Russo Loco Wrote:
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> Hi, All -
>
> IMHO, 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.
>
> 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 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
> "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.
Russ I whole heartedly agree---in general we alway bitch (me included-go figure) about the rolling stock/locomotives and the rest of the assests get overlooked. Simply the mindset of the Commission needs to changed/informed so that an accurate living history can be realised on all levels!!!!! I love your enthusiasm with this and thanks for bringing this topic up. I know I'm passionate about preservation and I know you are we just have to get the masses who care involved to let the powers that be know anything less than accurate preservation can't be tolerated.
William
aka drgwk37