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Just in case this hasn't made the national news, there's a fire on a truss bridge in Tempe, Arizona, about 20 miles from where we live and where I went to school. The bridge had about eight spans across the Salt River which is dammed up to form the Tempe Town Lake. From what I can see, one span over land has collapsed and there's about seven cars on the ground or hanging off the tracks including three or four tank cars. None of those are burning. Five of the spans over water are burning and two or three centerbeam cars with lumber are on fire and you can see the burning lumber falling from the cars. They are dealing with the collapsed span and one other that they can fight from the ground and are waiting on a helicopter to help fight the spans over the water. This bridge is around 100 years old and has seen it's last train for sure. So far no one has said if the bridge collapsed first, or if a car fire or derailment is what started this. It is spectacular to watch and that's all that's on the local news right now.
This is Don Day bringing you the latest news from the "Eye in the Sky", (a local station's catchphrase), more news at noon....
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(07-29-2020, 08:48 AM)ezdays Wrote: Just in case this hasn't made the national news, there's a fire on a truss bridge in Tempe, Arizona, about 20 miles from where we live and where I went to school. The bridge had about eight spans across the Salt River which is dammed up to form the Tempe Town Lake. From what I can see, one span over land has collapsed and there's about seven cars on the ground or hanging off the tracks including three or four tank cars. None of those are burning. Five of the spans over water are burning and two or three centerbeam cars with lumber are on fire and you can see the burning lumber falling from the cars. They are dealing with the collapsed span and one other that they can fight from the ground and are waiting on a helicopter to help fight the spans over the water. This bridge is around 100 years old and has seen it's last train for sure. So far no one has said if the bridge collapsed first, or if a car fire or derailment is what started this. It is spectacular to watch and that's all that's on the local news right now.
This is Don Day bringing you the latest news from the "Eye in the Sky", (a local station's catchphrase), more news at noon....
Here is a news story with video
https://www.azfamily.com/news/train-dera...b639f.html
Charlie
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Thanks for finding that Charlie, apparently that is a live shot. The UP says that the derailment caused the collapse which started the fire. No aerial support though because the Phoenix airport is too close by. Here's a shot of how the bridge looked before the fire, the trestle over the road on the right is the one that collapsed.
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How does a derailment start a fire?
How major is that RR line?
David
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(07-29-2020, 08:22 PM)BR60103 Wrote: How does a derailment start a fire?
How major is that RR line?
Don't know, they just gave the chain of events over the TV. Apparently the fire started in the lumber loads, none of the derailed cars were on fire, even the tank cars.
If you look at pictures for overhead, there are two more tracks on a parallel bridge, obviously built somewhat recently, so the loss of the bridge shouldn't affect traffic. Finding out how this all started and how the fire started is going to be how those government guys earn their big bucks....
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Just in case anyone was interested, there is a gallery of photos here that shows every aspect of the fire. It was spectacular there for a while. They even had a pumper boat after a while, where that came from is anyone's guess.
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(07-29-2020, 08:41 PM)ezdays Wrote: (07-29-2020, 08:22 PM)BR60103 Wrote: How does a derailment start a fire?
How major is that RR line?
Don't know, they just gave the chain of events over the TV. Apparently the fire started in the lumber loads, none of the derailed cars were on fire, even the tank cars.
If you look at pictures for overhead, there are two more tracks on a parallel bridge, obviously built somewhat recently, so the loss of the bridge shouldn't affect traffic. Finding out how this all started and how the fire started is going to be how those government guys earn their big bucks.... To my humble opinion, these two tracks on the seperate bridge are for the Valley Metro Rail. This is a streetcar/lightrail and for LRVs this bridge is made and has not the structure to bear the load strain of full heavy railroad traffic.
Lutz
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(07-30-2020, 02:47 PM)Schraddel Wrote: To my humble opinion, these two tracks on the seperate bridge are for the Valley Metro Rail. This is a streetcar/lightrail and for LRVs this bridge is made and has not the structure to bear the load strain of full heavy railroad traffic.
Lutz
You know Lutz,I never gave that a thought. I think you're right, they're extending the light rail to Tempe, good catch. Maybe they'll have to rebuild the bridge after all.
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Don (ezdays) Day
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I hope the crew wasn't hurt.
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(08-09-2020, 03:56 AM)Brakie Wrote: I hope the crew wasn't hurt.
Just one from smoke inhalation.
As an update, they took the bridge sections down on Monday, by Friday, they had the new bridge and rails in place. Normally, they'd still be in the process of getting permits and impact statements submitted. Talk about being on the fast track....
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Oh yeah,
they are speedily fixing it, found several videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r91IkCnsskg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZpQDBEUmU0
It looks like they are ramming trestle steel pillars into the ground.
That is the spirit of the Old West. There is a gap, don't ask, fix it.
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Don,
you were completely right!
The trains are rolling again.
Lutz
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(08-14-2020, 03:09 AM)Schraddel Wrote: Don,
you were completely right!
The trains are rolling again.
Lutz
Yup, they said they'd be running by today, less than two weeks after the fire. Gotta give them credit, they know how to get things done. If this was a government job, they'd just be starting the planning stage, meetings, coffee, more meetings, more lunches, maybe even a trip or two to Vegas or Hawaii to see how they do things there. Two years later and they'd be ready to go get bids....
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