| This derelict log skidder was parked along the New Orleans Public Belt near Walnut Street for over 60 years, but it was finally scrapped by the railroad shortly after this photo was taken. The NOPB felt that it had become an eyesore and a liability once the bicycle path in the foreground was completed. Before the bike path was created, the skidder was usually covered in thick vegetation, and most people didn't even know it was there!According to a long-time New Orleans railfan, the late Ed Gebhardt, the skidder was probably brought here by the Bisso Towboat Co., which was located right behind the photographer, on the riverside of the Mississippi River levee. Mr. Gebhardt recalled that Bisso dealt in used railroad equipment as late as the 1930's, and that the skidder had been parked in a 2-track yard right here for as long as he could remember. The yard was long-gone when this photo was taken, and soon the skidder disappeared too. The fire extinguisher must have been someone's idea of a joke! |