The BNSF maintains a large yard on the northwest end of Lafayette, LA. Situated between I-10 to the north, US90 to the south, LA3184 to the west and University Ave to the east. Great pictures can be had at either end of the yard. The mainline runs east and west for the most part, but after departing the yard on the east end, runs north and south through the downtown area. The "remains" of the former SP station can be found by following the Amtrak signs. The UP and the L&D have trackage rights on the BNSF, so you might see just about anything passing through Lafayette. Photos from the nearby cities of New Iberia and Morgan City are also included in this section. Lafayette is also in the heart of Cajun country offering plenty of good food and music to enjoy when your train watching day is over.

What an assortment of paint schemes in this Dec 6, 1999 photo taken at the BNSF Lafayette, LA yard. That's also a nice assortment of power as well including; a BN GP50, ATSF B23-7, a BNSF GP30, and a BN SD40-2.
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Here's a closer view of that great looking GP30. According to Charles Biel, who has great BN/BNSF/ATSF websites, he believes this is only one of two GP30's repainted into the BNSF heritage paint scheme.
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BNSF 4475 west is waiting at the west end of the yard as it's crew makes final checks before departing Lafayette in this Nov 29, 1999 scene. I caught the same train headed eastbound, minus the blue/yellow unit, the day before in New Orleans.
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The wood trestle is now gone, replaced with a concrete structure by the BNSF. This westbound "SP" freight with CSX power is just minutes from reaching Morgan City, LA in this Dec 17, 1991 photo.
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An eastbound SP double stack crosses the old wooden trestle just east of Morgan City, LA in this Mar 1, 1991 scene. I have seen some artist renditions of this location painted with steam engines in daylight colors crossing this same trestle. It's a shame it's now gone.
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The L&D maintains a small yard just west of New Iberia, where they interchange with the BNSF. In this May 27, 1997 shot, L&D 1504, a CF-7, is switching a couple of cars. A carbon black plant is located south of the town of Baldwin, about 20 miles east of New Iberia. I believe the L&D has only one engine painted in the Operation Lifesaver paint scheme.
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What an assortment of colors as seen in this afternoon shot on May 27, 1997. Trains magazine said it duplicated what was on file, right. Pictured are the MA PA TO (named after a sugar mill just east of town), the Mountain Laurel 13, and the L&D 1503. The MA PA TO switcher is a privately owned engine and the 1825 on the engine cab is the date the sugar mill was founded. The U T are the initials of the owner of the mill, and the engine.
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