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Don Barrett (aka DBs travels)

Don Barrett (aka DBs travels) club

Posted: 01 Jul 2016

Taken: 02 Jun 2016

4 favorites     4 comments    371 visits

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Yuma Union Pacific (#0898)

Yuma Union Pacific (#0898)
One thing particularly striking (to me), is that this single track bridge is one of only three railroad bridges (Parker and Needles are the other two) crossing the Colorado from California, and the Parker crossing receives very little traffic. Thus the massive volume of transcontinental freight traffic from So. California and the LA/Long Beach ports is dependent on two single track bridges, both of which are close to 100 years old.

, , , kiiti have particularly liked this photo

Comments
 slgwv
slgwv club
Except you've also got the line between LA and Salt Lake via Vegas, which doesn't cross the Colorado and also carries lots of traffic--
7 years ago.
Don Barrett (aka DBs… club has replied to slgwv club
I debated adding in a comment about the Kelso/Rainbow Canyon route, but left it out. It doesn't seem to have nearly the traffic of the I-40 or I-10 routes, and Rainbow Canyon seems to close up fairly often. I've never quite figure that line out since there seems to be more traffic through Kelso than there is north of Vegas.
7 years ago.
 Clint
Clint
I've never paid any more than cursory attention to patterns of freight movement, so I have the sneaking suspicion I shouldn't find that fact as surprising as I do. Slgwv's explains a bit how they get away with having only two single-track bridges (plus Parker) across the Colorado, but still. That seems shocking.
7 years ago. Edited 7 years ago.
Don Barrett (aka DBs… club has replied to Clint
My main point was about how antiquated our rail freight infrastructure is. There's two more east/west lines out of California to the Bay Area, one through Reno and one north of there through the Feather River, both of which follow routes put down 100 years ago.
7 years ago. Edited 7 years ago.

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