| The head-end brakeman on westbound Espee train First 241 was poised to snag his orders at the Raceland Junction train order office, as a couple of young railfans and their mom looked on. These folks had come out to see Amtrak's TRANSCONTINENTAL STEAM EXCURSION, with FREEDOM TRAIN 4449, which had just passed a few minutes earlier. The locomotives on First 241 were U33C's 8659 and 8664, along with SD45 9095. Later in the day - at Lacasine, Louisiana - First 241 would overtake the excursion train and the 9095 would be cut in behind the 4449 because of a problem with the steam engine. The tracks in the foreground are the beginning of the Lockport Branch. |