"BUTLER COUNTY, Pa. – A railroad trestle that burned for hours two
weeks ago has now been demolished.
"Crews dismantled the damaged trestle in Donegal Township, Butler
County, about 5 p.m. Wednesday.
"A brush fire on May 10 consumed the wooden trestle and caused $2
million in damage.
"Police said the fire was intentionally set.
“The trestle was used to service three local chemical plants.”
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/9269890/detail.html
Dave
Said chemical plants now will probably clog the roads with more chemical trucks. Look for an abandonment notice on the spur.
I live about 2 miles from the trestle. They brought the trestle down yesterday and they are going to fill the span in with dirt . They hope to be returning trains in about a month.
Any idea of who set the fire[?] I wonder if it may be any of the enviromental groups. Some of them are pretty fanatical.
The only issue with that theory is that the news story said that it was a brush fire that caught the bridge on fire, not that the bridge itself was set. I severely doubt that an environmental group would burn what they’re trying to save…
Without having been there, I can’t say for certain, but odds are burning the trestle was accidental. For that matter, burning the brush may have been accidental, but IIRC there was mention in one story or another of arson charges, which would be likely if the fire was set in contravention with common sense (kids, campfire, dry brush), then spread.
The lastest ruling is arson. There has been alot of vandalism in the last couple of months as a result of a strike at one of the chemical plants and that is where the arson investigation is being concentrated.
now this is PURE SPECULATION…but some of us at work where talking about this one night…and someone mentioned when they watched the news about it that day in a pittsburgh news station reporting the fire…they showed a few shots of the chemical plants that this branch served…well… it apeared that at least 1 was on strike… so… do the math… but this is like a mentioned above…PURLY SPECULATION at this point
csx engineer
That’s right, it only takes one to mess somthing up for everybody else.
The day the tressel burnt was the first day that Pennreco brought in SCABS. I honestly think someone had decided to intentionaly destroy a piece of history. These plants are know to have violent strikes.
nothing like some good old school jimmy hoffa styel strikeing…lol…
csx engineer