Saw on the news last night that at least one train has crossed the rebuilt steel and concrete trestle on temp track. Also heard that at least two have done so with a third lined up already. UP says first track will be officially open on the 30th with the second open on April 2nd. Man that was fast!!!
It's good they have the resources. I wonder if UP had some of the concrete components already inventoried? Boxcab E50
Supposed to be pics from fire to reopening here: http://www.standardimplosion.net Also, first line was officially opened this morning just after midnight. Course there are still slow orders and much work goin on for the second track.
FIRST FREIGHT TRAIN ROLLS ACROSS REBUILT TRESTLE SACRAMENTO, CA -- Saying work went more smoothly than expected, Union Pacific rail officials early Tuesday reopened one of two tracks destroyed nearly two weeks ago in a dramatic trestle fire near downtown Sacramento. The first freight train traveled over the new line just before 02:00 hours Tuesday, UP spokesman Mark Davis said. Officials said they expect to have the second track at the site open by April 3, nearly a month ahead of their earlier projections. UP is constructing the new bridge with pre-fabricated materials that were shipped via truck and train to the site, and assembled. Some 1,400 feet of the trestle was destroyed by a mysterious fire just north of the American River in Sacramento on Thursday afternoon, March 15. The cause of the blaze is under investigation, city fire officials said. The line, which connects the Bay Area with the rest of the United States, is UP's main freight shipping line through the Sacramento area. The forced closure of the line delayed some shipments by days as trains were held up and rerouted. State officials gave UP a quick green light to begin reconstructing the line, saying regulatory agencies met and determined the railroad company did not need permits to begin work. There are, however, lingering environmental and health questions outstanding in the wake of the fire. Officials say they have not yet gotten test results to determine what materials were in the smoke that wafted over Sacramento during and after the fire. Also, water and soil testing at the site is incomplete, and regulators say they expect there will be long-term cleanup issues to deal with. - Tony Bizjak, The Sacramento Bee NEW TRESTLE OPENS TO TRAINS SACRAMENTO, CA -- Union Pacific crews have replaced a portion of the wooden train trestle destroyed by a massive blaze nearly two weeks ago, allowing a train to cross for the first time this morning. The train used the main track number 1 and crossed the bridge just before 02:00 hours. Union Pacific crews are now concentrating on main track no. 2 which sits to the right of the bridge. They do not yet know when this portion will be open, but the original date given was April 22. Crews have already driven 74% of the steel piling needed for the second track, which is way ahead of schedule. Crews have been working around the clock and our favorable weather has also helped. The blaze on March 15 destroyed 1,400 feet of elevated track. The rebuilding process would normally take several months, with permits and Environmental Impact Reports required. But the railroad is not bound by those requirements. "The railroad has special right. They do have special dispensation under federal law," said Bill Thomas, Director of Development Services for the City of Sacramento. "They are exempt from permitting and they don't have to worry about SEQA (State Environmental Quality Act) in this case. It's just repair of what's existing, so good for them." Thomas said if any other company was involved, such a project would probably take 10 months. "Ya know, we could pour it on and maybe get it done in six to 10," said Thomas. "So it'd be a long time." The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but investigators believe the fire was not an accident. A $2,500 reward is being offered by U.P. for any information leading to the arrest of any person who may have been responsible for the fire. The Sacramento City Fire Department is asking anyone who knows anything about the fire to call its arson tip line at (916) 808-8732. - Kristi Mattes, KXTV-TV10, Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, CA ED. NOTE: Click on the following link to view and listen to a news clip from KCRA-TV3 in Sacramento which has a telephone interview with Union Pacific's Mark Davis about the trestle rebuilding job and it's progress so far. They even discuss the bicycle path issue. - lwg [www.kcra.com]
2nd track open... I guess all is back to normal now... SECOND SET OF TRESTLE TRACKS FINISHED IN SACRAMENTO Video clip here: [www.news10.net] SACRAMENTO, CA -- Just over two weeks after a massive fire reduced a Sacramento train trestle to ruin, Union Pacific employees completed rebuilding work on the second set of tracks over the American River early Saturday. The second of two sets of rail tracks were completed at around 01:00 hours Saturday, Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis said. The work completed a nearly 24-hour-a-day operation to rebuild nearly 1,400 feet of rail trestle ravaged by flames March 15. The project was also done well before the original late April projected finish date. UP rail traffic detoured by the fire was restored to its normal routes, though trains will travel the span at reduced speeds for the next few days as a precaution. The tracks accommodate nearly 50 trains a day along the major rail artery. The first set of rails were completed early Tuesday. - Jason Kobely, KXTV-TV10, Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, CA, courtesy Coleman Randall, Jr
