To The Rescue. UP 6699, a General Electric AC44CW built in August of 1997, leads the WSBHDS-12 north as it rolls through the Carpinteria Bluffs Nature Preserve under threatening skies. This train, along with others that have been traveling south from the northern half of the state, are transporting materials to try and help shore up the ex-Southern Pacific bridge at Honda after it was pummeled by the last round of storms that hit the California coast. The battered bridge was deemed unstable after inspections showed that the pilings had been unearthed, halting all freight and passenger traffic on this section of the Santa Barbara Subdivision. While it's Union Pacific's hope to reopen the line in the weeks to come, Honda's remote location and the roughness of the geography of the area around the bridge in general will make repairs interesting.
