Western Railroad Discussion > No comm/code lines means...

…no need for weed sprayers.

As railfan photographers we all lost more than we bargained for when those pesky trackside pole lines went away. I was scouting out a place to shoot a very late Amtrak #4. I guess it won’t be here…

1. BNSF 6511 appears to be slinking along in the weeds near Elmdale, KS. It’s suppertime on this busy October 5, 2018.

Where’s my swing-scythe?
Lance Garrels
santafe199



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/18 10:42 by santafe199.

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I considered them part of the landscape and framed my photos accordingly.
Bill Pyper
Salem, OR
 

I always liked the pole line, seems naked out there now.

Larry

Now it's kindling for lineside wild fires from brakes or hot sticking brakes from passing trains.

wjpyper Wrote: > ... and framed my photos accordingly ...

Yeah, I did a lot of that as well. In fact, the code lines on this very stretch of the old Santa Fe used to have a "main trunk" pole line with 5 or 6 full cross arms. There were a lot of places I could work up a good shot with them in it. But there were also many places where they were obnoxiously in the way, no matter how you worked the shot...

Lance/199

My Dad was a section foreman on the Rock Island.  In the fall and winter, one of the things they did
was burn right of way.  For several reasons, enviroment is one, they no longer burn r of w.
zr190

As far as right of way maintenance I don't believe they are even allowed to spray beyond the end of the ballast anymore.
And think about the loss of the pole lines. I know on the two railroads I worked on the pole lines had the mile markers on them for location identification.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

zr190 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My Dad was a section foreman on the Rock Island. 
> In the fall and winter, one of the things they
> did
> was burn right of way.  For several reasons,
> environment is one, they no longer burn r of w.
> zr190

I suppose you can burn it, spray it, or mow it.  The first two run afoul of e-restrictions and the third is time consuming and costly

EsPee1229 Wrote: > ... first two run afoul of e-restrictions ...

That may not be a problem any more. It seems we now have an EPA that no longer gives a damn about environmental protection...

Lance/199

Climbing a tree for a shot is a whole lot worse than climbing a pole!!

Out

Ritzville Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I always liked the pole line, seems naked out
> there now.
>
> Larry

I always despised them. Damn poles ruined more irreplacable photos than I coud take in another lifetime.

zr190 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My Dad was a section foreman on the Rock Island. 
> In the fall and winter, one of the things they
> did
> was burn right of way.  For several reasons,
> enviroment is one, they no longer burn r of w.
> zr190

But in the spring when they burn the flint hills in Kansas, the fires will always get to the right of way ditches, and nobody is concerned. It just eventually burns out, taking the dead trees, brush and old rotten ties with it.

Oftentimes we would laugh about the need for a "pole filter."  Not so much any more.

Bob Willer