The P&WV Hi-Line

[PWVJer]

CCB, GPS...
Maybe you can help us out on this one: Got this question in the mail.
The Rain Barrels on the long Bridges and Spans on the P&WV ROW.
Who filled them? Section Gang? Bridge Gang?
How many spans may have had them? Wood or Steel barrels?
A combo? And finally, when did they dry-up and go from the spans?

Here's a Long ...Mingo High Bridge sample Link- Click:

http://images.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/i/image/image-idx?sid=20d943adc66ac0e94ed4aee52a3129fd;g=imls;med=1;q1=fairbanks;rgn1=fairbanks_all;size=20;c=fairbanks;lasttype=boolean;view=entry;lastview=thumbnail;subview=detail;cc=fairbanks;entryid=x-30-pandwv-9-01;viewid=0056.TIF;start=41;resnum=56

JZ.

[Longview Station]

PWVJER, good question.
I have no idea who filled them.
Next time I see a long time MOW friend, I'll ask him.
He's been around quite a while.
Maybe CCB has the answer who filled them.
The photo of Mingo Creek shows steel barrels.
Most of the long bridges had them.
Still a few bridges have the wood work for them.
Many of the bridges with new decks had them removed.
The barrels were long removed by the 70's.
I'll bet the barrels were removed sometime in the 60's.
After steam was retired and the problem of hot cinders starting deck fires.

[camp car bill]

JZ,VW

During my time on the railroad the Bridge Gang did not fill the water barrels on the bridges.
My best bet is the Section Gangs did this job along with Mother Nature.There was at least 20 Section Gangs back in 1950.
As the decks were renewed the bays were not replaced
except the NW left a couple on Mingo Creek Bridge and they called them Refuge Bays.

CCB
_________________
wmmjr

[PWVJer]

This info was sent to me from a PWV fan on the TO-site.
Follow this link:

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,2157666

JZ.

[Longview Station]

PWV Jer;
If you think about the water barrel question, winter time could create a interesting situation for the railroad.
Chances are keeping them filled during winter months might not be a issue due to cold/ice.
But what happens if they are full and one of those deep freezes envelopes the region?
The water freezes, unless some type of anti freeze is added.
And if its cold for a period of time, the ice pop's out of the top of the barrel and ...?
Does the vibration of each train casue the ice to break away from the barrels and fall ?
Unless there is some type of anti freeze additive, winter months the water barrels might be useless.
And if a hot cinder finds a older ties and begins to smolder...
Lots of ice and no water?

Also, thinking back to the first part of this water barrel question on who fills them,
I just wonder since each barrel holds 50 or 55 gallons, and with 4 or 5 barrels per bridge,
I just wonder if a couple times a summer the railroad just didn't run a work train with a tank car of water to fill the barrels.
One the east end where there were lots of bridges and barrels, and with evaporation during the heat of the summer,
you'd need a lot of water to keep all of them filled.
The section hands would have a gigantic chore on keeping them filled ?

[PWVJer]

Winter Months, freezing...a whole new set of issues!
Never though of that! Maybe, they used the same chemicals that were placed in the Water-Towers?
I have some P&WV tank car images from the LA RUE Collection.
P.421 and P&WV WX3 could do the job. Wreck-train tank and Work-train tank still on the active roster in 63'.
These may have worked???