In addition to the floods in Oklahoma, we also have a lot of flooding up here in Nebraska. A Nebraska Central Railroad bridge in Norfolk, Nebraska collapsed due to the flood waters while three railroad workers were inspecting it. One of the workers is still missing. My thoughts and prayers go out to the workers and their families.
Looks like that bridge might be salvageable…when the water goes down. Railroad bridges are built structually strong and perhaps with new base to reset it, might just be possible.
The steel may be OK, but it’s all over for the concrete bents. Nebraska Central may be wishing they hadn’t split with their heavy rail construction company.
Wonder if scour got the one side of the bridge in the water. (?)
Looking on Google Earth, it appears that the pier between the two spans would be at about a 45 degree angle to the floodwater current. That can’t be good.
Mind you, this is from someone who took fluids a bazillion years ago and from an ME prof who disliked EE students, who in this case made up 83 percent of the particular class roster. He proclaimed that he would “water down” the course a little bit so we could all get through it. I don’t think he ever figured out how funny that phrase was in the context.
EDIT: Forgot to add the trivia that Norfolk NE was Johnny Carson’s home town.
Does anybody know what RR this USED to be?
I think this is part of the old CNW Cowboy Line accross the top of Nebraska. Originally, it was probably the Fremont & Elkhorn Valley Railroad. FEVRR extended into the Black Hills of S.D.
The Nebraska Central is not part of the old CNW Cowboy Line. The railroad’s website says the railroad is composed of five former UP branch lines and one former BNSF branch line. A route map would seem to confirm this:
http://www.rgpc.com/Maps/NCRC8x11.jpg
According to Wikipedia (which I know should never be cited!), the former Cowboy Line is now operated by the Nebkota Railway, which is based in Chadron, Nebraska.
Thoughts and prayers from Denver, too.
’ Seems I got my Nebraska mixed up. It looks like the Cowboy Line ran east-west through Norfolk, and this line ran north-south.
The railroad was part of the CNW/FEMV (Fremont Elkhorn & Missouri Valley RR) empire.
North of Norfolk would put it on the branch(es) from Norfolk to Pierce and up into Knox County up on the northern Nebraska border, not the Cowboy Line. They no longer go any further north than to get to the Nucor Steel plant (the main reason NEC/RGPC even survives) The line that survives is the N-S branch that goes north from Oconee Junction (just west of Columbus) to Norfolk.
The remainder of the Cowboy Line at Norfolk went away about 1984.
I take this to mean, that the 5 former UP branches were actually former CNW branches?
No. My railroad map indicates that four of the branches (including the one to Norfolk) were originally UP. The fifth was originally CB&Q.
I agree. (Central City to Palmer is/was CB&Q/BN)
Uncle Pete just lost a bridge at Provo, UT forcing an unplanned detour of #5 & #6 through Wyoming for a good while - This is a trend we could do without.
I’m thinking about a trip to the Bay area now.
As a sidebar to all of this, The CNWs line from Fremont to Norfolk which ran thru Hooper and West Point was washed out in the early 80s. The CNW then got track rtights to run from Fremont ot Columbus and then up to Norfolk on Union Pacific tracks, where they rejoined thier line in Norfolk. This lasted till the Cowboy line was taken up in the 1990s seems to me 1994 or 1995 I think. The Union Pacific sold this branch line to Nebraska Central about the same time. along with other branch lines out of Grand Island. The BNSF sold their line from Sioux City to ONeil Nebraska to the Nebraska Northeastern also around this same time. Hope this helps Larry
Most of the Cowboy Line is gone from Hooper, Nebraska to the Chadron area, where pieces are still used. I think it might be used as far east as Merriman, with everything else pulled up.
Hmmm … maybe not quite. The Norfolk Branch (Columbus - Oconee - Norfolk) is actually owned by Union Pacific and leased to Nebraska Central according to a recent story appearing in the Columbus Telegram. I’m thinking this arrangement may also apply to the Albion Branch (Oconee - Genoa - Albion) and the Cedar Rapids Branch (Genoa - Cedar Rapids) as well.
http://columbustelegram.com/news/local/article_7f602ad0-7a15-11df-a5d6-001cc4c03286.html
QUESTION: Has the track between Cedar Rapids and Spalding, Nebr. been abandoned?
Abandoned? - No
Embargoed?- Yes (and Oh boy does NCRC ever have a list of embargoes- looks ominous, especially the “other” in the reason code)
Just an update: The missing worker’s body was found underneath the bridge last night.
Portions of the C&NW’s “Cowboy Line” have been repurposed into the “Cowboy Trail”. The recent flooding has taken down the bridge over the Elkhorn River west of Norfolk. The bridges at Ewing and Neligh are damaged as well. Other damages are believed to exist in the form of roadbed washouts.