The Atchafalaya To The Potomac After Rich Mountain
Greetings, and welcome to the March 2006 Sampler essay. As seen in the “February 2006 Sampler” essay, I ended February 2006 with a trip to Rich Mountain and back. I would end the month of March 2006 even farther from home.
We will start on the first of the month very close to home.
Wednesday, The 1st
Here, on Ash Wednesday, is Union Pacific Railroad train LLS51 – the Chip Local train – moving westbound at Schriever with HLCX 3953 pulling five gondola cars loaded with pipe and Chip Ledt as the conductor, as Lee and Emile watch by the depot.
The pipe was bound for the North Boeuf spur. I would photograph the train in Chacahoula, in Berwick, where it met the westbound Amtrak Sunset Limited and an eastbound BNSF Railway manifest train, picked up 26 cars of eastbound tonnage – all of which was, as usual, carbon black cars – and ran around its pipe gondola cars, and at Boeuf, where it spotted the gondola cars.
Saturday, The 4th
On this date, I photographed NOPB 151 and other locomotives working a job on the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad and then a westbound train led by BNSF 5419, BNSF 1074, and NS 3272 at Walnut Street in New Orleans.
Then, I photographed Union Pacific Railroad train QLINSB-04 led by UP 3566 eastbound going through the crossover from the Livonia Subdivision to the Avondale Subdivision at CTC Live Oak in Waggaman.
Finally, I photographed an unmolested and fairly pristine Burlington Northern Railroad EMD SD40-2 descending the Huey P. Long Bridge westbound.
I guess that it had been doing helper duty.
Sunday, The 5th
On this Sunday morning, I caught NOPB 1501 leading a train upriverbound on the NOPB along Leake Avenue at Eagle Street.
About an hour and a half later, I caught NOPB 152 leading a short train downriverbound in the same place.
Then, I took the lady friend for a little trip up the river to Saint James Parish.
Saturday, The 11th
There was a little gathering of railroad enthusiasts on this day, I think at the McDonald’s on LaBarre Road in Metairie, and, before or after, we were out at Central Avenue.
Here is an NOPB job going through East Bridge Junction into Canadian National Railway’s former Illinois Central Railroad Mays Yard.
We then photographed SOO 6012 and NS 4806 leading a train with Union Pacific Railroad crew YAV-12 aboard past East Bridge Tower westbound. That was nice.
Tuesday, The 14th
On this afternoon, I was doing some after-work foaming and caught Barney leading a train of about 12 cars out of Gouldsboro Yard in Gretna.
This is the New Orleans & Gulf Coast Railway, and this yard is a former Texas & Pacific Railway yard.
Sunday, The 19th
I photographed three UP trains on this morning at Waggaman-Avondale.
The first was of an FURX 1167 on a yard job on the Drill Extension track at George Street. The second was the MLIAV – Manifest, Livonia to Avondale – moving eastward, railroad southbound, through CTC Live Oak, as seen from Willswood.
Then, at the same spot, I caught an intermodal train moving on the same track in the same direction.
Tuesday, The 21st
In this iteration of after-work foaming, we see NOGC 1039 and NOGC 505 leading a train westbound across the Harvey Canal at Destrehan Avenue in Harvey.
I was in a cranky mood on this day.
Thursday, The 23rd
Here is some more after-work foaming on the NOGC, as children walk on Madison Street shortly before NOLR 2180 leads a train bound for Belle Chasse out of Gouldsboro Yard.
This train had some gondola cars loaded with pipe at the head end.
Friday, The 24th
I don’t remember if I was patronizing the Common Ground Coffee House & Café on this afternoon, or if it was where I decided to photograph this train.
Anyway, that was that.
Monday, The 27th
We were in Washington, DC.
This is the World War II memorial.
Tuesday, The 28th
Here is Chinatown.
We went to Roosevelt Island Park later that day, and that was a great experience.
Wednesday, The 29th
This was my second trip to Gettysburg.
I’d like to return, and I would view it differently now.
Thursday, The 30th
Here we are in the Capitol Rotunda, a place that I once thought was very special.
Yeah, I definitely have become jaded.
Friday, The 31st
I view Arlington National Cemetery, too, differently now, even though I still think that it is hallowed ground.
I remember my youthful optimism well.
Oh, well. I’d be home soon.
Jim
