That'll be the day I go back to Annandale.
Beach erosion endangers ROW. Talks about moving line inland with tunnels.
"A billion here and a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money." Everitt Dirksen
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/state-coastal-commission-says-del-mar-train-tracks-need-to-move-inland/ar-BB181SSw?ocid=msedgntp
Picture is worth a snicker. How many people does it take to pour concrete downhill?
Personally: there are examples in Britain where more aggressive ocean action has been (and continues to be) dealt with. Periodically the ocean prevails, and service is interrupted for a time; periodically the line is damaged and service is interrupted a bit longer.
In the long run I suspect we'll see the bridge construction they allude to, long before anyone gets very far ... except for consultant fees, of course ... with the inland diversion there. If I recall correctly there are other expensive 'inland tunnel diversions' on that same line that are higher priority, so it could be a longer while than the story indicates.
I suspect part of this story is the tacit expedience of being able to do the 'emergency' repairs with far less environmental rigmarole and delays that any more 'ordered' solution, like a coherent structure of tied-back retaining walls, would trigger.
And only one to hold the sign up!!
So THAT's how they get a concrete mixer out onto the right of way. I never really thought about it before, but that solution certainly beats the cost of a high rail version mixer. Although it does look like the mixer barely fits on the trailer...
adkrr64Although it does look like the mixer barely fits on the trailer...
But the mere existence of rail-capable lowboy trailers is interesting for me to learn!
Now if we could do something about trackhoe drivers running steel grousers over the railhead...
[quote user="adkrr64"]
C&P from link providerd by OP (Gramp): FTL:"...Construction costs for the tunnel route have been estimated at $3 billion or more, and presently no money is available.
"It takes 10 to 20 years to fund a giant project like a tunnel," said Bruce Smith, a principal engineer at SANDAG. "It's a long-term effort, and it will take many years."
The fifth and sixth phases of bluff stabilization projects are expected to be completed in the next four or five years, and are designed to keep the tracks safe where they are until 2050. Much of the planning has been done, but so far there is no money for construction.
"The key to meeting these deadlines is funding," said commission Executive Director Jack Ainsworth. "There is going to be competition for that money across the United States. This is just the tip of the iceberg up and down this state with regards to rail lines. It is a huge, huge problem."..."
A remarkable piece full of understatement! Makes one wonder if the State of California has managed to hybridize a Money Tree ? As long as they have taxpayers to'bleed' The State will continue to spend their money-
samfp1943Makes one wonder if the State of California has managed to hybridize a Money Tree?
They must need a fair amount of guys to stand around and look at their smartphones and another two guys to find a good radio station and a couple of guys to sit in the cabs of the trucks. And two guys to get coffee and donuts. We've all seen highway crews, this can't be any different.
Some Del Martians had been advocating for a bypass tunnel in the 1990's, so the discussion is nothing new. What is sort of new is the push is coming from the Coastal Commission, which does not have any significant funding authority. They are notorious for holding up all sorts of projects, so it will be fun to see what happens when the people impacted by the new R.O.W. raise a stink.
54light15 We've all seen highway crews, this can't be any different.
My brother told me they have a joke in Colorado:
"What's orange and sleeps five? A DOT truck!"
I used to work in the boiler room at Vassar college in Poughkeepsie, New York. A grounds department crew was fixing one of the steps in front of the dining hall. A student wrote an article in the student paper that went like this: "How many workers are needed to fix a broken step?" The answer is, "Five, one to do the work, two to watch him, one to sit in the truck drinking coffee and one to find a good radio station on the boombox." The head of the grounds department was not amused.
54light15 The head of the grounds department was not amused.
Did they miss someone?
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
I imagine not, but you know the old saying:
"For a joke to be funny it has to have a grain of truth to it!"
I was driving by in a college pickup and what I saw was exactly what the student described. Vassar was like that.
Here's a story you might like. I was assigned to find gas valves buried under the grass on campus using a metal detector and locate them on a map. Professors would ask me what I was doing. I said, "I really can't say." They would persist. I would then say tersely, "Manhattan project, research was done here in 1942, some stuff got lost and that's all I'm allowed to say." Every one of them stormed off, either angry that a blue-collar bozo like me would dare to yank their chains or they would say, "I'm going to look into this!" What a bunch of chowderheads.
Many decades ago the Pere Marquette or C&O had a similar probem along their main line south of St. Joseph, and built a large retaining wall to keep the railroad from plunging the last few feet into Lake Michigan.Last year, construction crews were busy at this site rebuilding or reinforcing the wall (Lakes Michigan and Huron were at record heights, peaking earlier this year. Places all up and down the West Michigan Coast (and for miles inland, as my sisters will attest) have had challenges due to the high water and the algae deposits it has left in its receding.(The "family tree", where 16 years ago we had some studio photographs taken, has no land around it at all--it would require extensive use of waders to reach...not very photogenic.)
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)
54light15What a bunch of chowderheads.
Yeah, no sense of humor.
I, on the other hand, laughed my butt off at that story!
samfp1943"It takes 10 to 20 years to fund a giant project like a tunnel," said Bruce Smith, a principal engineer at SANDAG. "It's a long-term effort, and it will take many years."
A friend of mine is a civil engineer who specializes in tunnels. He claims that if the pioneers in this country had the same restrictions on construction faced by today's builders, "Even now, we would be approaching the Susquehanna River". I mean how long did it take the PRR to build the North and East River tunnels, the GN to drive Cascade Tunnel....
GrampThat'll be the day I go back to Annandale.
And he's riding the NYC's Wolverine (Annandale, NY is the location of the artsy-fartsy Bard College)
"When you put me on the Wolverine
Up to Annandale" - Steely Dan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolverine_(NYC_train)
Gramphttps://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/state-coastal-commission-says-del-mar-train-tracks-need-to-move-inland/ar-BB181SSw?ocid=msedgntp Picture is worth a snicker. How many people does it take to pour concrete downhill?
Given the location, I'd have to wonder if maybe a couple of them are representatives of the Coastal Commission (present on the contractor's dime), making sure that the concrete is being poured in an environmentally-sensitive manner!
" I remember the 35 sweet goodbyes..."
Ed
Prior thread on the song ..
Donald Fagan aka Steely Dan has a line about taking the train "The Wolverine" up to Annadale but...its not in Michigan
http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/743/t/271035.aspx
tinyurl of the abovehttps://tinyurl.com/y3eny5v3
A certain Trains magazine editor from long ago was known to be a Steely Dan fan. During his narration in a certain rail video, also from long ago, he mispronounced "Oregon" in precisely the same manner SD did in their song "Don't Take Me Alive."
I grew up five minutes from Annandale, NY where Steely Dan was formed at Bard College. The nearest NYC stations would have been Barrytown or Tivoli and the Wolverine wasn't going to stop at either of those. So, some artistic license was at work. Probably along with a fair amount of illegal substance.
Mike
BEAUSABRE"When you put me on the Wolverine Up to Annandale" - Steely Dan
Story about 'My Old School' has been described pretty well in various places, as have the principal stops that actually served Bard College (and still do via shuttle service).
Funny that I was looking last evening at a pre-WWI timetable including #17 Wolverine in Droege's book on passenger terminals (fig. 203) which is cropped before we get as far as the Hudson Highlands... and yes, I thought about that song.
Back a few years ago around work here whenever the DOT or EPA would start the process for more regulations we would scream out AC/DC's Highway to Hell around here. Why some of the ideas they where coming up with well to call them less than popular with those in the industry was putting it mildly. Things are a little better but still not perfect.
Every time I see the title of this thread rise to the top of the unread threads, the first thought that pops into my head is: "Thank goodness!"... then I realize you are not talking about the whole state. I'll just have to hang onto that beachfront property in Arizona a bit longer.
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
BEAUSABRE nd Bard College is where Walter Becker and Donald Fagen first met. I also got a chuckle that the first couple replied to this post were about work crews on college campuses, the sing title is "My Old School" Gramp That'll be the day I go back to Annandale. And he's riding the NYC's Wolverine (Annandale, NY is the location of the artsy-fartsy Bard College) "When you put me on the Wolverine Up to Annandale" - Steely Dan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolverine_(NYC_train)
nd Bard College is where Walter Becker and Donald Fagen first met. I also got a chuckle that the first couple replied to this post were about work crews on college campuses, the sing title is "My Old School"
Gramp That'll be the day I go back to Annandale.
Latest news says no Hazardous loads involved.
Sorry, wrong site.
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