Eel River Canyon "inspected" (NWP news)...

Winter Harsh on Railroad Tracks

The rail trip through California's rugged Eel River Canyon that once took less than three hours by train can only be accomplished now on foot in a mere four days or so — if you are inclined to do such a thing.
Moss Bittner, a member of the Rail and Port Infrastructure Taskforce group, which organized to promote the creation of area rail and port jobs, was inclined and has made the long hike again to report on the condition of the railroad tracks in the canyon.
The trip was done, in part, to see the effects of what the National Weather Service reported as the fourth wettest winter on record.
The hike comes on the heels of the recent announcement by the North Coast Rail Authority that much-needed repairs are moving forward on southern portions of the rail, which will be the beginning of the restoration of the northern sections. The northern stretches of the rail in the Eel River Canyon have been out of operation since flooding in 1998 caused landslides that wiped out numerous sections of the tracks.
Bittner chronicled his most recent four-and-a-half-day, 42-mile trek along the NCRA tracks from Dos Rios in Mendocino County to Alderpoint during the Citizens for Port Development meeting at the Samoa Cookhouse Wednesday afternoon.
As he has done previously on other hikes, Bittner traversed the canyon this week to capture photos of the various rock slides, slumps, sinkholes, rock shears, tunnel cave-ins and disintegrating culverts that plague the abandoned railroad tracks to let people know what condition the track is really in.
But more importantly, Bittner said he wants to show images that illustrate the vast majority of rail sections that are in good shape or only in need of general maintenance.
In an effort to make more people aware of the condition of the tracks and to push for repairs to move foreword, Bittner is taking his message to public access television and other civic groups who will listen.
“To see it neglected stuns me,” Bittner said.
Showing photos of terrain that he said “immediately strikes” him as “Californian,” Bittner showed the natural beauty of the Eel River and the canyon, as well as the “icons” of intact infrastructure, such as bridges and tunnels.
Bittner said he struggled with how he was going to break the news that the canyon is in such rough shape, yet still get across that there is hope.
Now that funding has been secured from the state for capital repairs, NCRA Executive Director Mitch Stogner, who was at the meeting Wednesday, said it is now time to begin repairs this construction season.
“Far and away, the most difficult aspect of this is the Eel River Canyon,” Stogner said, referring to the approximately 100 miles that Bittner illustrated in his slideshow presentation.
Stogner said one of the first things the new operator intends to do is to have crews drive a specially modified truck — called a “high railer” — that rides on railroad tracks through the canyon to allow workers to inspect the track to complete a detailed capital assessment. That hasn’t been done since 2002, Stogner said. - Nathan Rushton, The Eureka Reporter

 

John
My cousin John has modeled that rugged region im N scale and has done a couple nice scenes. It shows the problems the NWP had in it's route from Marin county to Humbolt Country along the Russian and Eel Rivers in dealing with the heavy rains that unindate that region. Here is John's Scotia Bluffs scene where the Railroad had to built the trestle against the side if the hills..........

 

John, I can't wait to see what sort of nuclear explosion that news will cause over on the Altamont Press discussion forum. I think 50% of all posts there concern pro and con issues about the NCRA and NWP. It's hilarious, some real doofus's over there. :teeth:

 

Boxcab and other fans of Bay Area Rails. Here is a link to my cousins layout. Very detailed modeler....puts me tp shame....but he won't get a good light for photos......GRRRRRRRRRR

http://www.scalerailsonline.com/GalleryPictures.aspx?GalleryID=36

 

Man! thats a sweet scene of Scotia Bluffs!!!!!:thumbs_up: :thumbs_up: :thumbs_up:

Fitz- It was already taking place even before this article.

 

Boxcab

Hmm...i click on the link and all his photos are right there....Hmmmmm....Wonder why??????????

 

John,

Are the pictures that Mr. Bittner took on the web??

If so where or is there any other access to them.

Thanks,

Shannon

 

Boxcab
That must be it. I clicked on the link you posted and got right in.

 

Second view of Scotia Bluffs.....