mook Wrote:
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> Rails around Hum.Bay may have been worn out before
> NWP stopped running. Except for rust, they haven't
> worn out just sitting there. That said, some may
> in fact need replacement.
>
> 1) They probably ARE old, and a track inspector
> would most likely condemn some of them. In the
> later years of SP-NWP, and almost certainly during
> the years of the cash-strapped successors, track
> maintenance was minimal (at least from what I saw
> when living in the Santa Rosa area in the 1970s
> and 80s), then of course everything has just sat
> there for 10+ years. While there will be more
> problems with ties and roadbed, some broken or
> otherwise damaged rails are almost a certainty.
>
> 2) Given age etc., it's very unlikely that the
> track would work for modern 286K# cars even if all
> the rails were fine. If they're planning on
> unrestricted operation even at moderate speeds
> (say, 25 mph or so), some upgrades will be
> necessary. Look at what was done recently on the
> south end, and factor in double or triple the
> rainfall plus a few earthquakes during a longer
> time out of service.
>
> Frankly, given the environment and the amount of
> time out of service, I'd be more worried about
> condition of the bridges and culverts. That'll
> cost more to fix than any likely rail issues.

Even during the NWP heyday (before the 1964 flood) the NWP was considered a depression era operation. The tie replacement program was 90% SH ties and SH rail. We even used second hand concrete. Received some new 119 lb stock rails for a switch at Alderpoint and the foreman said it was all blue so it must be defective. He had never seen new rail before. Told the VP&GM and he said to send them back as we couldn't afford them.
All track components used for the rebuilding after the flood was Second Hand maaterial except for a few new ties. These were the good old days?