Canadian National train to cut into July 4th party

• By JARED JANES
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Jul 2, 2008 - Page: 1B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Hours before fireworks light up the sky and aircraft bombard the USS Kidd with simulated gunfire in the museum’s annual World War II show, those arriving early for Baton Rouge’s Fourth of July festivities on the Mississippi River levee could be treated to one more display of force.

A Canadian National Railway Co. locomotive trailed by more than 100 freight cars is expected to slowly lumber along the tracks beside the Kidd around 4:30 p.m. Friday, said Maury Drummond, executive director of the USS Kidd Veterans Memorial and Museum.

The train will travel slowly and be flanked by officials walking beside it to ensure no problems arise while it travels through a downtown area that could be highly populated by that point, authorities said.

The train is a daily occurrence on the tracks outside the Kidd, Drummond said, but railway officials have traditionally been able to run the train earlier or delay it for Fourth of July festivities.

That will not be the case this year as authorities have been told to expect the train between 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Friday, but Drummond said he does not think the train will be a major disturbance or cause any safety hazards.

“I’m looking at it as an extra attraction,” Drummond said Tuesday. “We’ve got fireworks, trains, planes, hot dogs, hamburgers and shrimp on a stick.”

Railroad officials declined Tuesday to discuss specifics about the train’s route, size or schedule, but Baton Rouge police spokesman Sgt. Don Kelly said the department — which is coordinating public safety efforts for the festivities — has been told to expect the train between 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.

The Police Department’s Traffic Division is coordinating with CN to move the train safely through downtown, Kelly said, and he expects it may cause a brief inconvenience but no serious problems.

Police have also announced an increase in manpower, along with using deputies from the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s and the City Constable’s offices; cameras; and new lighting, audio and visual towers, to prevent problems in the wake of two shootings after last year’s event.

Patrick Waldron, the railway’s U.S. manager for public affairs, said CN crews are aware of the Fourth of July celebration in Baton Rouge.

He asked residents to respect the train by crossing only at designated public crosswalks and obeying all safety devices, such as gates, whistles and lights. Waldron emphasized that railroad lines are private property.

“We’ll be working vigilantly to keep the situation safe,” he said. “But we’re asking residents to obey the law and not trespass.”

Drummond said he would have preferred if the railway did not run the train during the afternoon, but he added that CN has agreed to delay an evening train until about 11:30 p.m. and not disturb the fireworks display presented by The Advocate and WBRZ-TV Channel 2 and sponsored by Bayou Pontiac, Buick GMC Dealers.