New Orleans, LA: CSX/L&N Railyard

(Satellite)

Street View, Jan 2021

Since the 1950s, the yard grew south into the swamp and then they removed the tracks from the southern part. I did not spot any intermodal activity on the satellite map.

1951/53 Little Woods and Spanish Fort Quads @ 24,000

safe_image for Patrick B. Harris III Flickr

While the SW1500 in the photo is X-L&N, the pic is actually about the L&N lift bridge through/over which it is passing. This bridge is at the west (railroad south) end of CSX ---formerly L&N---  Gentilly Yard in New Orleans East. 

The bridge spans the Navigation Channel connecting Lake Ponchartrain to the Mississippi River and stands next to the I-10 high-rise bridge (the giant structure looming in the background). 

Since Katrina, the lift bridge has (to my knowledge) been closed to vehicular traffic. That's a shame for area railfans since I used to zip back and forth across it tracking trains from the Louisa Street crossing down into the yard and then driving back up Almonaster Avenue to set up again. 

CSX 1105 X-L&N 5005 SW1500 passes under X-L&N lift bridge counterweight under I-10 West of CSX Gentilly Yard late afternoon 03-1995

Rick Smith: That's the Almonaster Avenue Bridge, named after the roadway which passes over the bridge. It also carries a double set of formerly L&N tracks flanked by one lane on each side. When the bridge was built, Almonaster Avenue didn't exist, but the bridge served to reconnect Old Gentilly Rd. (severed when the Industrial Canal was opened). The nearby CSX (ex-L&N) Gentilly rail-yard got its name from the namesake roadway.

As Patrick Harris stated, this bridge remains active for rail use, but not roadway traffic, since the roadway lanes were damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The Almonaster Ave. Bridge currently is one of only two remaining Strauss Heel-trunnion bascule bridges that cross the Industrial Canal, the other being the Seabrook Bridge (NS). The Alomonaster is the only Strauss Heel-trunnion bascule ever built for the L&N, which generally chose swing-bridge movable spans systemwide where needed during the early 20th century.