Nostalgia & History > NWP Greenbrae, Ca. bridge

For as many times as I've driven past this bridge on highway 101, I've never stopped and looked at it up close. I didn't know there was an access point, but there is...

Here is what this very familiar Bay Area landmark looks like up close. I wonder if John Harder ever made it down here way back when. (hint hint - directed at Stash - can I be more obvious?)

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This old telephone pole looks extremely cool...

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And from the other side looking north., Pilings still in place from the second electrified track, which would have been out of service by 1941.

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Last one - looking south toward Sausalito. Photos taken on 4/25/05.

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Is there any rail left on the bridge or off?

Nudge

Looks like there's rail on the draw span in the first shot. Apparently the trestle has been removed to make room for the road at the far end? Did the r.o.w. curve to the right, where a red vehicle is visible above the trestle? Interesting artifact, surprised it hasn't been scrapped or burned by now.

There is still rail on the span. The ROW should be intact after crossing Sir Frances Drake, but the famous old trestle is gone. I took a closer look a few years ago and found that there were still some rails leading to the tunnel.

wlankenau Wrote:
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> Looks like there's rail on the draw span in the
> first shot. Apparently the trestle has been
> removed to make room for the road at the far end?
> Did the r.o.w. curve to the right, where a red
> vehicle is visible above the trestle? Interesting
> artifact, surprised it hasn't been scrapped or
> burned by now.

In San Rafael I found this little surprise. Looks like they paved over the trakcs recently, but left the crossing intact. I thought that ROW was being set aside for possible reuse in the future.

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I believe this is Rice Dr.

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spnudge Wrote:
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> Is there any rail left on the bridge or off?
>
> Nudge


I was there in July 1993 and the rails were still in place through the tunnel and onto the trestle. However, the trestle approach was bent out alignment from a recent accident and the City of Larkspur used that as an excuse to remove those portions of the trestle over Sir Frnacisc Drake Blvd. so they could widen it. -

The tracks are also in place leaving San Rafael and going up the grade through the tunnel. In fact, the tracks are in place all the way to Ignacio. - Tony J.

Funny thing though, if they tore it down to widen the street last year, they still haven't gotten around to that part of the job yet. The street is still divided up into those narrow little lanes that ran between the trestle supports.

TonyJ Wrote:
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> I was there in July 1993 and the rails were still
> in place through the tunnel and onto the trestle.
> However, the trestle approach was bent out
> alignment from a recent accident and the City of
> Larkspur used that as an excuse to remove those
> portions of the trestle over Sir Frnacisc Drake
> Blvd. so they could widen it. -

Here is an arial photo of the bridge and approachs. I don't recall seeing many bascule railroad bridge where the structure for both tracks are tied together.

Ron Zimmer

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Funny thing though, if they tore it down to widen the street last year, they still haven't gotten around to that part of the job yet. The street is still divided up into those narrow little lanes that ran between the trestle supports.

I'm not surprised. For a long time they complained how the trestle was standing in the way of widening the road. Now they probably don't have the funds to do so. - Tony J.

I was in San Rafael a couple of years ago checking out the track, and all of a sudden there is a headlight and a hi-rail suburban comes down the track just north of the San Rafael station. I caught this on my camcorder. Needless to say, I was shocked - I didn't think anything moved south of Ignacio any more.

Back east where there are hundreds of bridges, its very common to have both tracks on a draw span. They have some lift spans with three mains complete with cantnary and or 3rd rail. I don't recall seeing any swing bridges with more than one track.

Nudge

I don't recall if the Sacramento swing bridge, the double deck one west of the station, is single or double track.

john1082 Wrote:
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> I don't recall if the Sacramento swing bridge, the
> double deck one west of the station, is single or
> double track.


It's double track.

I agree that there are long bascules in multi-track territory, but most of the time they seem to be individual single track structures particularly if the are through trusses.

As for double track swing spans, one of the largest is the one on the Santa Fe at Fort Madison, Iowa. It carries a highway on the second level. I am not if the bridge at Rock Island, Illinois (Lock and Dam No. 15) is single or double track, but the unusual thing about the Rock Island bridge is that the roadway deck is on the lower level.

Ron Zimmer

Mr. Furtado, Sir--
Great Photos!! Even I had no idea that bridge with the open draw still existed. This must have been part of the electrified NWP line into Greenbrae...
It would be rather nice if STASH and John Harder could provide THEN and NOW shots when the electrics were on that span..

If the rail is still intact thru the tunnels to Ignacio, it would be a great "playground" for "Speeder Clubs"..

KRK

BlackWidow Wrote:
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> I was in San Rafael a couple of years ago checking
> out the track, and all of a sudden there is a
> headlight and a hi-rail suburban comes down the
> track just north of the San Rafael station. I
> caught this on my camcorder. Needless to say, I
> was shocked - I didn't think anything moved south
> of Ignacio any more.


Any chance of uploading that video?!