Just above the second engine (a B unit, btw), against the bluff, you can see the end of the ramp that went up to the old high bridge. From that point, the bridge turned west and paralleled the RR bridge at a height that did not require any accommodation for river traffic. As it approached the Iowa side, it came down closer to bank level and connected with the east end of what is now Star Brewery Drive. In the 1960s, remnants of one pier were still visible in the river, near the west end of the RR bridge.
The end of that ramp is a great place to shoot trains, if you choose to brave the overgrowth, occasional rattle snake, and the property owner. I did that once in the 1960s. The start of the ramp is near the east tunnel portal.
Thanks to Mike for a great shot.
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Really nice shot Mike. Thanks for posting.
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Everything has a prototype. Great shot. Very cool.
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| Posted by tsched on May 29, 2016 | |
Mark Gayman: I might not have noticed the ramp. Thanks for pointing that out! Also, is it an optical illusion (to me) that the IC tracks coming out of the tunnel are not aligned? Assuming there's a signal at the other end of the tunnel, perhaps the track only aligns with a green light.
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| Posted by kchubb on June 1, 2016 | |
@tsched: I see what you're saying but I think the illusion comes from the guard rails being more visually prominent than the main rails, so it looks like the main rails are "spread".
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I agree with kchubb--it's an optical illusion. The rails of the IC main are dark and the guard rails on the diamonds are bright.
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Back in the 1960s, I seem to recall that a spare set of crossings sat in the grass not too far from the diamonds, ready to be put in place after a derailment, if needed.
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