Steam & Excursion > Niles Canyon Railway boys at Farwell Bridge ??

Could this be the Niles Canyon Railway B&B Dept doing repairs on the Farwell Bridge or someone else, a little further back in time ?

Crane SPMW 3636 in action at Farwell Bridge on the SP- Date unknown.

KRK Archives.

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The cribbing under the track at the abutment is interesting. That would explain the soft spot there that seems to never quite go away.

Great photo of the bridge though!

Lurch

Judging from the lack of hard hats, I'd say this was a long time ago. As I recall, at least as far back as the 1960's SP had the "Turtle Club" for workers who had been saved from serious injury by their "gourd guards", and the "Wise Owl Club" for those whose eyesight had been preserved by wearing the proper goggles or face shield.

Pole lines are in place. Clothing is appropriate to about 1935-1945 era. Construction practices appear to be about those of the 1930s for the most part.

The crane has a sling around the near beam on the bridge. It is either lifting itself by its bootstraps, or more likely is sitting on rails on top that pile of wood, which is not supporting the bridge, but instead supporting a temporary construction track while the truss beams are laid and some cross members can be installed.

I don't know how old that line is. Could this be an initial construction photo?

Looks like they are putting in the thru girder section to bridge the highway. The concrete retaining wall on the right looks new, while the bridge abutment on the left is stone, and looks original. I'm not sure when the highway was built through Niles Canyon, but the thirties sounds about right.

Mike

Love all those workers walking on narrow beams with no visible harnesses. Where is OSHA when you need them?

chakk Wrote:
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> Where is OSHA when you need them?

About 50 years in the future.

lwilton Wrote:

> I don't know how old that line is. Could this be
> an initial construction photo?

I don't think so. Line was built in the 1860's, and the truss bridge has an 1896 date on its portals.