Working rail roads and their tracks.

[Hay Dude]

Such a fun thread!

Agree.
To many of us, Railroads are Americana.
Huge iron and steel creations of early industrial engineering.
Pioneering people who laid the tracks.
Hard as the work must have been, it must have been gratifying to see the first engine & cars run the tracks.
I was looking at pictures of my area from 1904 when photography was sharp enough to really capture the amazing construction of these railways.

 

[ovrszd]

I've Jeeped on some old railroad tracks high in the Rocky Mountains. Alpine Tunnel SW of Buena Vista Colorado has a "museum" in the old station house at the top of the pass. Great place to visit. No locks on the doors. No one present. Lots of pictures and memorabilia hanging on the walls. Had a turn table up there too. Quite a place. Requires some quiet reflection to truly appreciate it. Altitude above treeline, probably somewhere around 11k ft.

 

[ovrszd]

Here's some pics we took on the way back down. Bad weather was moving in but you get the idea. Several Palisades. Hand stacked rocks. The one in the pic is 100ft or so high. High enough that you can't make yourself step up on the edge and look down.

Tremendously difficult working conditions to build these railways thru the mountains.

 

[Hay Dude]

I would love to check that out and the railroad in California that has miles of track covered by the snow sheds.

 

[ovrszd]

I'm just guessing here, but it looks like the bottom of the Palisade is 15-20ft out from the top. The wall is not standing straight up. It's leaning into the mountain side just a little. No mortar. Can't verify if the rocks are drilled and pinned as they are stacked. Roadbed filled with small rock. A marvel to me that they stand. Can't remember the date this line was finished.

The tunnel has been blasted shut. Too much danger of cave in for the public to be in it. I don't remember how long the tunnel is either. Sorry.

 

[the old grind]

I would love to check that out and the railroad in California that has miles of track covered by the snow sheds.

Central Pacific built sheds over the Donner Summit as part of the transcontinental railroad. Imagine a crew being taken by horse-driven sleigh up a mountainside with shovels in hand to clear snow drifts from tracks. Jobs weren't great during the Reconstruction era.

The history of sheds shows them being 'shortened' in stages over time as rail-borne blowers got better.

 

[ovrszd]

Central Pacific built sheds over the Donner Summit as part of the transcontinental railroad. Imagine a crew being taken by horse-driven sleigh up a mountainside with shovels in hand to clear snow drifts from tracks. Jobs weren't great during the Reconstruction era.

The history of sheds shows them being 'shortened' in stages over time as rail-borne blowers got better.

I've explored a lot of the high Rockies in Colorado and a little into Wyoming. Evidence of the work that was done to put rail thru these areas is astounding. I think it's a reflection of how poor the working class were. They would do anything for a job.

Where did we lose that.

 

[JethroB]

The company I retired from is building a new feed mill. It has a circular or loop siding over a mile around to accommodate up to 100 cars. A 90 hopper car train will be dedicated to make the run from the southeast to the Midwest or Canada every 12 days hauling over 300,000 bushels of corn to supply the mill. The mill will have 15 hours to unload it to qualify for substantial freight discounts. Amazing stuff to me.

 

[Hay Dude]

The company I retired from is building a new feed mill. It has a circular siding over a mile around to accommodate up to 100 cars. A 90 hopper car train will be dedicated to make the run from the southeast to the Midwest or Canada every two weeks hauling over 300,000 bushels of corn to supply the mill. The mill will have 15 hours to unload it to qualify for substantial freight discounts. Amazing stuff to me.

Thats an amazing piece of good news. Are you closeby to it that you can share photos?

 

[FTG-05]

I've explored a lot of the high Rockies in Colorado and a little into Wyoming. Evidence of the work that was done to put rail thru these areas is astounding. I think it's a reflection of how poor the working class were. They would do anything for a job.

Where did we lose that.

Two words: Great Welfare Society.