Indiana & Ohio, Columbus, Ohio, Alkire Rd. replacement of masonry arch underpass.
Short Story (1 pg.): http://acrow.com/acrow-case-study/long-span-rail-bridge-allows-for-innovative-structure-replacement/
Longer story, includes simplified diagram (2 pgs.): http://acrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Alkire-Road-Case-History.pdf
Thanks, MC !
Many years ago when working for Union Pacific, we lost a bridge during flooding. We went and looked at the situation and then sat in the local restuarant and start calling around (back before cell phones were common) to see what bridge spans and parts were available. As they were identified, we started a list and even began designing the bridge. We were able to find enough concrete ballast deck spans (of all sizes) to build a replacement bridge. We also called bridge gangs, contractors, and pretty much anyone we needed. Within a day, folks were on site and parts started showing up. We put two pile drivers to work and had a bridge in over the next week. As someone said, when your railroad mainline is shut down, almost anything is done to get it open again.
Back on March 15, 2007 an arson fire destroyed 1,100 ft. (some reports say 1,400 ft.) of double-track Union Pacific wood trestle leading to a truss bridge over the American River in Sacramento, Calif. (truss bridge was saved). By March 27th a single-track replacement trestle had been placed into service, and the other track was scheduled for May 1st. My recollection that UP used precast concrete ballast deck bridge section from all over the system, including some that were to be used in replacing another bridge. Here are some links:
http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/p/90821/1068297.aspx?page=1 - “Fire damaging Sacramento tressle”
A quote from S. Hadid (some of us remember him), post of Sunday, April 01, 2007, 6:25 PM:
"I take nothing away from UP, but this is a heroic accomplishment only if you compare it to the feeble organizational and logistical capabilities of most corporations and government entities. This is nothing unusual for railroading. NS’s accomplishments after Katrina were 100X the magnitude of this. Some other organizations I’ve had the pleasure of working with that have a similar attitude and understanding are electric utilities and combat units of the U.S., British, and Australian military, organizations that understand geography, time, and weather.
Most organizations can’t live outside of their nice climate-controlled box with their needs like power, water, policing, office supplies all arriving like clockwork magic. Railroading is a game played outdoors in the middle of nowhere, 7/24. You get it right or you’re run out.
S. Hadid"
Jeez, I miss him - and love this quote, esp. the last paragraph.
http://www.joc.com/economy-watch/union-pacific-fast-tracks-replacement-n-calif-bridge_200
Looking across a rather wide ocean, and back to when I was an active railfan, it seemed that every junction had an MW supply area - rails, ties, a shed which must have contained all the smaller hardware and tools… Almost all had one or several spare deck girder spans, always painted oxide red with their pedigree stencilled on the right end of the vertical girder.
When traffic is measured in trains per hour, delay in making repairs is not an option.
Chuck
How about an inflatable bridge?
In today’s railroading, if there is going to be an Official Inspection train making a trip over a territory - the SMART Roadmaster will hide his ‘spares’ in the high weeds or somewhere else that is out of sight of the inspection train. When top level managment see track supplies and such out on the territory all they can see is wasted unnecessary invested $$$$$$$ - if they see it the next order will be to send it to the reclamation plant so it can be $crapped or used elsewhere.
Yes, there are one or two stories in A Treasury of Railroad Folklore about the practices of section foremen in keeping materials and tools secret. They understood how the system worked.