Working rail roads and their tracks.

[buckeyefarmer]

Train track ran up the middle of a street in the town near me. They built a new spur line a few years ago to replace it.

 

[caver]

Buckeye, There's still an active one through La Grange KY. It's a 24/7 streaming video. You can rewind up to 12 hours. There's a train through every few hours. The write up claims about 14 trains a day.

 

[the old grind]

I found another railfan site that posted five days ago a two part video of replacing tracks in downtown LaGrange, KY. I haven't found Part 1 yet but here's part 2.

Be aware that you will see metal grinding and saw-cutting in the video. Replacing Street Running Railroad Tracks, LaGrange, Kentucky Part 2 - YouTube

Sparks are everywhere. You just have to look for work being done.

:tractor:

 

[Hay Dude]

Great video:thumbsup:

 

[BoylermanCT]

Hey! In west Duluth MN is an interesting bridge we've crossed under a few times. We used to reside in Duluth. Its on top-bottom bridge with a RR on the top called the Oliver Bridge.

I'd feel better if they put the cars on top. Not sure I would like that much weight above me!

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Cool 2 deck train car bridge over lake oroville in CA. On the northern end of the bridge the train tracks enter a tunnel. Look for Rt 70.

 

[cqaigy2]

My wife told me of a time, when she and her twin sister, were taking their parent station wagon, into Mt Vernon Wa. She says her sister and her were talking and driving, she hears, a loud horn sounding, right behind them, she jerked the station wagon to the right and stomped on the brakes. A train engine slowly goes by them, she said the guys in the the engine, were laughing so hard an hanging out the side, that they might fall off.

 

[MossRoad]

Cool 2 deck train car bridge over lake oroville in CA. On the northern end of the bridge the train tracks enter a tunnel. Look for Rt 70.

I know there's a RR roundhouse in Oroville, but I can't find a combination car/train bridge. I followed route 70 up and down quite a bit. Can you find it on a map? Sounds neat.

 

[bcp]

Several places in Oregon have trains in streets. Here's one.

Bruce

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I know there's a RR roundhouse in Oroville, but I can't find a combination car/train bridge. I followed route 70 up and down quite a bit. Can you find it on a map? Sounds neat.

Over the lake
South end shows tracks going under road bridge



North end tracks comes out tunnel at Rich Gulch. Lots of tunnels on that line.

 

[bcp]

West Branch Feather River Bridge

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=West+Bran...sb&atb=v169-1&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

Bruce

 

[bcp]

Road-rail bridge in New Zealand

Bruce

 

[MossRoad]

Over the lake
South end shows tracks going under road bridge
View attachment 650556

North end tracks comes out tunnel at Rich Gulch. Lots of tunnels on that line.
View attachment 650559

Thanks. I didn't look that far north.

Google earth has a small problem with the south end of that bridge. :laughing:

But the north end shows it pretty clear.

 

[the old grind]

Moss, those pics resemble some of my scenery work on Bob's HO layout.

Yeah, there's something about pasting together satellite pics taken from different angles. They're even more noticeable when adjacent shots are from different times of the year. I can tell when my place was last photoed by what was parked in the yard and where. Big white truck gets parked in a different spot ever year.

Unfortunately there are no mine tracks left from the sand/gravel pit days here in the '70s and '80s.

 

[caver]

Part of an old rail spur for logging near St Joe Idaho. Note tree growing out of top of tunnel.

 

[Hay Dude]

Moss, those pics resemble some of my scenery work on Bob's HO layout.

Yeah, there's something about pasting together satellite pics taken from different angles. They're even more noticeable when adjacent shots are from different times of the year. I can tell when my place was last photoed by what was parked in the yard and where. Big white truck gets parked in a different spot ever year.

Unfortunately there are no mine tracks left from the sand/gravel pit days here in the '70s and '80s.

When I walk the old abandoned tracks in my little community, I notice an area where there are 50-100 LONG lengths of track just sitting in a pile.
What is the value of it and why doesn’t the railroad want to retrieve them? They are easily accessible

 

[ArlyA]

When I walk the old abandoned tracks in my little community, I notice an area where there are 50-100 LONG lengths of track just sitting in a pile.
What is the value of it and why doesn’t the railroad want to retrieve them? They are easily accessible

Dependents on who owns it and by that I mean if they feel like selling it or not, the price of scrap steel and its accessibility. Right now the price of scrap is close to zero.

 

[Hay Dude]

Dependents on who owns it and by that I mean if they feel like selling it or not, the price of scrap steel and its accessibility. Right now the price of scrap is close to zero.

Is track that’s been sitting for 45 years still useable? Or is that considered scrap? Also wondered why some abandoned rails are left there and some are taken up and reused? I’m guessing track that’s in below average condition isn’t worth picking up? I’m sure accessibility is part of it. Or maybe it’s the #/foot it weighs?
It looks pretty good. It’s not buried in wet ground.

Amazing that much iron would be left to rot into the ground instead of recycle or re-use!

 

[dfkrug]

Amazing that much iron would be left to rot into the ground instead of recycle or re-use!

Well, like a lot of public works projects (if that is one) there is no one incentivized to save money, or recycle unused or used materials. Same may be true for large corporate projects.

I got all my #9 rebar for my house build from piles of it left over from building the light rail in Santa Clara, CA. At 70# per stick it was heavy and difficult to load and transport. Steel scrap prices were low (as they are now), and handling costs were high. I think I got 2 or 3 tons.

In retrospect, I paid nothing for the steel, but I overpaid. If I did it over, I would have just ordered it from a steel supplier and had it delivered, as I did for the other rebar I bought.

 

[the old grind]

"When it costs more to cut up and haul steel than its scrap value .."