The larger of the two bridges across the Fraser near Lytton, BC caught fire http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/06/30/bc-railway-bridge-fire.html
Could be a while before they roll again like this: http://www.vimeo.com/5443505
This just days after a CN freight got caught in the mudslide in the Fraser Valley. Lots of snow melt “supplemented” by lots of rain shut down the TCH and the rail line
Oh, Cisco!
Oh, Poncho!
Well, it took them a year to evaluate and rebuild the Logato trestle on the Cumbres and Toltec. I wonder how long this one will take. I would imagine the heat damage to the structure will be similar to that at the C&TS.
Bob C.
Similar fire on the Poughkeepsie Bridge in the 70’s (I think) was the coffin nail in the Conrail/New Haven’s Maybrook line. It was too costly to repair.
Abandonment is out of the question! That’s CN’s main East-West line and will be a major dispatching challenge since CP and CN decided some time ago to use the lines East and West of the river in uni-directional fashion to increase capacity. Apart from CN and CP freights it’s also the route for VIA and the Rocky Mountaineer (Calgary and Jasper) i.e. a real PITA!!
Yes HJ it will be a challenge for both RR’s to now share one single track mainline through the canyon down to Mission, for both east and west movements. Could get abit congested.
Hi Randy,
Depends if CN considers rerouting at least some of their traffic over the ex-BCR line. ? ? ? ? They used to run some really long trains on that line - and got into trouble - but a bit of smarter consisting could/would help…
Having just rode that line from N. Van to Whistler…there’s not much straight track on that section, makes the Fraser canyon route look like a bullet train track. 
But I agree with you they (CN) could re-route some trains on that line and re-connect at Valemont.
Update: Yesterday - gorgeous weather!!! - I checked out the traffic situation in the Thompson/Fraser Canyon. Started out at Spences Bridge not a sign of trains for at least 45 Minutes. What the *&&^%^ is going on? Decided to drive to Ashcroft to check what’s not cooking, one weirdo train with a boxcar and two coaches (couldn’t see it properly but it looked like RM stock) pulled by a clunker CP diesel.
Other than that a MoW highrail truck on the CN main.
On to Kamloops, at least four westbound trains lined up in the CN yard. Talked to one of the engineers who said they had 14 trains the previous day between 2PM and Midnight headed for the Cisco bridge. Hmmmmm perfect video filming time in the dark!
The pickings were slim on the train subject, but the scenery was just gorgeous.
On the “sh… happens in threes” topic. One was the mudslide, two was the Cisco fire, three was the collapse of a hydro transmission tower with cables landing right in the CN yard, shutting down operations once more. The hydro problem created utter traffic chaos since it shut down the Port Mann bridge. http://www.timescolonist.com/technology/Crews+fortify+existing+towers+utility+says+will+probe+collapse/5065109/story.html
When I got to the Siska(Cisco) bridge it looked like one third of the safety railing was installed, so it could be back to “normal” today. The link has a video link.
http://www.globaltvbc.com/Lytton+bridge+fire+Cisco+bridge+burning+photo/5032922/story.html
Oh and where were all the CN trains? Lined up four in a row by the time I got down to Hope. GRRRRR!
Maybe they will use Concrete ties when they rebuild! They don’t burn to well! Of course, the real problem is you can’t get to the bridge to put out the fire except by rail and also can’t get enough water to put the fire out. Paul
Paul,
There’s a silver lining regarding the Cisco bridge, CN called in the forestry people right away and they sent a fire fighting chopper. In the video you can see how he dumps water on the bridge, scoops right out of the river. I was amazed just how high the levels in the rivers are, any of them I came across yesterday seemed at record levels.
Wow, those creosote ties produce smoke like a tire fire!