Bridge banks

[Leo_Ames]

Do any Class 1's still store bridge sections?

The Pennsy used to in Canton, Ohio. When they'd disassemble a bridge on a line to be abandoned, what could be reused was sent here to be overhauled, stored, and maintained until someday needed. Sometimes, there were over 100 bridge spans stored over several acres of land, ready for the day when they'd again be needed. 

[mudchicken]

BNSF, UP, NS & OmniTrax = Yes...all spread out over the country...Usually only kept if they are E-80 rated or better...largely for emergency use.

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

Not all of such bridges are removed, reconditioned, and stored in a yard.  Sometimes they're left in place on an abandoned or bypassed line until they're actually needed - sometimes without that being intended - and usually not on an emergency basis, though, for obvious reasons.      

For example, the 'new" (about 5 years ago) UP Kate Shelly Bridge largely consists of bridge sections salvaged from an abandoned MILW bridge over a reservoir in South Dakota, IIRC, and then reconditioned for that reuse.  It was of recent construction, having been built by the US Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950's (?) as part of the relocation of the MILW's line necessitated by the construction of that reservoir and inundation of the MILW's former line's location.  I believe there's an article in HDR's magazine and an AREMA presentation from around 2010 or 2011 about that.    

Some of the southern railroads (NS, CSX, others? ) have done that kind of thing too, like once in 5 or 10 years or so, especially with modern movable bridges (lift, bascule, swing, etc.) from lines that are being or have been abandoned. 

Here in the northeast, it's also been done once in a while - especially by short lines - though I can' recall any paticular instances right now.  Usually they are open-deck girder bridges, occasionally trusses - the concrete for most 'ballast-deck' bridges tends to damage/ corrode whatever it's attached or near to (stringers, cross-beams, sway and wind secondary bracing, etc.), which means those elements need to be replaced even if the main girders/ beams (or trusses) are still in good shape. 

- Paul North.   

[Leo_Ames]

That shortline that runs a F unit or two that lost a late 19th century truss bridge 4 or 5 years ago when a car derailed and took down the bridge, replaced it with a span that was removed from an abandoned line somewhere.

I'm familiar with modern Class 1's taking advantage of bridges from time to time that were left in place until needed. What I'm more curious about is if any maintain a yard these days where they actively store bridge sections that have been removed in anticipation of future use.

I'd like to check those sites out on Googlemaps or some such service, if anyone has any specific locations in mind. Went hunting for the location the Pennsylvania Railroad used at this site, but the detail wasn't there to identify it if I saw it.

http://www.historicaerials.com/

Canton clearly was a big railroad town though back in the late 1950's, so it wasn't a waste of time even though I didn't find the site in question. 

[CShaveRR]

Not very helpful to you for today, but C&O's storage yard/reclamation point used to be Barboursville, West Virginia.  C&NW's, pre-merger, was in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

As information (probably also not very helpful), C&O extended or created minig branches in coal country by using old turntables when necessary as bridges.

[jeffhergert]

Paul_D_North_Jr

   

For example, the 'new" (about 5 years ago) UP Kate Shelly Bridge largely consists of bridge sections salvaged from an abandoned MILW bridge over a reservoir in South Dakota, IIRC, and then reconditioned for that reuse.  It was of recent construction, having been built by the US Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950's (?) as part of the relocation of the MILW's line necessitated by the construction of that reservoir and inundation of the MILW's former line's location.  I believe there's an article in HDR's magazine and an AREMA presentation from around 2010 or 2011 about that.    

The new Kate Shelley bridge has sections from the MILW bridge that was over the Des Moines River.  It was built in 1972 when the Corps of Engineers built the Saylorville dam and reservoir.  The original 1912 bridge (at one time double tracked and built as part of a line change) was not designed to have the piers inundated.  (The MILW Road Historical Association has a DVD with clips of them building the new bridge and dynamiting the old one.) 

This part of the line, that had been the MILW's Chicago to Council Bluffs main line, went to the CNW and became a branch line.  The UP got it when they got the CNW.  The line was abandoned after a co-op owning a couple of elevators was acquired by another larger co-op that had elevators along the UP/CNW main line.  Instead of loading grain trains on the branch, they truck it to the main line elevators.

After the UP plan to salvage parts of the bridge were announced, the bike trail people went ape.  They had been planning to use the bridge as part of the trail.  Eventually, replacement spans were built and now you can walk or bike across the bridge.  

I've been over the bridge in both modes.  Once by train and my wife and I like walking over the bridge when we can.

Jeff

PS.  On the new Kate Shelley bridge, you can tell the spans that were reused.  They are the ones with the graffiti.