| This was a view facing south along the Southern Pacific's ALEXANDRIA BRANCH at Opelousas, Louisiana. The cars on the left were on the Union Pacific interchange, and the crossing with the UP’s main line from southeast Louisiana to southeast Texas was just past those tank cars parked on the SP main line straight ahead. SP GP35 6566 was switching the Lou-Ana Foods vegetable oil processing plant, which was on both sides of the SP track. The ALEXANDRIA BRANCH between here and Alexandria – which included trackage rights over the T&P/MP/UP between Cheneyville and Alexandria – was abandoned in 1984, while the line between here and Lafayette was abandoned in 1993; but the Acadiana Railway owns some former SP track in here in Opelousas. |