I'm going to try my hand at imitating KP here in documenting CN's MoW work in Oshkosh, WI on the Neenah Sub. In the big picture, the 1899 Swing Bridge over the Fox River will be replaced, the Oshkosh "Yard" will switch positions with the Mainline, and the spur at Blended Waxes (industry) will be redone.
From what I understand the Blended Waxes Spur work will come first and the bridge & yard projects will largely be at the same time. All pictures in this thread are from my Flickr pages and are clickable should you desire to expand on them. Comments and opinions are welcome and I'll do my best to answer them.
This post will cover the work on the Blended Waxes spur so far.
July 14, 2011The Blended Waxes spur as original. Seen from the 14th Avenue crossing looking southward. The WC (former MILW) caboose is used as a buffer car because the angle of the curve is very tight and the power CN keeps in the area can't couple to the cars "on spot" due to the drawbar angle on the locomotives.
July 18, 2011Work begins. The fence around the industry is brought down and base grading of loose material has taken place. Rock, ties and 'stick rail' is stacked near the project.
July 24, 2011Machinery is brought to the area in the form of a spiking machine. Spikes and plates are also brought in.
Close-up view of the future new track area.
July 25, 2011The new spur rails have been assembled on site but not spiked or ballasted.
October 6, 2011Construction commences on structure for overhead loading/unloading piping after a low structure for piping is constructed. Rails get spiked and ballasted.
October 8, 2011The overhead piping structure is complete and more rail, ballast and ties are brought in.
October 15, 2011The caboose is gone over the weekend and even more supplies are staged.
October 17, 2011Work has commenced on the rebuild/cut-in. Contractors are seen here working on reattaching the switch to the main siding after relocating it approximately 25 feet north of its original location. The original rail to the facility has been removed.
October 18, 2011The switch and rail connecting the spur to the siding are roughly ballasted & spiked. Sub-roadbed grading on the spur track is occuring.
October 19, 2011The contractor's crew preps the spikes for installation after the rails & ties have been laid and roughly ballasted. Must've been their first time having their picture taken!
Overview of the project area. Some finish work needs to take place and will probably happen tomorrow.
A closer view of the new section connecting the spur to the siding switch.
That's all on the spur for now.
Dan
Thanks for the pictures and commentary Dan. I haven't been down by the bridge since early June. I usually don't get past the north side of town ( Leons or Tortilla Flats).
Looking forward to seeing your photos of the replacement of the bridge and yard. It's good that somebody (you) is documenting this for future railfans about the history of this area.
Don
Thanks Don. I swung by today and not much had changed, the spikes aren't yet all driven in but the derail was removed and I'm guessing they'll finish tomorrow.
22dec(Dan) "...Thanks for the pictures and commentary Dan..." . I haven't been down by the bridge since early June. I usually don't get past the north side of town ( Leons or Tortilla Flats). Looking forward to seeing your photos of the replacement of the bridge and yard. It's good that somebody (you) is documenting this for future railfans about the history of this area. Don
"...Thanks for the pictures and commentary Dan..."
. I haven't been down by the bridge since early June. I usually don't get past the north side of town ( Leons or Tortilla Flats).
Thanks for sharing, Dan. I used to pick up and delivery in and around that area; Lots of industrial sidings in the old paper company properties.
You're welcome! I did stop by the yard on Friday and this morning (Saturday) and the Blended Spur is pretty much wrapped up.
Finishing touches are being put on after ballasting and spiking.
The first 5 cars are "on spot". I bet a chain-link fence goes up and that should be it.
We'll see what's next for the Yard. I'll keep my eyes and ears tuned...
Thanks for the photos. Its nice to see an industry in Wisconsin putting some money into its rail shipping facilities versus scrapping an old spur and switching to trucks! Especially with the bad rep CN gets in by some. Keep up the good work.
Thanks!
I bumped into a Blended employee today who knows I like railroads, etc. She asked if I knew of their project...so I asked if I could have her email to send her a link to my folder of it on Flickr. I guess the company's "brass" got to see them too...
Thought I'd drag this up from the cellar...
The City of Oshkosh tossed a minor monkey wrench in the plans, or so I heard. The City wanted CN to do some serious and expensive reclamation and rehab work to the site of the RoW that was to be redone. The RR elected to do what I feel is an ambitious modification: build the new bridge in the same RoW as the old one. 16 pilings will be drilled, poured, built and then the new sections lifted/floated in after the old ones are floated/lifted out. I'll post pictures when I have something besides stuff hidden by fence and tarps.
Dan, does this mean the line will be shut while the old bridge is taken out and the new one put in or am I reading your post wrong?
Since I live in Appleton and get to Oshkosh quite often, this project is interesting to me. Thanks for your updates and pictures.
From the information I have there will be three "windows" when traffic will be shut down:-One 12 hour window to replace the old south span with two new spans and a temporary track,-One 12 hour window to replace the old north span with two new spans and a temporary track,-One 40 hour window to replace the old center span with the new bascule lift section and the middle span.
Work is slated to be completed by May 2013.
Update time. Admittedly...there hasn't been too many dramatic (to me anyway) changes as of yet. However, finally having time and remembering to take the pictures let me have these.
Some structural steel I-beams have been delivered onsite.
One of Kraemer's (contractor) barges with an almost-ready rebar frame for a new pillar.
A close up of the south pillars under the north span.
A close up of the north pillar's cofferdam under the north span.
The pillars under the south span appear to be "done".
More to come as I get it. To see my entire folder of pictures, click here:http://flic.kr/s/aHsjwwo36U
Enjoy...and more to come as I can and things happen.
Thanks for the updated report and pictures. Looks like it is starting to get interesting.
Thanks, Dan for the photos and update.
Although it is a smaller project, still it has similarities to the Burlington (IA) Swing Bridge replacement done by BNSF on the Mississippi River Bridge. It too was accomplished by establishing windows for Construction Operations. It was some thing on the order of $124 Million Bucks.
Sam,
I've no idea on the cost, though I'm sure it's not cheap. I've put out some inquiries to see if I can find out about when the windows for span replacement will be. That will be interesting to see, and I'll try to do a before/after shot on those if I can.
Work started this morning at 7 and they may be pouring concrete on a new pillar today.
Time for an update.
Tuesday 9/4 the south span of the bridge was replaced. Here are some shots I got of the process.
One section of the new south side waits on a barge.
Another view:
The last train (M347) to cross the bridge before modifications approaches. One span and a temporary span (not polished) are already in place.
The south span is lifted and floats back.
Later that day, the south span can be seen behind and through the north span.
The south span by itself on the barges.
A view of the pieces of the south span, assembled and ready for trains.
A hint of the view to come.
The whole project area.
Enjoy. The north span is tentatively scheduled for replacement on Monday 9/10 says a source I have. Of course...there will be pictures.
Dan ( CNW6000);
Thanks for the update! A project like that is quite a show to watch. You have to know there was plenty of organization and coordination in that project to put it together and bring in all those elements to accomplish traffic over the bridge in a relatively, short time span.
It took quite an effort to put together that photo album, and share it here. You deserve a "Tip O' The Kromer Cap" ! NICE JOB! And THANKS!
You're welcome Sam. I enjoy knowing what's going on in my little corner of the world - and sharing is fun too. This was all done in a 12 hour work window. There will be another 12 hour window for the North Span...then a 40 hour window for the center. That's supposed to happen in March 2013 if my source is right.
I am all for progress, and of course the new bridge should last a long time, but gosh, I really like the looks of the old railroad bridges, not real sure why other than they have the heavy industry look about them…ah well, progress…
Thanks for the efforts to bring that here, looking forward to the rest of it.
23 17 46 11
Time for another update.
The mark where the rail will be cut on the north side:
A view of the barge and "lashings" that will raise the bridge up and float it out of position:
A closeup of the "anchor bolt" that hold's the north span to the shore:
The North span is gone:
The new spans are getting lined up:
The two halves are halfway home:
Finally in alignment (just not vertical):
Panorama 1
Panorama 2
UP Power brings a coal train north on the new section the next day.
A few more shots can be seen at this link ( http://flic.kr/s/aHsjwwo36U ) and all pictures should be clickable.
We're overdue for an update again...here's what the project looks like as of a couple days ago. I found a new perch to play with:
Flickr Link: http://flic.kr/p/e84Ykz
I should get more uploaded tonight.
(sigh) if only I had had a good or even merely adequate camera -- and the willingness to take plenty of pictures -- back when I was a student in Oshkosh 1970-74. My handful of Kodak Brownie camera shots are all that I have. There was a lot to see in Oshkosh back then -- including the last months of C&NW passenger service. You would be very entertained if only I had the shots of what I could see every day!
Even when I had a 35mm SLR I was far too parsimonious with my picture taking back. Digtal photography has brought about an era of almost excessive documentation, but assuming that a way can be made to keep the images available as technology changes, we are living in a golden age of documentation and not just of railroads either.
Thanks for posting this helpful series on the Oshkosh bridge project.
Dave Nelson
Are the original trusses being put into place in the new construction?
Charilie
Chilliwack, BC
lenzfamily Are the original trusses being put into place in the new construction? Charilie Chilliwack, BC
We're about 15.5 hours into the 36 hour work window to replace the center span. The old center span was floated out last night/early this morning at around 0300 and the new center span is slated to be in place around 2100 tonight. Trains are "supposed" to be able to roll on the new bridge by around noon on Wed 8/21. Pics later as I get them uploaded and processed.
It's a shame that the old trusses couldn't have been floated somewhere and repurposed as a fixed span for a bike trail or some such. It's too late, of course, for the other trusses that were in the bridge...and that design (Whipple?), more than any other, says C&NW!
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
Whipple with a little of Warren & Haupt thrown in?
CShaveRR It's a shame that the old trusses couldn't have been floated somewhere and repurposed as a fixed span for a bike trail or some such. It's too late, of course, for the other trusses that were in the bridge...and that design (Whipple?), more than any other, says C&NW!
mudchicken Whipple with a little of Warren & Haupt thrown in?
In a copy of the original design for the 1899 bridge I saw a reference to "Whipple's Design" but nothing said "Haupt". Doesn't mean it didn't happen though.
I had been keeping a fairly constant watch over the last couple (feels like more!) days on the bridge. Here's what I wrote in several emails over the last day or so to some folks I promised an update. It was not dull in the least.
"6 PM Update"Work continues with excavator mounted jackhammers to demolish the old center span pilings/supports. The piling is around 4' in diameter and appears to be 1.5" steel jacketed, rebar and I-beam reinforced concrete. These things are not giving way easily and the contractors have been working on them with diamond blade saws, CAT-mounted tools, and at least two divers since this morning.
"Midnight Update"The new center span was moved from the shore cradle where it was assembled and floated nearly in place. I say nearly because the bridge suddenly started tipping off kilter up to 15 degrees or so high on the end away from the counterweights. Folks started to shout and run to get away from the bridge in case it tipped into the river. The bridge then hit a piling and came to rest with some of the end under the counterweight partially underwater.
More ballast was added to the lift end (away from the weight) and it was brought back level and tied into place. Currently a damage check is being done on all structure and gear assemblies as well as the piling that was hit and the barge/cribbing.
Scary stuff. The piling that was tough to remove is being left in place for now so the bridge can be installed.
"530 AM Update"Lots can happen in almost 5 hours.
Well kids...the process is "almost done". The bridge is in and working as intended and the only things left to do are to finish removing the few sections of piling remaining, torch the old center section up (sad, but hey - it's life) and then clean up the barges/equipment/sites. I also noticed that the old incandescent signal lamps on the bridge are gone...they are LEDs and there is a light (lunar "L" indicated "Locked") for the bridge. The lamp was there before the project but I never saw it lit.
FWIW I plan on doing a video slideshow (uploaded to Flickr/YouTube) once I have all the pictures/sequences I want...or need...but I have NOT posted all of the shots I have to the web.
Here's a few shots though.
Old bridge closed:
Old bridge open:
Old bridge with train:
New bridge closed:
New bridge open:
New bridge with train (very first one across):
Here's a link to my set of pictures of the bridge project.http://flic.kr/s/aHsjwwo36U
Enjoy.
NICE JOB, DAN!
As have i mentioned before, I used to run all over that area picking up and delivering freight. ( Many years back.)
You've showed us a fascinating story of how that bridge replacement has gone on there. It is quite an area of manufacturing and food producers. Those rail lines were all over the place back then.
Thank You for sharing this photo story with us.
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