Located in northeast Louisiana are the twin cities of Monroe and West Monroe. Like Shreveport and Bossier City, the cities are very much different. West Monroe is more of an open minded city while Monroe is strict. The UP's mainline passes through Monroe from Little Rock, via McGhee, Arkansas down to Alexandria, LA. Traffic can be heavy at times, but the KCS is the show to watch. Located on the Transcontinental line the KCS runs lots of traffic through the area. A fair size yard is located north of and parallel to I-20 very close to the downtown area. The rodeo arena is located at the west end of the yard and east of the KCS fuel rack. The UP is south of town off of US-165. Yard power is kept there and occasionally some road power will sit waiting for crews to arrive. This section of the site will highlight a couple of nice spots along the KCS eastward to the Mississippi state line.

The KCS local uses GP40-2, x-CN widecabs as seen here in this Oct 16, 1999 shot at the west end of the KCS yard in Monroe, LA. This train is approaching the UP/KCS diamond, just ahead. The KCS mainline passes behind the train in the photograph on the track next to the trees.
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Tex-Mex 1166 is headed east out of the yard area and on to Vicksburg, MS in this Sept 11, 1999 photograph. The yard and mainline are located adjacent to US-80. Highway US-165 crosses over the east end of the KCS yard near I-20. Lots of TFM power and Tex-Mex can be spotted on the Transcontinental line of the KCS.
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A UP southbound coal train sits at the south end of the Monroe UP yard on Mar 21, 1999 waiting for a new crew to arrive. This is a crew change point and trains can be spotted parked on either end of the yard waiting for crews. UP traffic can be disappointing at times, but you can spot some of the newer high horsepower units on some of the trains as seen in this shot.
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Just east of town the KCS has an nice, photographable, old wooden trestle on the KCS Transcontinental mainline. A siding is located just to the right of the picture, making this location a good place to catch trains. This westbound mixed freight is just entering the town of Tallulah, LA on this Sep 11, 1999 day. The Delta Southern diamond is just ahead.
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A pair of SD's pass through cotton country in this Oct 3, 1999 photograph in Delta, LA not far from the Mississippi stateline. This is a westbound headed for possibly Shreveport or points north from there.
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