| Looking south on the KCS towards Leesville Yard at the yard office. GP9's 4165 and 4164 are tied up on the left, and GP7's 4161 and 4154 are next to them. The pairs of geeps or other local power were used on two locals that ran out of Leesville Yard: the Many Dodger and the De Ridder Dodger. Technically, the former had the duty of serving as far north as Loring, and the latter as far south as Singer; but traffic needs seldom actually took them beyond their namesake stations.Typical traffic consisted of wood chips picked up at the Boise sawmill and plywood mill at Fisher and Florien, respectively, by the Many Dodger and later delivered to the Boise newsprint mill at De Ridder by the De Ridder Dodger; pulpwood picked up from other companies' wood yards at such places as Anacoco and Hawthorn for later delivery to Boise at De Ridder; out-bound products from the Boise mills at Fisher, Florien, and De Ridder; grain for the Shell Beach chicken feed mill at Many; plastic pellets to and from the Ampacet mill at De Ridder; and, of course, empty cars to and from all of the above.The De Ridder Dodger also ran the Fort Polk Branch as needed to handle routine transportation of a few cars at a time. When there was a larger need for major moves into and out of Fort Polk, KCS would send extra power down from Shreveport to handle it. This tended to happen in spells when the Army would have something going. |