Wooden Trestles - To Save or Not To Save . . .

Hi, All -

SFAIK, wooden trestles are as much a part of the history of the D&RGW / C&TS as the wooden water tanks and the coaling tower in Chama; the hollow sound as the train rolls over one of them is as much a part of the "good old days" as the wailing and echoing of the whistles in the canyons.

IMHO, the trestles are part of the fabric of the railroad, and should NOT be replaced with steel culverts, as has been done over the past couple of years at m.p. 286.72 (a relatively minor loss) and at m.p. 287.50 - where an ugly fill and culvert more appropriate to a paved highway replaced a beautiful three-span trestle in 2010.

As this cancerous "progress" seems to be working its way west from Antonito, I fear that the trestle on the lower curve of The Whiplash may be next - if it hasn't already been destroyed during this past off-season.*

Yes, it costs more - probably a LOT more - to rebuild these trestles in their historic configuration.  But they are just as much a part of its history - illustrating how the railroad overcame obstacles to its construction - as are any of the other wooden structures, the cuts, the tunnels, and so forth.

The time to stop this wanton destruction of history is NOW, before any more of these irreplaceable artifacts are lost.   If 'Whiplash' is buried, how long will it be before the beautiful, more accessible - and thus more often photographed - Cresco, Los Piños and even "Hangman's" trestles are sacrificed as well?

- Russ

p.s. IMHO, If there was any good that came out of the Lobato tragedy last year - other than increased awareness of safety issues - it would be that funds were used at Lobato that might otherwise have gone to further destruction and uglification of the rest of the line.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 09/07/2016 02:46PM by Russo Loco.