As some of you know, I'm currently in Georgia working a 13-week assignment for a small hospital in Cordele, about 60 miles south of Macon, where I was at last summer. I drove out here from Texas on April 1, leaving the house at about 3:45 AM and following I-20 for a large chunk of the distance. I hit heavy fog at about sunrise when I got to Shreveport/Bossier City, and couldn't see much more than the traffic in front of me (thankfully, very little of that, as it was Sunday morning). However, once I got east of Bossier City I was able to see more of the countryside, and around the Gibsland exit the skies were again blue, if somewhat hazy. Seeing as how I remembered the Louisiana & North West had shops at Gibsland, and this was the shortline that used to run F-units in the 1980s, I got off the I-road and headed south a ways, approaching the sleepy little town of Gibsland. The only person I saw on the street was the pastor of a small church opening the doors and getting things ready for services. I crossed the KCS tracks, went a block, turned left, drove another block, parked my car, and approached the LNW shops. No evidence of the F-units (they were long gone), but I did get pics of the smash gate used to guard the LNW/KCS crossing: Facing northwest or so on the LNW, across the KCS line. KCS/LNW interchange track on the right, another int. track splitting off to the left just ahead, the main line to McNeil, AR going off straight ahead. Looking west on the KCS's Meridian Speedway towards Shrevport/Bossier. The small signal on the left turned green when a westbound KCS train approached later. The signals you see on the LNW and KCS are not in service, and are turned away from the tracks. They'll be cut in at a later time. GP11 55 on the shop track. It's listed as a GP9u elsewhere, and is ex-Illinois Central. I stand by the GP11 designation, as ICG's GP11s had this type of cab similar to the 35, 38 and 40 series diesels EMD built. GP7u 53 beside the shops, missing batteries. Seems like these ex-Santa Fe rebuilt Geeps are everywhere....Sorry about the haze, but I was just out of the fog, and unfortunately I don't have a haze filter for this camera. Well, that, and I didn't want to press my luck on the tresspassing.
GP40 57. I couldn't see into the shop to see what else they had, and if there is any other power, it's most likely up at either Homer, LA or McNeil, at the north end (UP interchange, former Cotton Belt line). A look at a spare Blomberg truck. A god look at some of the KCS main just east of the LNW diamond. And they run heavy freights over this..........but if you'll notice, a bundle of ties lies nearby for installation by a track gang, as rehab of the line progresses west. Closeup of the sign (with LNW logo) outside the shop.
I heard a whistle east of town announcing the arrival of a KCS freight, so I positioned myself to take as good a pic as I could considering the heavy tree cover, haze, sun angle, etc (it was about 8:15 in the morning). I noticed the train had stopped about a mile east of town, but wasn't sure why until it showed up: Led by an SD40-3/SD40-2/SD50 lashup, the train clumps acorss the LNW diamonds and passes what must be a train order signal. It was pulling a long cut of boxcars, which it would leave at a small yard on the west end of Gibsland, before picking up a cut, backing to the rest of the train, and continuing on to Shreveport (formerly called Deramus) Yard. With it's exit, I also left, resuming my journey east to Georgia. COming up soon: reports on some of the shortlines I've seen in the Peach State, plus more action on the CSX and NS in Cordele.
Interesting pictures. Thinking about it, since their F units went away, we don't hear a lot about this operation. Boxcab E50
I have a video at home with two of LNW's F-units piloting a train from McNeil south to Gibsland, with an ex-IC caboose on the back. Yeah, since the F's left, the motive power has gotten bland, but the railroad still stays busy, running over the same 61.5 miles of track it's had for over 100 years.
