The Sunset Limited, almost finished its trip from Los Angeles, crosses the Mississippi River at the Huey P. Long Bridge in Jefferson. Photo is from the 1940s. Southern Pacific operated the Sunset Limited until the line's incorporation into Amtrak in 1971.
Travelers who wanted to go further east from New Orleans could get to Atlanta and the Northeast on the Crescent Limited, or to Jacksonville, FL, on the Gulf Wind, both operated by the Louisville and Nashville RR. Amtrak's Sunset Limited absorbed the old Gulf Wind route in 1993, when the Sunset Limited was extended to Miami. The route was subsequently shortened, and now the train runs from Los Angeles to Orlando and the Mouse.
There's nothing like the sensation of driving across the Huey P. Long when a train is on the bridge. It's a very odd feeling, and very unnerving to those uncomfortable on high bridges in general.
