10-08-1995: 20 Photos From the CSX Gentilly Yard In New Orleans

I shot several rolls of film on 10-08-1995 at the east and west ends of CSX Gentilly Yard and its approaches. This is one of them shot in mid-to-late morning light with my Nikon.

These pixs were shot at the west end at Jourdan Road. The beige building in the background was the then-Nestle (now Folgers) coffee facility. In the mornings the smell of coffee was often as strong as the diesel exhaust. The grey buildings are the lift towers for the now-infamous Danziger bridge. The giant pillars behind the SD40-2 are supports for the enormous I-10 high-rise bridge from New Orleans East to Gentilly/New Orleans proper.

KCS #687 SD40-2 snoot east at Jourdan Road and into CSX Gentilly Yard below the I-10 high-rise bridge and south of the Nestle Coffee plant New Orleans LA 10-08-1995

KCS #687 SD40-2 snoot east at Jourdan Road and into CSX Gentilly Yard below the I-10 high-rise bridge and south of the Nestle Coffee plant New Orleans LA 10-08-1995

KCS #708 SD60 rear view in Operation Lifesaver scheme  eastbound into CSX Gentilly Yard at Jourdan Road New Orleans La 10-08-1995

KCS #708 SD60 in Operation Lifesave scheme eastbound into CSX Gentilly Yard at Jourdan Road New Orleans La 10-08-1995

CRLE #3094 very new 2743cf Thrall gondola B-end at Jourdan Road immediately west of CSX Gentilly Yard New Orleans La 10-08-1995

CRLE #3094 very new 2743cf Thrall gondola at Jourdan Road immediately west of CSX Gentilly Yard New Orleans La 10-08-1995

GATX #57090 tank car on CSX at Jourdan Road immediately west of CSX GentillyYard in New Orleans La. 10-08-1995

SOO #515852 auto rack on CSX at Jourdan Road immmediately west of CSX Gentilly Yard in New Orleans La. 10-08-1995

C&O #358159 X-MP 4-bay hopper on CSX at Jourdan Road at the west end of CSX Gentilly Yard in New Orleans La 10-08-1995

CSXT #245548 X-SBD nee-SCL 4000cf PS2-CD on CSX at Jourdan Road immediately west of CSX GentillyYard in New Orleans La. 10-08-1995

CSXT #249762 X-L&N 4-bay covered hopper on CSX at Jourdan Road immediately west of CSX GentillyYard in New Orleans La. 10-08-1995

CSXT #247494 X-SBD 3-bay centerflow at Jourdan Road immediately west of CSX Gentilly Yard New Orleans La 10-08-1995

CSXT #247984 X-FL LO-2-A 4600cf centerflow on CSX at Jourdan Road immediately west of CSX GentillyYard in New Orleans La. 10-08-1995

NATX #87017 tank car on CSX at Jourdan Road immediately west of CSX GentillyYard in New Orleans La. 10-08-1995

CSX #1148 MP15 and CSX #1109 SW1500 drill cars side by side under the Jourdan Road flyover at the west end of CSX Gentilly Yard New Orleans 10-08-1995

TTOX #135090 Front Runner with empty APL-Genstar #425050 chassis on CSX at Jourdan Road in CSX Gentilly Yard New Orleans LA 10-08-1995

 MP #272035 DF-70-27 86' auto parts box car B-end  marked HOME SHOP FOR REPAIR DO NOT LOAD being switched at west end of CSX Gentilly Yard New Orleans LA 10-08-1995

MP #272035 DF-70-27 86' auto parts box car marked HOME SHOP FOR REPAIR DO NOT LOAD being switched at west end of CSX Gentilly Yard New Orleans LA 10-08-1995

At the east end of the yard:

SP #699375 50' PCF 1.5 plug door RBL at the east end of CSX Gentilly Yard New Orleans LA 10-08-1995 

GACX #48386 50' airslide at the north end of CSX Gentilly Yard New Orleans La 10-08-1995

GVSR #136034 Golden West RBL at east end of CSX Gentilly Yard New Orleans LA 10-08-1995

 DRGW #61607 PCF RBL at east end of CSX Gentilly Yard New Orleans LA 10-08-1995

This is #61607 eleven years later in faded Golden West paint and relettered back to DRGW.

03-01-1999 CSX, UP, Guilford/HATX, NS Motive Power + Rolling Stock

As late as March, it is still possible to railfan CSX's Gentilly Yard. It runs east-northeast (railroad north) to west-soutwest (railroad south), so the sun is still low enough at mid-day to shoot. I was able to catch this power in the yard before the sun's height made the shadows too prominent.

 CSX #8143 SD40-2 idling at north end of CSX Gentilly Yard in New Orleans La 03-01-1999

UP #445 C30-7 side view idling at north end of CSX Gentilly Yard in New Orleans La 03-01-1999

  

UP #445 C30-7 idling at north end of CSX Gentilly Yard in New Orleans La 03-01-1999

HLCX #5059 X-Guilford/MEC nee-Detroit Edison SD40 idling at east end of CSX Gentilly Yard New Orleans 03-01-1999

HLCX #5059 X-Guilford-MEC nee-Detroit Edison SD40 rear view idling at east end of CSX Gentilly Yard New Orleans 03-01-1999

At the west end of CSX Gentilly yard I caught these cylindrical hoppers being moved as a UP train was being set up to be run over the Huey P. Long bridge to UP's Avondale Yard.

CSXT #225327 ACF 3-bay cylindrical hopper at the west end of CSX Gentilly Yard New Orleans La 03-01-1999

 CSXT #226045 ACF 3-bay cylindrical hopper at the west end of CSX Gentilly Yard New Orleans La 03-01-1999

I moved just west of CSX Gentilly Yard and caught the train heading west to UP's Avondale yard. Much to my surprise, it stopped and sat on the main immediately east of the Louisa Street crossing. While it was very common to see eastbound trains pausing west of the crossing to get clearance to proceed into Gentilly, it was VERY unusual for a westbound to stop short of  Louisa Street. This move blocked several streets including westbound Almonaster Avenue, which handles a lot of 18-wheeler traffic.

UP #3190 SD40-2 idling just east of the Louisa Street crossing parallel to Almonaster Avenue on CSX with a westbound train heading for UP's Avondale Yard New Orleans La 03-01-1999

UP #509 C30-7 idling just east of the Louisa Street crossing parallel to Almonaster Avenue on CSX with a westbound train heading for UP's Avondale Yard New Orleans La 03-01-1999

SSW #9641 GP60 idling just east of the Louisa Street crossing parallel to Almonaster Avenue on CSX with a westbound train heading for UP's Avondale Yard New Orleans La 03-01-1999

 LMS #733 C40-8W idling just east of the Louisa Street crossing parallel to Almonaster Avenue on CSX with a westbound train heading for UP's Avondale Yard New Orleans La 03-01-1999

CSXT #25672 3-bay cylindrical hopper on CSX along Almonaster Ave in New Orleans 03-01-1999

AEX #4183 covered gondolas in glass service on CSX along Almonaster Ave in New Orleans 03-01-1999

 AEX #4183 side view covered gondola in glass service on CSX along Almonaster Ave in New Orleans 03-01-1999

TILX #610018 Trinity 4-bay centerflow on CSX along Almonaster Ave in New Orleans 03-01-1999 

After waiting for the UP train to move on (which it did now while I was there) I moved on down Almonaster Avenue to Florida Avenue where I found the engine and cars below sitting on the RIP track on the north end of the yard along the west fringe, just north of the car shop. I don't know if the engine had trouble or had pushed the cars there and then been shut down.

NS #8514 X-NW C36-7 sitting dead on the RIP track on the west side of NS Oliver Yard in New Orleans La 03-01-1999

NS #8514 X-NW C36-7 sitting on the RIP track on the west side of NS Oliver Yard in New Orleans LA 03-01-1999

NS #8514 X-NW C36-7 rear view sitting dead on the RIP track on the west side of NS Oliver Yard in New Orleans La 03-01-1999

 MSDR #1101 50' sliding door interior-post box car stretched from 40' box car on the RIP track in NS Oliver Yard New Orleans LA 03-01-1999

HTTX #93850 60' flat car with large CAT load  on the RIP track in NS Oliver Yard New Orleans LA 03-01-1999 

CNW #182118 PS 4750cf PS2-CD on the RIP track on the west side of NS Oliver Yard in New Orleans La 03-01-1999

SOU-NS MOW Wheel Car-New Orleans 05-14-1997

Norfolk Southern's Oliver Yard has a small shop for repairing cars. Part of that role is replacing wheels as needed, and that means that occasionally a car has to journey to New Orleans with a load of wheels to supply the shop. 

The car on this day was SOU #911268, and the build date for this flat car was September, 1938, so it was in its 61st year of service when I shot this picture at Oliver Junction, just north of Florida Avenue and Oliver Yard. If there is one thing that railroads (at least well-run roads) can do, it's squeeze 25 cents out of a nickel. Long after this car stopped earning revenue for the Southern and then NS, it's still providing a vital MOW service. 

SOU #911268 MOW wheel car on the NS at Oliver Junction NOLA 05-14-1997

SOU #911268 MOW wheel car B-end on the NS at Oliver Junction NOLA 05-14-1997

SOU #911268 MOW wheel car wheelo load and rub rail on the NS at Oliver Junction NOLA 05-14-1997

SOU #911268 MOW wheel car COTS stencil on the NS at Oliver Junction NOLA 05-14-1997

NOPB-New Orleans Public Belt 1990s Box Cars

During the per diem days of the 1970s and early 1980s, the New Orleans Public Belt (NOPB) had a fleet of 50' sliding-door and plug-door box cars in an eye-catching peach scheme with the classic belt logo.  Even faded, it was still an attractive scheme.

NOPB #4316 50' FMC SDR box car on CSX at Arts and Agriculture Streets NOLA 09-09-1995

By the mid-1990s most of the NOPB peaches had left the roster, some repainted and others receiving only new reporting marks. The FMC-built cars kept the peach color much better than the PS-built cars which tended to turn yellow with time and some of which looked as much orange as peach.

TASD #79001 X-NOPB FMC 50' SDR box car at Elaine Avenue in CSX Gentilly Yard NOLA 04-02-1996

HS #5301 X- NOPB 50' PS SDR box car on CSX at Elaine Avenue NOLA 12-23-1995

HS #5322 X- NOPB 50' PS SDR box car on CSX at Elaine Avenue NOLA 12-23-1995

QGRY #77029 50' FMC XP Plug Box Car [Possibly X-NOPB] on NS in Bellevue, OH 08-2005

The Pacific Northwest region provided many of the cars the NOPB picked up.

NOPB #6427 X-SCNT FMC 52' DBL-SDR box car on CSX siding south of Almonaster Avenue below Jourdan Road flyover New Orleans LA 04-1995

NOPB #6401 X-McCloud FMC DBL-SDR box car in the CSX Gentilly Yard at Elaine Ave 11-12-1995

NOPB #6424 X-McCloud FMC 52' XP DBL-DR Box Car on NS North through Oliver Junction NOLA 05-18-1996

NOPB #6428 X-McCloud FMC 52' XP DBL-DR Box Car on NS North through Oliver Junction NOLA 05-18-1996

NOPB #6448 X-McCloud FMC 52' XP DBL-DR Box Car on NS North through Oliver Junction NOLA 05-18-1996

X-RBOX cars also made an appearance on the NOPB box roster.

NOPB #5005 X-RBOX 50' FMC SDR box car at Jourdan Road in CSX Gentilly Yard NOLA 04-02-1996

NOPB #5010 X-RBOX 50' Berwick SDR box car CSX Gentilly Yard 01-14-1996

The NOPB then picked up a number of X-Southern 50' sliding-door, exterior-post box cars.

NOPB #7025 X-SOU PS 50' SDR  box car south on NS through Oliver Junction  NOLA Summer 2000

NOPB #7031 X-SOU PS 50' SDR  box car south on NS through Oliver Junction  NOLA Summer 2000

NOPB #7090 X-SOU PS 50' SDR  box car south on NS through Oliver Junction  NOLA Summer 2000



NOPB #7056 50' Exterior-Post Box Car X-SOU NS Oliver Junction New Orleans 04-09-1998