User:Amtrak Guy 124/sandbox

New Iberia Railroads
In the early 1850’s, when the New Orleans, Opelousas & Great Western's line was being planned from New Orleans to Houston through New Iberia, the entire section along the Teche was much interested in procuring the rights-of-way for the expected railway. In New Iberia, these were secured along what is the present course of the Southern Pacific Railroad's Sunset Route, but the railroad did not come to New Iberia until 1879.

In 1854, Harvey Hopkins, having donated to the railroad the lands for the right-of-way through his plantation and also the depot site, switch, tracks, wharves and the like, created out of the lower part of his plantation the Hopkins Addition to New Iberia. This track was the former MoPac spur between Main Street and the SP depot and the parallel siding which extends to the Bayou. This was made for connections to the steamboats. It was not built until 1879, but boat-rail traffic connection remained.

On August 28th, 1879, the railroad was constructed in New Iberia at the 125th milepost marker of the route. Later on, in February 1880, the NOO&GW depot was built. The depot changed owners over the decades, including the Morgan's Louisiana & Texas railroad, then the SP fully acquired the M&LT in the 1910's. When Amtrak acquired the Sunset Limited in 1971, it became a SP/Amtrak depot. It sat abandoned until 1987, when the LDRR was formed. The LDRR used the depot as their main facility.

The First Train to New Iberia
On July 4th, 1880, the first NOO&GW/ML&T train ran from New Orleans to New Iberia for a whopping fare of $2.00. About 3,000 people flocked to get tickets for this, but the train could only fit 1,200. After 4 trains departed from New Orleans, all the people were out to New Iberia. The train was expected to arrive at 1:00 p.m. For three hours, the train was not seen. At about 4:00, a boy shouted “The Train! The Train!” Festivals started around 4, and lasted until 7 p.m., when the first train left town back to New Orleans. The second train left at 8 p.m. The other two trains had gone their own ways, the third being a mail train headed to Lafayette, and the last turning around at Morgan City.

After the First One
The route was used greatly by the railroads that owned it.