Canadian Railroads > Lytton BC fire: train suspected as cause

3/4 down in this article:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-wildfires-lytton-july-1-2021-1.6087311

Pure speculation. 

Is CN and CP still shut down through the area?  I heard reports that the CN bridge was damaged by the fire as well.

railsmith Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> wyeth Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Is CN and CP still shut down through the area? 
> I
> > heard reports that the CN bridge was damaged by
> > the fire as well.
>
There are two large CN bridges at Lytton and at least one of them is very burnt. The one shown at the link below is Thompson River Bridge 7 (612 ft long) at the north end of town (railway east end) at Mile 97.4 CN Ashcroft Sub. At the south end of town is Fraser River Bridge 10, Mile  98.3 (869 ft. long).

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10159460818337402&set=a.10152003983912402

Some views of the Thompson River bridge at 1:20 of the CTV news clip here:

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/exclusive-video-shows-wreckage-left-by-fire-that-tore-though-b-c-village-1.5495032

A good view of the bridge can be seen in Photo 8 of this recent post by TO member cp1400:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,5270989
 



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/21 19:55 by railsmith.

From watching the news videos, I see that restored CN wooden caboose #78939 that was on display in Lytton was burned to the ground.  I assume that the restored old CN depot across the street from the caboose was lost too. 

Unless someone can tell me otherwise, some cursury research on the Net suggests that even with ballasted concrete and steel bridges, wooden ties are used. I suppose you can't elimiate the fire hazzard 100%?

Victor



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/21 17:18 by wabash2800.

wabash2800 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Unless someone can tell me otherwise, some cursury
> research on the Net suggests that even with
> ballasted concrete and steel bridges, wooden ties
> are used. I suppose you can't elimiate the fire
> hazzard 100%?

Besides that, anything sparking from a train could ignite dried grass or underbrush near the track.

Maybe someone else on here knows for sure, but I think the 'trough' the ballast sits in on the bridge was treated wood. Something like Dry Creek in CA--with the same result.