For many years, the locomotives that arrived in New Orleans on the Southern Railway's southbound piggyback train No. 219 went back out on northbound No. 222. This usually worked well, but if No. 219 was running late, the railroad would take one or two locally-assigned geeps and head out with No. 222. When the two trains met, they would swap locomotives, and everything would return to normal. On this day, the local unit - GP38 2736 - only had to go five miles with No. 222 before it met No. 219 at the Airport crossover. Here, No. 219's power - SD45 3154H and 3169A, and SD35 3061X - has uncoupled from its train and is pulling up next to the 2736. The crews will swap engines, the engines will swap trains, and then both trains will be on their way. The drawbridge in the background crosses the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal at Milepost 190.6. |