yard, and I saw the UP 543 with a northbound train north of Broad Street.
Late in the afternoon, at about 18:30, I went out by the Chenault yard to photograph what was there, which I had seen earlier.
The locomotive is BNSF 8475.
The wind-turbine blades seen here may be the blades that I saw two days ago.
I like the telephoto view here.
Aren’t these “wings” neat?
Notice that it takes two and a half of these 89′ flat cars to carry one blade.
At about 18:40, the auto start on this BNSF 8475 went on and stayed on for a while. I wonder why it kicked on, when it was attached to no cars.
Yes, these are self portraits.
Here are some shots through the fence.
That grain elevator in the background is where the old Missouri Pacific Railroad line was.
Again, note that there are two blades per five cars.
Let’s look back at the locomotive.
The locomotive needs to be cleaned!
I, too, need to be cleaned.
I left and noticed that an eastbound train was running on the mainline. I raced to the Highway 397 crossing, and I did my first-ever train shot there.
CSXT 5335 was the lead unit and the only unit on the front of an eastbound manifest train that turned north onto the ex-MoPac Lake Charles Subdivision at Iowa.
Before it got there, I took this picture looking east at the junction, Iowa Junction, from the US Highway 165 bridge, showing how UP straightrailed its own mainline and making the BNSF Railway line, the former Southern Pacific line on which the train above is running in the picture above, the diverging route.
A black police car with no headlights on passed me while I was on the Highway 165 bridge. I hate the act of driving without your headlights on, especially at this time of day.
Here comes the train.
That’s a good way to end the pictures for the day.
It’s Holy Thursday. I got two original chicken sandwiches with extra mayo at the Burger King in Iowa. I paid with cash.
Thanks, and don’t expect much more in the way of posts here until the weather cools in the fall.
Peace.
Jim
