Apparently they had some bad washouts and are rebuilding their track on this 15-inch line in Wisconsin:http://randgn.com/photo/bridge/Slides%200028.jpg

In June 2004 a large fill that had been put in by the Milwaukee Road in 1895 was washed away.Washout Pictures here:http://www.randgn.com/photo/2004_washout/index.htmNew bridge pictures here (just a bit over a year later!):http://www.randgn.com/photo/bridge/index.htmPress releases from when the washout occurred:June 2nd, 2004WOWIE…What a weekend…We now have three emergency numbers:911DNRUS Coast GuardDid I mention that it rained, and rained, and rained, and rained, and rained. To put all of this into perspective do you remember why we call Summit, Summit? It's a very high point on this property. On either side of Summit, which is a "fill" there are two deep canyons. Very Deep canyons. The canyon between CP Rail and our railroad is now Lake R&GN. The water level crested at about 6' bellow our ties and that's about a 20' deep lake which goes back towards Western Springs. The entire valley is full of water. The drainage pipe, which is about a foot or so in diameter looks like a fire hose on the other side of our "fill" as it shoots water out into the canyon. According to Paul Pierson it is the second time he has see Mystic Falls actually have a significant waterfall during the past 12 years. Other water damage is at milepost seventeen again on the side between CP Rail and our track. That's the canyon with the famous tunnel. Here we find about three cubic yards of material washed away and within 36" of our tracks. That's about the size of small compact car. In short this is serious up here. ... From the looks of things the lake up at 19 to 23 will take many days to go down...Well as everybody heads for home I'm going to work on a new marketing scheme: Fish from your coach while you ride The Riverside & Great NorthernJune 11th, 2004During the night, we suffered a severe washout. Lake R&GN, as described in a previous posting, decided it would no longer be held back by our right of way. It must have crested the top of the fill our track runs across and completely destroyed a 200 foot section of track. So our section of EX Milwaukee Road Main line, built in 1895 is no longer complete. You can click on the picture below to see the whole damage. There are more pictures in the photo gallery.June 14th, 2004The Railroad is officially staying open in spite of the massive washout that happened on the night of the 10th. The only difference is that the ride will be a few hundred feet shorter than before and the train will be running in a push - pull fashion since we will not have a turntable at the far end of the line. Check back often for more news.June 23rd, 2004We are open and doing business. This weekend the volunteers worked some long hours but they managed to keep the rails polished and faces smilin'. Engineer, Zak Bender took the throttle for Saturday and Sunday operating some full sight-seeing trains to the newest canyon in Wisconsin. Some of the folks here have dubbed it the Riverside Canyon. Obviously, you can only see it from the R&GN Railway. Saturday was the first $1,000 day of the season for us! Our weekend looked pretty good as trains marched up and back from the new end-of-track. First question heard the most... So, when are you going to put the bridge in? Or are the mosquitoes always this bad? It has been very difficult to spray for the little rascals when it wants to rain every other day now. Hopefully, we will get a break in the weather to get some control of them.July 22nd, 2004Behind the scenes there is a whole bunch of stuff happening concerning the washout with: Insurance, FEMA, DNR and basic info gathering. Frank Mucci is heading that group and I'm sure it will be organized well to get the job done.A meeting concerning the observation deck is scheduled for tomorrow to determine the final costs. Hopefully, we can get that deck built so that our customers can get a much better view of the canyon.August 30th, 2005EXTRA EXTRA Read all about itWestern Springs Gorge Crossing Also known as the Riverside Canyon, our big hole and many other less friendly names is progressing nicely according to President Frank Mucci.The "Western Springs Gorge Crossing" project is progressing nicely according to Frank Mucci…This is the complete letter from Frank M.The contractor is working hard at doing an excellent job. Steve Janke is aware that this is a high profile job, and he and his crew are working in a professional manner.Waste material that fell in the canyon has all been removed. The right -of way- from the turntable to the washout has been cleared of dangerous trees, and trees that would have died in the next year. A clear path has been made 25 feet from the center of the track, and the true beauty of the surrounding area can now be appreciated. Although some trees were cut in the process, a healthier more beautiful landscape will be appreciated by all. The work that is going on at mile posts 18 through 23 will stabilize the landscape for at least one generation.The abutments for the bridge have been excavated, and sound bedrock has been struck according to plan. The footings for the trestle are dug down to bedrock 8 - 12 feet below grade. Piers are being designed to accommodate the depth and moisture conditions of the soil.Several large drainage culverts have been designed and installed to within .01 inch of specification. A new road bed will be installed on the right of way to accommodate the work trucks, and also be the base for the ballast. This professionally designed right of way will be the model of all grand scale railroads. The society if fortunate to have the very best of engineering and architecture to be utilized on this project.An access road has been constructed at the turntable. This was the best location to bring in the 80 foot long bridge sections. The road will be treated with crushed stone, and will be left as a permanent access road for future use. A gate will be installed to secure the area from snowmobiles and ATV's. The road will allow emergency response vehicles to enter the right of way.The project is on schedule and within budget. Fundraising will begin this week. Any help that you would like to share is greatly appreciated. I would like to see someone take responsibility to organize a silent auction.I encourage every member to stop by and see the construction site. I would personally tour any member around the site. Please do not wander on the site unescorted. Although the site is our property, it is still a construction site!

Take a look at this bridge, and compare the size of the bridge to the tiny man below.. Quite impressive!http://www.randgn.com/photo/bridge/Slides%200321.jpg

At first I thought the person in said photograph had been "photoshopped" in--it just doesn't look true to scale.Then I checked the other photos. The person in question is indeed "tiny," barely over four feet tall by my best estimates (based on I-beams, tie length, fence heights, etc.). S/he comes up to the armpits of other workers in the photos.Keep that in mind when looking at the photo.

Well if you look at this picture you can tell that the bridge is pretty big. That's a full size piece of construction equipment. My father works with stuff like that and that is not a small piece of equipment.http://www.randgn.com/photo/bridge/P1010041.JPG

the R&GN website says that the washout was 200' wide and 50' deep. which is quite a canyon to create over night. The trestle looks to be about the same dimensions. Each bridge section is 80' long.