I spent last week visiting some of GWR's railroads last week (I have a very understanding wife). Here is what I have to report:

Port Allen: Security was so tight that I could not get close. I was able to see a switcher that was being kept very busy.

The Bay Line – wood chip traffic is down – other traffic seems to be holding well. Saw about 100 freight cars parked on the HS south of Dothan and near Cottondale.

Louisiana & Delta – lots of carbon black and refinery byproducts, like naphtha as well as pipe for new pipelines. Some of the other tank cars could be hauling some of the ingredients that they use for the drilling mud that is used for drilling new wells. They are glad to get out of a contract that they were losing money on hauling sugar cane.
The manager told me that they are expecting two more locomotives to help with the demand.

Arkansas, Louisiana & Mississippi –North of Monroe they were unloading pipe. It could be for the natural gas field in the area. The major paper mill is closed down at Bastrop and a few freight cars parked there.

Fordyce & Princeton –The plywood mill has slowed down at Crossett but there was still quite a bit of activity. Again, security was very tight.

Columbus & Greenville – THe Severstal steel mill is still coming up to speed at Columbus – a lot of coil cars parked, waiting to be loaded. New highway and bridge construction around Greenville is still adding to inbound shipments of concrete and gravel. Looks like a good year for rice and other grain shipments from Greenwood – saw a long string of covered hoppers waiting top be loaded. The roadbed that is east of Greenwood is so covered with Kudzu that it is going to be a major problem to clear. They are scrapping out some freight cars that are over 40 years old, but no extreme number of cars parked.

GWR may be down, but I don’t think that it is out. I understand that the Portland & Western is putting some cars back into service that they have stored.



Larry