| The first station stop for the CRESCENT after leaving New Orleans is Slidell, Louisiana. Slidell owes its existence to the construction of what was then the New Orleans & Northeastern Railroad across Lake Ponchartrain into New Orleans. The NO&NE went from New Orleans to Meridian, Mississippi. Today, it is the southwestern leg of the Norfolk Southern Railway's vast empire. Here in Slidell, several people board the train on its daily northward journey. |