Long Leaf, Louisiana
Red River & Gulf RR
April 22-23, 2010
To correct or add additional info please contact me at: RioGrandeDude @ SmittysHouse.net (no spaces)
At 1600, Friday afternoon, I set out east... to Long Leaf, LA for a weekend of workin' on the railroad. Saturday morning I had the pleasure of meeting Louis Salliard, the man that bought and donated the M4 to the Southern Forest Heritage Museum in Long Leaf. I was fortunate to capture Louis on film piloting the M4 for the first time. After returning to the Depot I took my first load of paying passengers out on the line. That's something I'll never forget! After lunch, Everett I retrieved a few hundred pounds of rail spikes from the woods near Sandersville Crossing while Bill and David worked on the former SCL S2 motor car's engine. They successfully started it for the first time in about 10 years.
Early Sunday morning Everett and I took the M4 out to survey the line for all the spots that will need the attention of future work parties. Before heading home we measured the degrees of curvature for nearly the entire loop. I made it back to Spring about 5:00 PM, completing another fun weekend workin' on the railroad.
Saturday |
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Looking east from the main road crossing. The grade is near 4% here |
Main road crossing |
Looking west towards the main road crossing. The M4 is headed east.
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Extra M4 East |
Louis Salliard (the donor of the M4) is piloting this run |
Everett & Louis chatting about M4 |
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Louis piloting the M4 towards the Commissary and near the UP Main |
Everett taking the M4 to Sandersville |
Current end of the serviceable track near Sandersville Crossing
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On the west side of the tracks facing Sandersville Crossing. Several partially scrapped pieces of rolling stock were abandoned here in the 1960's when the RR shutdown. |
East side of the line looking south at the M4 near the Sandersville road crossing. The tracks at this point will be returned to service some day. |
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East of the line looking north |
Mainline Jct - MP 13.1 |
M4 at the Commissary Depot The UP Main is on the left. 5-6 trains per day roar through Long Leaf. |
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Looking RR east from the Depot |
Looking RR west towards the depot |
M4 at the Commissary Depot |
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Left - Everett Lueck (Conductor) Center - Me (Engineer/Motorman) Right - Loius Salliard (M4 donor) |
Dave, Bill, and Everett work to get a former Seaboard Coast Line S2 running. This pop-car's engine hasn't turned over in a decade. After about 2 hours they managed to get it fired up. Click here for the video. |
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The Saw Mill |
M4 coming out of the woods |
RR&G MP 13.0 |
Heading towards Sandersville Note restoration work on the 1919 McGiffirt Log Loader |
Long Leaf at Night
One of the perks to being a volunteer is getting to sleep in the town at night. It's really a peaceful, quiet place. There was only a half-moon this night, so I've lightened these photos a bit. |
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The Engine House |
Looking south from t he Planer Mill |
The Saw Mill |
The Lumber Storage Shed & Motel |
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The Planer Mill
Sunday |
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M4 Up close & personal |
M4 along side the Engine House
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The Museum recently acquired and erected this fire tower |
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I didn't climb all the way to the top due my completely irrational dislike of arachnids. However, I did go high enough to get the shots below. |
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The RR&G Station Agent's House |
I've been experimenting with PhotoShop techniques to back-date some of my photos |
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This is my tribute to Roger Hogan: here is a red-headed woodpecker doing what a woodpecker does; peck wood. |
Before heading home, Everett and I measured the degrees of curvature for all of the curves on the loop. |
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