Drive by Shooting: Lafayette NS Yards

Neat photos Jon, I see the sanding tower in the foreground on the second last photo but what is that interesting looking factory in the background?
Obviously no heightened alert for this yard like it say for other railroad places after the terrorist attack in Spain
 
It's Staley's, the corn syrup plant. We have two fo these in town, both served by rail.

Not much security there. In fact, by state law, I'm not trespassing, because the fence is not locked (wide open) and it's not posted. I would rather not be discovered, because if they choose to verbally tell me not to enter their property, I would from that time forward be trespassing if I did enter. They fenced it off about two years ago and diligently kept it locked up for about two weeks.

The yard lead, south of the crossing that I've shot a lot of the pics from, is fenced on both sides with a gate on the end. No business reason to ever open that gate, but it's never even locked. I guess they take a diesel down there and get a pizza for the crew from the Pizza King (PK!) just outside the gate.

All these fences and a bunch of landscaping went up in an effort to make the railroads "disappear" from Lafayette as part of the major "Railroad Relocation" project. Another part of relocation project was to move hte main line to the new "Corridor" along the river, so as not to inconveniance the natives.
 

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Here we have one being built up on one of the A/D tracks. I guess there are 10 or fifteen of those autoracks going under the overpass, and extending onto the yard lead, where I was walking yesterday.

These A/D tracks loop around 180 degrees and pass over the highway I shot the pic from. This is quite a grade. Then it goes quite a ways before joining the main somewhere in the rail corridor. I've seen these autoracks going from beyond the crossing where I've taken some of the shots (the lead), under the overpass I was on while taking this photo, looped around the horseshoe curve and over the highway, and extending as far as I could see.
 

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Great shots, Jon!

Really like the shot of the Amtrak station in Lafayette.

It's a real shame they had to rip up the Monon street running.

Keep up the good work!
 
TY Brian! Ya, I kinda miss dodging freight trains on 5th street :D

Todays excitement is the fact that the yard is covered in snow this late in winter. Certainly not unheard of, but not real common either. In a few more weeks, the liklihood of snow diminishes to near zero. Our Canadian friends would probably laugh at (or cry about) such predictions:D
 

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Jon,Thanks again for posting these pictures..Please keep them coming,:D I am getting real interested that that yard as I see many modeling possibilities..

That track that crosses the other track by the sanding tower is that part of a wye?
 
Very interesting Jon. So do you just hold the camera in your right hand and click away while steering with your left on that overpass.
A superb collection of photos my friend.:thumb: :thumb: :thumb:
 
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