Apparently the wooden portion of the trestle caught fire last night & is still smoldering. Detail on the various narrow gauge boards.

For those not familiar with it, here's a short video of a run over Lobato Trestle. Several other vids on Youtube are available too of the same location. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b889l_ymoqI

Here is a link to a local TV station's raw footage of the aftermath of the fire taken from a helicopter http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/local/northwest/train-trestle-burning-outside-of-chama

Sad. I sure hope this wasn't a deliberately set fire.

Thanks

Lots of discussion on the narrow gauge board, along with good photos. It appears that the deck ties burned, but the main bridge structure "seems" un damaged. Time now for a complete inspection, and then a replacement of deck and rails. Perhaps with all steel ties, probable causes bandied about are a cinder off of the last west bound, or fireworks. (Yep it is that time of year)

From the photos, "I" don't see any distortion in the bridge beams... However I am not a structural engineer.

Time to set our worries on hold and wait for the experten. (Grin)

Maybe even a chance to get some new paint on the trestle. (Grin)

Regards,
Kevin

It is a serious setback. The damage could theoretically be declared an economic emergency by the state of NM. Santa Fe New Mexican article:
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Fire-damages-historic-trestle

Also over on the "Narrow Gauge Discussion Forum" are postings of the current press releases and current operations plans.

The trains are running from Antonito to Osier (the lunch stop) and hi-end motor coaches are being offered to take people from Chama to Antonito for those departures and then back at the end of the day.

See press release here:
http://www.cumbrestoltec.com/img/uploaded/Lobato%20Press%20Release%203.pdf

Hi All,

I think it is important to remember that the C&TS is owned by two states and it would be nice to see Colorado help with this issue. Recently Colorado has only funded projects on their side of the state line and the RR is one entity and not managed in a manner like the US highway system. Both owners should step up to the plate on this one.

Robby

The fire on the Lobato Trestle was not likely a result of fireworks, arson or lightning. The insurance deductable on the bridge is 50,000 dollars, to which the Friends of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad have donated $20,000. Donations are being collected by the FCTS in a special fund to help rebuild the bridge. Meanwhile comfortable motor coaches carry passengers boarding at Chama, NM to the Cumbres pass station, and trips from Antonito, CO continue as normal.
Press release here:
http://www.ctsrr.com/news/2010/07-20-10friendslobatotrestlefund/Lobato%20Press%20Release%2011.pdf

Train boarding at Cumbres pass station

There are post-fire pictures of Lobato bridge posted over at the Narrow Gauge Discussion Forum in the thread "Post-Fire Pictures of Lobato Bridge **PICS**" These are direct links to the three messages containing the pictures:

http://ngdiscussion.net/phorum/read.php?1,164634
http://ngdiscussion.net/phorum/read.php?1,164634,164635
http://ngdiscussion.net/phorum/read.php?1,164634,164636

The pictures are courtesy NGDF poster Tomstp -- Thanks Tomstp!

Bummer. Guess those old ties burn really hot. Interesting how the fire jumped from one tie to the next, because there is no continuous wood path, correct?

Steven,
I believe that there may have been a walkway on one side of the bridge which would have provided a continous wooden path the length of the bridge.
Just checked some online pictures. There was a walkway on one side of the bridge. Also, there were wooden beams bolted to the tops of ties on the outside which also connected the ties together.
Bill Dennehy

One other thing about Lobato is that the girders were from a standard gauge line and were never rebuilt narrower. Thus the ties were carrying the rail load and transmitting it to the girders. Because of this, the "ties" were actually somewhere on the order of 16" x 8", or nearly double what a tradional bridge tie is (10" x 10"?). I suspect this is a larger factor in the amount of damage the girders sustained.

Michael Seitz
Missoula MT

Creosoted timbers burn amazingly hot! The creosote is a very hot fuel, and the fire gets going really well. Many a railroad has lost a timber trestle due to the fact that once a creosote fire gets going it's very dificult to extinguish. Chimmney fires are also caused by creosote, and you probably know how hard they are to deal with.

Many years ago, on a line I won't name, we burned a big pile of old ties. The fire quickly got so hot you could easily feel it from a couple hundred feet away. When that thing got going, the flames were huge, and the smoke was equally impressive. The next morning, nothing was left but a thin pile of ash and some tie plates and spikes, which were a bright pink color due to the heat and smoke I guess.

Here is what Lobato used to look like:


Glen

I'll second bobharbison's comment that burning creosoted ties are hard to extinguish.

A little background. SD&AE's tunnel # 3 was constructed in about 1915, about 1300 ft long. It was all shored with creosoted timbers. In the 1930's a fire burned part of the interior, and abut 100 ft collapsed, resulting in Tunnel 3, being 319 ft long, and renumbered Tunnel 3 1/2 being 897 ft. long.

About 10 years ago, Tunnel 3 again burned, with the entire 319 ft collapsing. Since that portion of the tunnel was not too far underground, the tunnel was daylighted; an excavator cleared out the debris from above. Here's what I still find hard to believe, but I was there and saw it: The excavator was working on clearing the debris about 15 months, yes, over a year, from the date of the fire. When it cleared the dirt off of the timbers, they immediately burst into flame! Some how they had found enough oxygen to keep smoldering all that time, and as soon as they had plenty of air, they ignited.

In an unfortunate P.S., Tunnel 3 1/2 burned last Christmas Day, and that portion of the line has been shut down ever since. PSRM can no longer offer its popular trips to Tecate, Mexico. Since the tunnel is in Mexico, it will be repaired "manana."