| It's 10:20 A.M. and this special edition of the westbound GULF COAST LIMITED (No. 23) is stopped on the Southern Railway BACK BELT at the Elysian Fields Avenue overpass. In addition to No. 23's typical consist of a P30CH and three Amfleet cars, F40 274 is on the front while extra coach 21068 and inspection car 10000 are on the rear. The extra equipment was in the midst of an inspection tour that had begun in Atlanta on the 9th. The little train ran over the former West Point Route to Montgomery, up the former L&N to Birmingham and then down to Mobile; where it was added to No. 23.All of those people standing next to the train are making sure that the last two cars are being successfully uncoupled so the train can continue on to its destination at New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal. Southern Railway MP15DC 2413, seen here waiting on the Freight Lead, delivered the last two cars to the ICG at East Bridge Junction, where fresh-serviced F40 279 was waiting. From East Bridge Junction, the train ran over the ICG to Baton Rouge; and the next day it continued on to Shreveport over the KCS. |