Western Railroad Discussion > Wind River Canyon, Wyoming, closed account Mudslides

 Forwarding info -Mud and Rockslides bury railroad tracks in several locations in Wind River Canyon, Wyoming.  UPDATE at 7:03 a.m. County10.com has confirmed the railroad cars were empty cars parked along a siding and not from a moving freight train. The Hot Springs County Sheriff’s Office also confirmed that no train traffic is being allowed through the canyon at this point (obviously). The HSCSO also indicated the BNSF has dispatched crews and equipment to begin clearing the tracks.(Shoshoni, Wyo.) – The Wind River Canyon saw a number of landslides following heavy rains this week that has closed the canyon. Riverton Resident Jackie Dorothy was in the canyon before it was closed and sent County10.com these photos of landslides on the BNSF rail line that runs on the west side of the canyon.The canyon has been closed to vehicle traffic and it is not expected to reopen until at least Tuesday.It is not known officially at this point if a train was caught in one of the landslides, as the photo above would indicate. The rail cars involved may have been parked along a siding. The Hot Springs County Sheriff’s office was unaware of any such derailment and phone calls to the BNSF offices in Greybull and the Hot Springs County Emergency Management Director went unanswered. http://county10.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/05/11292819_10206317991607249_28713157_n.jpgA rock and mud slide covers the tracks of the BNSF in Wind River Canyon (Jackie Dorothy photo)http://county10.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/05/11352200_10206317997527397_1107978928_n.jpgA photo from the highway of one of several rock and mud slides that covered the BNDF rail line through Wind River Canyon. (Jackie Dorothy photo) 

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/26/15 06:34 by cozephyr.

It always amazed me there were no slide detectors in that canyon. Looks like it will be awhile before a train can pass. There is a switch visible to the right of the derailed car making me believe these are just stored sand empties as the only switches in the entire canyon are the north and south siding switch at Dornick, a short siding right in the middle of the canyon which is on the river side of the main line.
JB

What's amazing is that the highway and the railroad are on opposite sides of the river, yet both are closed.

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,3752235

Paul Birkholz
Sheridan, WY