FL9

Today we see the North Louisiana & Gulf train from yesterday’s post arriving in Gibsland to interchange with the Louisiana & Northwest and the Illinois Central Gulf.  This photograph was easy to frame up as I had a log car on the right representing normal traffic on this line, and a pair of L&NW’s EMD F-units on the left in front of their diesel shop.

The NL&G train crossed over the ICG to drop off and pick up cars for both local railroads, and afterwards we see the three MP15DC’s dragging their train back south over the gate-protected ICG diamond.  Compare this shot to the one thirty years later of the crossing in the Louisiana Shortlines gallery and you will see how little things have changed in this scene.

For Thursday’s post I’ll scan a few more NL&G slides, and then I’ll go looking for some of those neat L&NW F-units.

The North Louisiana & Gulf ran south from a connection with the L&NW and the ICG at Gibsland to Hodge, LA where it connected with the Rock Island and served a large paper mill.  On May 14th in 1977 deep in the forest we see three of their four EMD MP15DC’s with #42 leading on a northbound road freight near Bienville, LA heading for Gibsland.

Later at Bryceville we see caboose #46 bringing up the rear and nearly dwarfed by the oversized wood chip hopper ahead.

Today this section of rail is operated by the Louisiana Southern, a WATCO Subsidiary.

In the United States camp cars are a thing of the past now, but back in the 1970’s and earlier many of the big maintenance of way gangs on a railroad actually lived for long periods of time in bunk cars that moved to where the work was being done at any given time.  In Nuevo Laredo in 1974 it looked like residency in these cars might be of a more permanent nature.

The previous cars looked like palaces compared to this bunch.

That is all of my shots of the NDM, but I did find some other interesting slides filed under “N” right behind them that I will share tomorrow.

The age and simplicity of some of the equipment at Nuevo Laredo across the Texas border in JUly of 1974 was incredible.  Here is a wooden car on a steel frame I photographed that I’m not sure what it was used for.  A boxcar?  A caboose of sorts with an open top cupola you stuck your head out of?  How about some guesses!

At least these were more recognizable as cabooses, although they had obviously seen better days.

I will finish up the visit to Nuevo Laredo tomorrow with two shots of camp cars.