Incident At Canyon Diablo

[TrainCat2]

The area is infamous for the high winds that get funneled through the canyon. I can attest to these winds as it was 28 degrees and the winds were a steady 25mph this morning. Well, the winds finally took payment from BNSF for crossing Canyon Diablo.

I saw something on the canyon floor and severe damage to the top of the bridge while railfanning at the west side of the bridge for the first time. I was at the east side an hour earlier and could not see anything. Luckily, a worker came along in a HiRail and I queried what had happened. In late October, the high winds caught three 53ft containers and launched them off the bridge. One of the containers pulled a fourth out of the well which got dragged a fair distance before the train stopped tearing off the northern bridge railing and screwing up the ROW.

They recovered two of the containers off the canyon wall, but could not get the third on the canyon floor 370 feet below. I saw dozer tracks all over so I am sure they had been used to remove the two containers. Here are some pics taken today:

[Smike]

Cool photos and story. Desert winds can not taken lightly at times.

[basementcalling]

Awesome shots. Now we know where the Atlas N shipments from China wound up. 

[jagged ben]

Not sure I have ever seen any pictures looking down into the canyon.  The abandoned footings from the original bridge are quite interesting by themselves.

[Chris333]

Did you offer to etch them a new set of railings? 

[nkalanaga]

The original bridge that went on those footings:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:%28Old_No._139%29_Santa_Fe_Railroad_bridge_over_Canyon_Diablo,_Arizona,_showing_train_and_signs_of_Albuquerque,_New..._-_NARA_-_517782.jpg


And the town that went with it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canyon_Diablo,_Arizona
Who today would have the nerve to name the only street in their town's business district "Hell Street"?

[Scottl]

Is it me, or is one of the old footings rotated?  I wonder how deep they are set into the floor.

[TrainCat2]

Did you offer to etch them a new set of railings? 

Chris: No, it too F---ing cold. My hands were so numb I had trouble pressing the shutter as it was.

Is it me, or is one of the old footings rotated?  I wonder how deep they are set into the floor.

Yes they are. Here is a better pic of all of the footings on the east side:

Awesome shots. Now we know where the Atlas N shipments from China wound up. 

Too bad it wasn't. I'd have had my layout started when I got back.

[TrainCat2]

Quite a few consists came by and here are some shots of those:

[Ed Kapuscinski]

It amazes me the way that works.

Flat... flat... flat... flat... HUGE a$$ CANYON!

[nsbob]

It looks like #4585 would make for a challenging weathering project.

[wm-webb]

Chris: No, it too F---ing cold. My hands were so numb I had trouble pressing the shutter as it was.

Look on the positive, didn't have to worry about stepping on a snake.

[John]

Awesome shots. Now we know where the Atlas N shipments from China wound up. 

Probably not .. JB Hunt container .. Atlas is more likely in COSCO containers

[C855B]

Look on the positive, didn't have to worry about stepping on a snake.

Don't laugh... a rattler    interfered with my attempts to shoot a UP train on the LA&SL many moons ago. Definitely a hazard of Southwest railfanning.

Flat... flat... flat... flat... HUGE a$$ CANYON!

Welcome to The West.

[davefoxx]

It amazes me the way that works.

Flat... flat... flat... flat... HUGE a$$ CANYON!

Ed's Law.