George W Pearce Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Those few spikes holding down those guard rails
> are going to have to work really hard to keep a
> locomotive from going over the edge if one ever
> derails on the bridge.
Heaven Forbid, that ever happens it's an amazing bridge, and even more amazing that all the weight of all the cars and locomotives ride on the inside of the ties, the ties doing most of the supporting of all that weight. Most RGS bridges have at least three stringers for each rail to rest on, there is nothing below the tie that the rail is resting on. It's simply an amazing work of ingenuity, and has been used for over a hundred years this way. Too bad the RGS didn't go with this design on the Ophir Loop, between the butterfly trestle and Trout Lake, would be amazing to see in action if it still was in operation.
Still a Student,
Dave