Check out the video of the Texas railroad bridge fire.
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When did this happen? Not much information is given.
WOW!
Richie
The second story is dated May 20,2013
SAN SABA (May 20, 2013)—http://www.kwtx.com/home/headl...71.html#.UZ15J4e1GsY
Seems odd that the entire length of the bridge was all on fire at the same time. Almost like someone had walked from one end of the bridge to the other pouring accelerant as he walked, and then threw a match behind him once he got off the bridge.
Texas Rangers investigating - be interesting to see if foul play is suspected. I think this is on a 67.5 mile stretch of former Santa Fe, and was operated by the Gulf, Colorado and San Saba Railroad, a small short line. They went into Chap. 11 bankruptcy in 2012, and a new owner, Heart of Texas Railroad LP, started operations in mid-January, just a few months ago. I hope there's insurance, or something to help, because I'm sure this new startup railroad can ill-afford to have a multi-million dollar bridge on their line go down.
Photo of some down home short-line railroading on this line, deep in the heart of Texas (actually very near the geographic center of the state, in fact):
Good thing there wasn't a train on it!
Rod
Kinda a weak bridge??? No horizontal bracing and no X bracing......seen better O scale trestles! I'd hated to be in a train going across it.
I'm thinking the same thing as AMCDave. The video clearly shows what can happen without the bracing. And, like Breeze mentioned...how'd the whole thing catch fire all at once? I'll be waiting to see the report!
Neil
It appears to be a demolition project, good chance the cross-bracing was removed. Here is an MSN link
"Wooden trains are from a bygone age. Watch this one collapse in spectacular fashion after it's set ablaze." You have to wonder about some of the writing/reporting that makes the internet. Noting that I struggle with my own editing most of the time.
Originally Posted by breezinup:
- be interesting to see if foul play is suspected.
Why?
Originally Posted by Mike CT:
It appears to be a demolition project, good chance the cross-bracing was removed. Here is an MSN link
"Wooden trains are from a bygone age. Watch this one collapse in spectacular fashion after it's set ablaze." You have to wonder about some of the writing/reporting that makes the internet. Noting that I struggle with my own editing most of the time.
I thought the same. I noticed that the trestles are also all alight at the midpoints too. This would further weaken the structure, as is seen when the trestles snap in half as the previous one hits it.
It will be interesting to hear the final outcome of any investigation.
Originally Posted by Mike CT:
It appears to be a demolition project, good chance the cross-bracing was removed. Here is an MSN link
That makes a lot more sense.......
Originally Posted by pennsyk4:
Originally Posted by breezinup:
-be interesting to see if foul play is suspected.
Why?
The news story said that the Texas Rangers were investigating. Normally when they drop by it's not just to get a cup of coffee. 
Originally Posted by AMCDave:
Originally Posted by Mike CT:
It appears to be a demolition project, good chance the cross-bracing was removed. Here is an MSN link
That makes a lot more sense.......
This is part of the story from the AP picked up today by the Ft. Worth and Houston papers. Sounds like the bridge was in active use. There was also reference to an estimated $10 million in damage. Be interesting to see what other details come out.
"Authorities are trying to determine what sparked the fire on the bridge built in 1910 and still used to haul freight. The area is about 100 miles northwest of Austin.
A message left with the bridge owner, Heart of Texas Railroad, LP, wasn't immediately returned Thursday._
During my time as a volunteer fire fighter I witnessed a few bridge fires. The cresote would catch fire and the heat would start the nex tie and so on. For some reason the fires were always out in the middle of the span. One time the first officer on the scean reported that we needed about 200' of hose to reach the fire. It was more like 2000'.
Originally Posted by breezinup:
Originally Posted by pennsyk4:
Originally Posted by breezinup:
-be interesting to see if foul play is suspected.
Why?
The news story said that the Texas Rangers were investigating. Normally when they drop by it's not just to get a cup of coffee.
I didn't know the Texas Rangers still existed.
Originally Posted by breezinup:
Originally Posted by AMCDave:
Originally Posted by Mike CT:
It appears to be a demolition project, good chance the cross-bracing was removed. Here is an MSN link
That makes a lot more sense.......
This is part of the story from the AP picked up today by the Ft. Worth and Houston papers. Sounds like the bridge was in active use. There was also reference to an estimated $10 million in damage. Be interesting to see what other details come out.
"Authorities are trying to determine what sparked the fire on the bridge built in 1910 and still used to haul freight. The area is about 100 miles northwest of Austin.
A message left with the bridge owner, Heart of Texas Railroad, LP, wasn't immediately returned Thursday._
I don't know about that, I'm with Mike. Not to mention someone, a fireman, or whoever just happened to have a high quality video camera to tape the incident. Thats certainly not video from a hand held cell phone.
Aww, the truth is no fun. Lets make up conspiracy theories.
Originally Posted by pennsyk4:
I didn't know the Texas Rangers still existed.
Hey they are leading their division with a .638 average
All the fire trucks in my department have video cameras.
Originally Posted by pennsyk4:
I didn't know the Texas Rangers still existed.
Oh yah. From the Texas Dept. of Public Safety site:
Texas Rangers
The Texas Ranger Division is a major division within the Texas Department of Public Safety with lead criminal investigative responsibility for the following: major incident crime investigations, unsolved crime/serial crime investigations, public corruption investigations, officer involved shooting investigations, and border security operations
Originally Posted by RickO:
I don't know about that, I'm with Mike. Not to mention someone, a fireman, or whoever just happened to have a high quality video camera to tape the incident. Thats certainly not video from a hand held cell phone.
I'm guess I'm confused. Someone from the fire dept. took a video after they were called to the scene because of the fire. The fire fighter interviewed said they were attempting to put the fire out but it was too dangerous and too hot to approach. So what does a firefighter shooting a video, who was called out to put out the fire, have to do with how the fire started?
Doesn't sound like intentional demolition, or any kind of proof that it was. There's been no mention of intentional demolition by anyone - just the opposite. Why would the fire departments be called out and attempt to put out a fire if the railroad had intentionally set the fire for demolition purposes? Besides, the cause is apparently under investigation.
Originally Posted by jmiller320:
All the fire trucks in my department have video cameras.
Yup - just like police cruisers do.
This was the former Santa Fe Brady branch. I was sent to Sweetwater as Assistant Superintendent in 1993, and hy-railed the branch with the folks who shortly thereafter bought the track and operated as the Gulf, Colorado & San Saba RR, until they fell on hard times a couple of years ago. The main traffic was sand, and the high quality sand from that area has now become valuable for tracking, so the new owners had some lucrative business. The GC&SS had let the track get into pretty bad shape, as you can see from the photo.
Anyway, I definitely remember crossing this bridge in the ht-rail. It always looks farther down to the bottom than it actually is.
Originally Posted by Number 90:
......The main traffic was sand, and the high quality sand from that area has now become valuable for tracking, ......
fracking
The so-called Brady Brown sand is in high demand.
Sand mines boom along with fracking
Fracking has a mining industry in Central Texas booming
By Vicki Vaughan vvaughan@express-news.net
- jdavenport@express-news.netPhoto: SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS"-
The building on the left is used for drying sand and the building under construction on the right is a resin coating plant where sand grains are coated with resin for use in hydraulic fracturing. The buildings are on the grounds of the Frac Tech Services sand mining operation near Brady, Texas.
Photo: SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEW
“This is the good stuff,” Jordan said as he fingered the golden-colored sand. “This is what everybody wants.”
Okay...with ecomaniacs opposed to fracking, conspiracy, in the event this was not
a deliberate demolition, is a possibility. In reading through the above, I didn't see
that question answered....
Just watched the video, unbelievable!
Originally Posted by coloradohirailer:
Okay...with ecomaniacs opposed to fracking, conspiracy, in the event this was not
a deliberate demolition, is a possibility. In reading through the above, I didn't see
that question answered....
That's because no one can answer that question yet. Apparently the cause hasn't been determined. That's why law enforcement is investigating the incident.
From a news story yesterday:
"The bridge, across the Colorado River between San Saba and Lometa, burnt down and collaped after firefighters spent 15 hours attempting to put out the blaze before deciding to let it burn down.
The Lometa Volunteer Fire Department Capt. Jamie Smart, who shot the video, said that nobody was hurt in the blaze in rural Lampasas County.
Mr Smart said he heard someone shouting "there she goes" and he shot the video.
Authorities are still trying to establish what caused the bridge, which was built in 1910, to catch fire."
Well none the less it is still an impressive sight. It will be interesting to see what comes out of the investigation.
Chris
