Union Pacific has started disigning a new bridge for the mainline over the Des Moines River near Boone Iowa,which will go beside the Kate Shelly bridge.That bridge was built in 1901 and is 185 feet high and 2,685 feet long. It will remain in place for a siding.
The Kate Shelly bridge was one of ten “Sacred Places” covered in the March 1994 Trains magazine.They said the list was for places every fan should visit in their lifetime.The other nine were Tehachapi loop in California, Vaughan in Mississippi (Casey Jones), the B&O Railroad museum in Baltimore, Saluda Mountain in NC, Promontory in Utah, Grand Central Terminal in New York City, Horseshoe curve in Pennsylvania, Chama in New Mexico and the Spiral Tunnels in British Columbia.
Should Saluda come off of this list now ? I say yes. I don’t know what to replace it with. Is Rollins Pass (11,680 feet high and replaced by Moffat tunnel) worth a visit ? North Platte or the Northeast Corridor ?
At the risk of sounding crass, I’d replace it with Chicagoland–all of it! So packed with trains that it’s barely functioning, but has a commuter system that works pretty much like it should, and just about anything that’s hot in railroading can be found in some way around here. If the CREATE plan gets its funding and is implemented, things will only get better.
I wouldn’t argue about Chicago being the capital of Traindom in the US, but I think to make the top “sacred” places, there has to be something special or even magic about the place. It either has to be a bedrock of RR history or engineering or both. GCT gets in because it’s such a magnificent building and has a history of great trains and a place in american culture. That there are any trains there these days is a secondary consideration.
I’d make the case that some part of the PRR NEC should be in. There is nothing like it in the western hemisphere.
- it was built almost on faith during the depression
- the 1930s design is still pretty much intact today and still doing the job it was built for (actually MORE than the job it was built for)
- it was the home of the legendary GG1
-it is entirely grade separated from NYP to WAS
-it inlcludes the Hudson River Tunnel and Hell Gate Bridge
If Penn Sta NY were still around, that would be a no brainer. But it isn’t. So, what to pick? Hell Gate? No - I think something between NYP as WAS is in order. Sunnyside? Maybe, but it’s not to thrilling to go see it.
I vote for Pennsylvania Station - Philadelphia (aka 30th St. Sta.) Here’s why:
-It was one of the last, grand stations built and is still completely intact.
-It is still a train station with almost all parts functioning as built
-It has passenger volumes that it was designed for.
-It still serves local, intercity and long distance trains
-It’s a great looking building with a photogenic approach from the east
It’s historical and relevant to today, both.
I would not put both stations on the list. I was thinking of Zoo interlocking or somewhere closer to Newark where you could see a lot of trains.
I certainly vote for 30th St., for all the reasons ably laid out above. Is your objection that you can’t see the trains? Just go to the overpass. You can’t see trains at Promontory, either (I don’t county the exhibits) but it is holy ground, and so is 30th St.
Can’t object to 30th Street and vicinity. It’s a very, very special place to me.
I would vote for Rollins Pass, Colorado, to replace Saluda. It is an unforgettable trip. It is amazing to stand anywhere on the route, but particularly at the top, and envision trains actually running there. Because Needle’s Eye tunnel is blocked, you must come up to the summit from the west side at Winter Park . It is most helpful to know the territory and the landmarks ahead of time, since many of them (like Arrow) are grown over or obliterated. Read the books first, then go, and be prepared for snow even in summer.
I would vote to put the UP line along the Salton Sea on the list.(It’s by far my favorite trainwatching spot ).However if you wanted someplace of historical significance to replace the Kate Shelly Bridge would go with Steamtown. Steamtown is definitly one of the places every railfan should visit in their lifetime.
I might be a bit biased here but how about the Goat Canyon tresle in Carizzo George. A bridge for a bridge.
Do any of the big stone viaducts back east carry a lot of traffic ?
Thomas Viaduct constructed in the late 1820’s to early 1830’s for the Baltimore and Ohio sitll carries the heaviest loads CSX can generate on it’s I-95 corridor between Boston and Florida, the viaduct is double track and carries MARC commuter traffic between Baltimore and Washington, in addition to the freight loads.
Carl I think I know why 30th Street Station is so important to you. AMG.
nanaimo73, everytime I get on Septa’s R8 Chestnut Hill West to Fox Chase I go past Zoo interlocking, on the NEC right before I hit 30th Street Station. There are tons of trains that come pass through Zoo interlocking but most of them are Amtrak, Septa, and NJT. I see Septa power evey day so, me personally, I’m ready to see some freight action. I think North Platte should be a sacred place along with Proviso. Also even, thought it doesn’t see nearly as much rail action as it used to. I think the Struckka (spelling) Viaduct in Susquhanna County in upstate PA should be another sacred place.
Sarah, Starrucca Viaduct is great as an early monument, but may I suggest that the Lackawanna’s Tunkhannock (Nicholson) Viaduct is a bit more deserving as a ‘sacred place’ – considering also that it is its own memorial to workers who died there. Pictures don’t do it real justice.
Don, I would also suggest that a ‘sacred place’ on the NEC would be Gunpow, even though it’s a tough spot… and probably now an illegal spot… for railfans to reach.
We shouldn’t forget that 30th Street also has a good view of the High Line.
Didn’t David P Morgan write his first Trains piece about a place in McCook Illinois ?
30th St is good.
Also a contender would have to be Orbisonia on the EBT. The last of the 1800’s era machine shops.
Dave H.
I’ll vote for the BNSF “Triple Track” speedway out of Chicago.
If one wishes to get a sense of what todays big time railroading is all about, look there.
Out of Union station, some complex terminal trackage funnels into a highly engineered raceway.
You won’t see complex, at grade crossings here though . Another nod to the engineering genius.
Jimmy
Even though they represent big historical events, I could skip Vaughan and Promontory just because there is not much to see. If I was in the area I would look at Saluda, just because the tracks are still in place. I’ve made a couple of the other places and the rest are on my list of a hundred or so places I’d like to get to and that is more than I want to try to prioritize.
Jay
Jay, Promontory is well worth the trip, or was for me, anyway. The entire area looks as though the track gang will be back later today - it’s unchanged since 1869. You can see on the hills where the CP and UP gangs graded right past each other before being persuaded to bury the hatchet and drive the spike.
Mark, I’m curious why you put Kansas Pacific on the list. I love it, but I’ve never thought of it as more than a footnote to the UP to the north.
Larry
I can easily understand why the KP between Topeka and Denver is hallowed ground , but you really need to include the Topeka-KC and Topeka-Marysville segments. Historically, it is much, much more than a footnote to the growth of the UP; it really was a major player, maybe the major player in the western railroad wars of the 19th century.
To travel its length today is to see history up close and personal and come away with a better understanding of how the middle of the country developed economically. Visiting both Armourdale (KC) and Sharon Springs over a 2-day stretch would give you a fascinating perspective.