Steam & Excursion > Swanton Pacific - The Morning After The Fire.

Very sad.

Martin

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SAD, SO SAD.  HOW DID THE FIRE START?
BLAINE

Lightning.

Martin



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/21/20 07:59 by LoggerHogger.

California was subjected to about 11,000 lightning strikes over the last weekend and the fires have been raging ever since. The fire that tore through the Swanton Pacific (called the CZU Lightning Complex) is one of hundreds of fires currently blazing across the state. The losses are staggering, both in life and property, and only beginning to be documented.

I think the fire count is/was around 380 for the whole state.

Really sad.  It will be some time before anything happens, if ever, to restore this gem.  The next big concern is the Roaring Big Trees railroad.  They have been hit before, losing a major wooden trestle in the process.  The current situation may be more dire, with the entire complex threatened, as well as the town that hosts it.  With COVID in effect, the prisoner population that used to build fire lines and brush clearing to contain fires, is not available due to rampant spread in their ranks.  The military may be needed to fill in, because with so many fires, there just isn't enough equipment, nor personnel to deal with the sheer number of fires.  There were 11,000 dry lightening strikes, that moved up the coast from the remnants of a tropical storm, that bombarded California during a widespread heatwave (130 degree reading in Death Valley--one of a handful of possible Earth records), within the height of  our dry season--a perfect storm.  There were times when the sky was flashing like a strobe light for as far as the eye could see.  Often times a tree struck by lightening will smolder from the inside for days, only to collapse, spreading embers to create a new fire.  This is another new normal, right there next to all the other forms a severe weather around the country.  Whatever your poison, its getting stronger.  If it looks like your "normal" climate is changing, it probably is.  Mother Nature is none too happy with us humans these days.

The upside is that the temperatures looked to be fairly low.    A good amount of the high temp paint on the locos is in tact.  Likely the frames are still straight etc. and hopefully there was not an annealing affect on hardened metals from a gradual heat and cool.

This is all salvageable but given the resources Swanton has and the nature of its ownership by CalPoly San Luis Obispo Ag department the future is unclear.  It will largely depend on what the college decides to do.   We will wait, and see...

Mike Massee
Tehachapi, CA
Photography, Railroading and more..

That's true fire is a natural occurrence in California always has been and always will be. Forest management is the best solution for keeping fires less aggressive when they get started. For example the area around clear Lake that burned not too long ago so the fire won't ravage that area as great as it will south of there around like Berryessa. The area around Swanson that hasn't burned in my memory. 62 years. The way nature handles things is to periodically burn out the forest to get rid of all that brush, obviously, if that was done we could save a lot of Infrastructure in the wild lands As well railroad equipment from getting damaged.

Interesting Video compilation showing major California fires in the past 100 years. Consider slowing the Video down by using the Gear icon to access the menu with play speeds. The sharp historian can spot major fires that have effected Railroads or Logging Companies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o58Te06fOkw

California had two of the wettest years on record the last 3 years.

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/21/20 18:05 by goduckies.

I too was surprised to see them still intact.  Perhaps the scaled building did not generate the heat that a full sized building will have.  

When I saw Mike's photos with all the brush around the structure it was an oh no moment this won't turn out well.  It appears they did not take the wildfire threat seriously and cleared out vegetation.

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

Al Smith donated this ranch to his alma mater Cal Poly and the railroad within it to the Cal  Poly Ag  Engineering department to maintain the railroad as a project. Other departments have projects on other areas if the ranch. I rather imagine that the Cal Poly Ag Engineering dept will now have a whole new project to work on. 

Carol Voss
Bakersfield, CA

On another related subject...Is Roaring Camp & Big Trees Railroad doing ok???.. Hope so!.. It's just across the Felton Valley!

If CalPoly is considered a government entity, and the railroad is owned by CalPoly, then it may be possible for FEMA money to filter back down to the railroad. A similar situation occured some years ago when the West Virginia, state-owned, South Branch Valley Railroad was devistated by a 1000 year flood. Lets hope it works that way, here.

callum_out Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So the massive high pressure dome responsible for
> this is now "global warming"? If it was causing
> cooling it would all of
> a sudden become "weather". 400 PPM of CO2 is not
> causing this, get over it!
>
> Out 

Well here is some facts, once way back when there was ice over much or all of this rock we call earth.  That began to melt and ever since its melted causing oceans to rise in the process.  Towns have been flooded hundreds of years back and are well under water now and mountain ranges the same. Since there is more raw earth and rocks uncovered the temp has slowly gone up no way to stop it would not matter what was done, get rid of internal combustion engines, home heat and ever what else will do no good. Its just the earth evolving and reacting to what has been going on for years.  Know this will bring many anti comments but so be it as most of those people who are waving a red flag have a vested intrest in it due to there pay checks. Just saying what some of the other side of global warming think.

SamRae Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If CalPoly is considered a government entity, and
> the railroad is owned by CalPoly, then it may be
> possible for FEMA money to filter back down to the
> railroad. A similar situation occured some years
> ago when the West Virginia, state-owned, South
> Branch Valley Railroad was devistated by a 1000
> year flood. Lets hope it works that way, here.

Don't think FEMA is going to send money to rebuild a "Model Railroad".

How much??

Posted from iPhone

BAB Wrote:
-------------------------------------
>
> Well here is some facts, once way back when there
> was ice over much or all of this rock we call
> earth.  That began to melt and ever since its
> melted causing oceans to rise in the process. 
> Towns have been flooded hundreds of years back and
> are well under water now and mountain ranges the
> same. Since there is more raw earth and rocks
> uncovered the temp has slowly gone up no way to
> stop it would not matter what was done, get rid of
> internal combustion engines, home heat and ever
> what else will do no good. Its just the earth
> evolving and reacting to what has been going on
> for years.  Know this will bring many anti
> comments but so be it as most of those people who
> are waving a red flag have a vested intrest in it
> due to there pay checks. Just saying what some of
> the other side of global warming think.

Wow....so I guess you are also going to say that our waterways/oceans have always had pollutants/plastic in them...??!! Weather anyone WANTS TO BELIEVE IT or not, this planet is in SERIOUS trouble...!!

And please don't assume that some of us don't like what you have to say because it affects our "paychecks".
If a "cleaner" planet means that I don't ever have to deal with a 30,0000+ ton(!?!) coal train that has DPU failure(s) and a broken knuckle(s), then so be it.....

Posted from Android



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/22/20 14:15 by ns1000.

ns1000 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BAB Wrote:
> -------------------------------------
> >
> > Well here is some facts, once way back when
> there
> > was ice over much or all of this rock we call
> > earth.  That began to melt and ever since its
> > melted causing oceans to rise in the process. 
> > Towns have been flooded hundreds of years back
> and
> > are well under water now and mountain ranges
> the
> > same. Since there is more raw earth and rocks
> > uncovered the temp has slowly gone up no way to
> > stop it would not matter what was done, get rid
> of
> > internal combustion engines, home heat and ever
> > what else will do no good. Its just the earth
> > evolving and reacting to what has been going on
> > for years.  Know this will bring many anti
> > comments but so be it as most of those people
> who
> > are waving a red flag have a vested intrest in
> it
> > due to there pay checks. Just saying what some
> of
> > the other side of global warming think.
>
> Wow....so I guess you are also going to say that
> our waterways/oceans have always had
> pollutants/plastic in them...??!! Weather anyone
> WANTS TO BELIEVE IT or not, this planet is in
> SERIOUS trouble...!!
>
> And please don't assume that some of us don't like
> what you have to say because it affects our
> "paychecks".
> If a "cleaner" planet means that I don't ever have
> to deal with a 30,0000+ ton(!?!) coal train that
> has DPU failure(s) and a broken knuckle(s), then
> so be it.....
>
> Posted from Android

You my friend, need to realize that there is a difference between “global warming” and pollution. You also have to start to SERIOUSLY consider Gods plan for the earth. We breath OXYGEN and expel CO2. The plants breath CO2 and expel OXYGEN. If every location on earth looked like the Oklahoma dust bowl, I MIGHT start to consider that the earth may be in SERIOUS trouble. Until then, know that the mainstream media is playing you like a violin.

Posted from iPhone

Goalieman Wrote:
-------------------------------------
>
> You my friend, need to realize that there is a
> difference between “global warming” and
> pollution. You also have to start to SERIOUSLY
> consider Gods plan for the earth. We breath OXYGEN
> and expel CO2. The plants breath CO2 and expel
> OXYGEN. If every location on earth looked like the
> Oklahoma dust bowl, I MIGHT start to consider that
> the earth may be in SERIOUS trouble. Until then,
> know that the mainstream media is playing you like
> a violin.
>
> Posted from iPhone


1.) The difference between "global warming" and "pollution" is NOT as wide as you might think.

2.) I DON'T pay much attention to "mainstream media". Please don't ASSUME I do. BUT, I DO have the ability to read and there is PLENTY of articles (from ALL sorts of sources) involving the "state of this planet".

3). I find it amusing you mentioned our trees/plants. Do some research about our Amazon rainforests...??!!

Enough said....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/22/20 15:50 by ns1000.