| At 4:30 on the morning of 15 December 2001, Union Pacific train Q-LIWX (Livonia-Waycross) was coming off of the HUEY P. LONG BRIDGE at EAST BRIDGE JUNCTION and heading for the CSX via the Norfolk Southern BACK BELT. The train had UP SD40-2 3334, C40-8 9262, SD40-2 3533 and CSX SD40-2 8254 with 119 cars. At the same time, the connecting train between CSX No. 145 and UP I-ATLB (Atlanta-Long Beach) was approaching EAST BRIDGE on the New Orleans Public Belt with an NOPB crew, behind UP SD70M 4662 and C44-9W 9764. Unfortunately, the NOPB crew was asleep, as their train ran a red signal and struck the Q-LIWX about 70 cars back, derailing about a dozen cars on the eastbound train as well as the two units and one car on their own train. When this photo was taken about 12 hours later, a crew from Hulcher was cleaning up the mess. Westlake Polymers car WLPX 44124 was leaning over next to EAST BRIDGE JCT. tower. |