Where Did the Spectacular Bridge Go?
A spectacular bridge was once seen, silver and curved, single-track, and long. A two-lane highway went underneath it on the west (curving to south) end. It was (“was”) believed the below link was that area, but NO spectacular bridge is present in the aerial!
LINK: Fort Sumner, New Mexico West to South Curve Area
Anybody know what happened to the bridge or where the spectacular bridge location is really at?
Thanks.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- K.P.’s absolute “theorem” from early, early childhood that he has seen over and over and over again: Those that CAUSE a problem in the first place will act the most violently if questioned or exposed.
Hi KP, I don't know as I'm new to the area (currently in Carlsbad) but as soon as I get a chance I plan on exploring the area up that way.
BTW- Thanks for all the excellent effort at keeping us posted on the Sunset, Cajon and Perris valley lines. Very much appriciated.
K.P.:
From what I see using Google Earth, there is no bridge over a highway anywhere in that general area. Beginning at Fort Sumner and scrolling eastward, a train is visible a few miles east of town, and slightly to the west is what appears to be a series of concrete bridge supports, but there is no superstructure, it's not on a curve, and there's no highway crossing under the railroad.
There's also a train west of town a few miles at the time of imaging.
The rail line is apparently the BNSF that runs sort of parallel to old U.S. 60 through Albuquerque to the west and Clovis to the east.
The track passes over U.S. Highway 60 a couple miles west of town on what appears to be curved arch bridge, but the bridge itself is not curved. It also crosses U.S. Highway 80 at an angle near the center of town, but that area appears to possibly be a grade crossing.
Using the search phrase "Curved Railroad Bridge" turns up a web site called "Bridgehunter.com" among others, that shows curved bridges, both railroad and highway, throughout the country -- but none of them are in New Mexico.
The BNSF Transcon (ex- AT&SF) crosses the Pecos River at Ft Sumner.
The bridge to the west of Fort Sumner is there. The Mapquest photo was shot from the northwest, and the piers are visible on the north side.
That's the Santa Fe (now BNSF) bridge over the Pecos River - quite an impressive structure. What confuses the issue is that there is an even more impressive SP (now UP) bridge downriver in Texas. The bridge at Fort Sumner is a series of deck girder spans, while the UP span is a cantilever deck truss over a much deeper gorge.
Chuck
Cloudcroft, NM timber pile trestle? (SP Branch)
mudchicken Cloudcroft, NM timber pile trestle? (SP Branch)
To expand on my earlier post:
US60 crosses under a short, curved bridge, then turns NE and gives a really good view of the BNSF Pecos River bridge up the wash. In the original 'as it comes up' view, that bridge over the highway is just about centered on the bottom of the frame
The bridge was photographed with the sun just about due west. The dark line to the lower side of the piers is actually the shadow of the bridge superstructure on the ground. The bridge itself is much harder to see, even when zoomed in.
I brought up the Mapquest view (got there by dragging the map from Las Vegas) and the bridge is much easier to see. The piers are less prominent and lit from the south southeast, with no black shadow on the ground.
K.P.,
I'm beginning to wonder if the bridge you remember was removed because it couldn't clear double-stack containers, and that it may be the present day plate girder bridge over the Pecos River that other forum members have been referring to.
cacole K.P., I'm beginning to wonder if the bridge you remember was removed because it couldn't clear double-stack containers, and that it may be the present day plate girder bridge over the Pecos River that other forum members have been referring to.
The only hole in the theory is that all of the big bridges across the Pecos and Canadian rivers have always been deck bridges.
The present ex-ATSF bridge across the Pecos was built at the same time as the rest of the Belen cutoff when ATSF re-routed their transcon traffic in 1908. One photo that comes up in Google Images is a cupola window shot of a steam-powered westbound of solid tank cars, probably pre-WWII or possibly shot on assignment in 1943. The deck girders are visible in the distance.
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