Slightly OT - Railroad trestle burns just outside of Sacramento

1600 feet of 100 year old cresoted bridge timbers. Union Pacific must be in serious emergency mode.

Some great pictures here, especially #16

I had to drop our youngest Swab off at the Sac airport at 4AM today, took a nap in the station wagon by the river so i could hit the junkyard when it opened before going home to the mountains. It was quite a plume of smoke. We have had some huge fires around here, but you can't really see the sky with all the trees.

Which junkyard?

Pick n pull on Stockton. Got some parts for my 81 Benz diesel wagon cheap. It's a 2 hour drive to Sac, so i try to do a few things every trip.

Will it be rebuilt in timber (if at all?) - it would be hard to get enough decent timber to do something like that nowadays.....

Andrew VK3BFA.

Word has it they are going to use pre-cast concrete 'bents'.. claim they are going to have one way traffic up in 10-14 days and then get the second line going in another 14 days...

It's a real PITA for them now... all the traffic is getting diverted to old Wersten Pacific trackage that's single line... Ya know I find it amazing that they kept the old WP rail alive.. if this was still SP and not UP I bet things would be totaly dead...

FWIW I had to fly up to Concord last friday and I saw what had to be a 150 car drag going up Niles Canyon...

--.- Dave

I used to go up to Oroville and hop the UP shift train heading for Portola up the Feather River gorge. One of the best rides in the country and no passenger service. I suppose after 9-11 there is security in the yards.

Right you are, that IS one of THE most beautiful pieces of trackage around.. I honestly think the UP managment keeps it alive so they can run private 'excursion' trains up it... A few years back I was flying the same route to Concord and caught a UP A-B-A consist with a combo baggage, domeliner, and private car running up the Niles route.. figured they were headed for the Feather River route.. Was wild to see those old F units if full UP yellow and gold crusing along.. I did a couple of 360's and dropped a bit low to chase em.. :-)

Latest word is they have a good portion of the burned out trestle cleared and are moving in new bents as we speak...

Too bad the weather is shit tomorrow, I'd make a flight up there to check it out, maybe later in the week...

--.- Dave

Where do you fly out of? I'm training at Mcclellan (KMCC) in Sacramento.

Monterey KMRY,

Own a '64 Cessna 182.. N2455R.. Wife is IFR rated, I'm just complex.... 182 got me hi-perf, T-34 got me complex :-)

Go here for pic of her and me and 55Romeo, and notes on another goofy hobby I have.

--.- Dave