Today is Wednesday 14 April 2021, and I got a few shots of some Port Rail action in Lake Charles this morning.
The rainstorms today were dramatic, with the lightning and the sound of bowling above, but this storm caused some fatalities, as, tragically, a boat in the Gulf Of Mexico near Grande Isle capsized.
On Monday, I spied several empty lumber cars Monday on the way to the automobile place. Yesterday, back near Bayou Vermilion, we met with the architect. Today, I am back in Lake Charles, and I got The Duke’s prescription medication at that pharmacy by McNeese State University.
I got set up for the shot at the office building at West Walnut Street, and I had a rather unpleasant experience. A woman from the title company came outside on what apparently was a smoke break, and she asked me if I was there for a title or a closing, and I said “no.” Then she asked about what I was doing there, with a camera, and we talked about taking pictures of trains, she talked to me about photography, and she also lit up the damn cigarette; I could not escape from the godawful smoke, and, so, I went in that little side hall to get the telephoto shots that I did of the Port Rail train shoving around the southern side of the port to go and pick up the lumber cars.
Here is a cropped version of that image.
Eleven minutes later, here comes the train with the lumber cars.
Wow, look at this!
I have never seen more than one loaded lumber car on a Port Rail train here, but this train has four of them!
Yes, it’s cloudy here.
Next, I will do the first telephoto shots of the day.
We are at Ethel Street.
I parked in the parking lot of the Imperial Calcasieu Museum, which was closed, and I’m taking pictures that can be shown in the museum!
I like the street-trough running, but you knew that already.
Let’s look at the loaded centerbeam flatcars!
These are Mercer products, either from Norway or Germany.
I like this going-away shot.
Next, we are in the rain at 4th Avenue.
I like the raindrops in the shot.
After dropping off these cars, the locomotive left the interchange yard light power to return to the port. There were two crew automobiles there at the interchange yard, too. This combination of factors surprise me, but I wonder if it’s something that something to do with the weather and with not wanting to bring cars to the port when they are safer in the interchange yard. Of course it could be because there are no Cars to bring back!
Anyway, I then went to get The Duke’s medicine, but, on the way there, I got the shot of the 2134 at Lake Street on its way back to the port.
I like the lighting here.
That’s all.
One year ago today, the second-to-last train to the rice mill in Abbeville ran.
That’s all for today.
Jim
