I'm heading down to NOLA in a few weeks, and I have been given a few hours trackside. I've heard that Central Ave was a good spot, so I'll probably head there. My main targets are CN and KCS. I've seen that KCS operates intermodal out of the port, and maybe CN as well. I was wondering if anyone had any insight as to when I should go trackside. Also, if anyone has any info about NOPB runs to the port from NS/CSX that would be much appreciated as well. Thanks in advance!
If you want to catch CN & KCS, staying on the northern side of the Central Ave crossings will be important. There are about 5 separate crossings on the stretch between Karen Ave on the south and Heaslip Ave on the north. You can park underneath the Earhart Expy in the midst of all these crossings. There's a UPS Center on Firestone Rd, so you need to stay out of their way....
CN's Mays Yard is just to the west of Central Ave. There's a ballpark off of Airline Drive, just north of Mays Yard, which may offer a better view of the north side of the yard. It looks like Stable Ave is the name of the access road to the park. The IM tracks are on the south side, though. I didn't have time to check this out myself, so I'm just going from what I see on Google Earth.
The southernmost Central Ave crossings are at the east end of the Huey P. Long Bridge. When I was there last November, UP had trains lined up EB on the Bridge waiting for clearance (mostly to cross the CN and head for CSX, I believe). I only got out at night, so I can't say much about the frequency of daytime action on the CN/KCS or where to be for the best sun angles in early spring.
I think the NOPB has their own website, but there's only a few spots where you can get a good look at operations. One is near Canal St & the French Qtr. The other is near Monticello Ave & Oak St and then along Leake Ave. I have some so-so NOPB pix I took from the 27th floor of the Marriott on Canal St.
You may want to check You Tube and also look for some Nawlins railfan sites for more info. Hope this helps.
Did you get to Nawlins? If so, how was your railfanning experience?
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