Across The Muddy Missouri
Another frame from this unplanned bonus location last summer that I'm glad we did!
Excepting UP 4014, and the BNSF local at the caves the two big western Class 1s were more of an afterthought to last summer's trip with our goals focused on the KCS, A&M, DAIR and other shortlines. But as I've mentioned before we were opportunistic and if something was passing by or a cool location was convenient and we could squeeze it in we gave it a look. This is probably the top example of the latter and a place I'd always wanted to see but hadn't really connected where it was in relation to our planned itinerary. But on our trip north on Sunday toward South Dakota we had been paralleling BNSF's Napier Sub. In this photo I mentioned how we stopped at famed Pacific Junction ever so briefly: flic.kr/p/2ms7JC9
What I didn't mention in that there were two trains lined up back to back pointed north. We weren't sure if or when one might be moving, but then as soon as the empty coal cleared the first one got the light and started to swing around to head west. It was only then that I tumbled to the fact that the famed Plattsmouth Bridge(s) over the Missouri River was only about five miles away. So we took off and crossed into Nebraska on the famed toll bridge and then guessed where the shot might be since none of us had ever been here and we only had moments to figure it out. A scramble up a hill revealed this view down on to the twin nearly 1700 ft long spans near MP 3.8 on BNSF's busy Creston Sub (ex CB&Q). Four GEs lead an unidentified manifest west into Nebraska as the nose catches some of the last rays of evening sun.
The left (upriver) span dates from 1903 having replaced the first 1880 crossing. In 2013 the BNSF opened this second span to increase speeds and capacity while relegating the older span to a siding. To learn a bit more check out these links:
journalstar.com/business/local/new-bnsf-bridge-at-plattsm...
www.johnmarvigbridges.org/New%20Plattsmouth%20Rail%20Brid...
Plattsmouth, Nebraska
Sunday August 29, 2021
Across The Muddy Missouri
Another frame from this unplanned bonus location last summer that I'm glad we did!
Excepting UP 4014, and the BNSF local at the caves the two big western Class 1s were more of an afterthought to last summer's trip with our goals focused on the KCS, A&M, DAIR and other shortlines. But as I've mentioned before we were opportunistic and if something was passing by or a cool location was convenient and we could squeeze it in we gave it a look. This is probably the top example of the latter and a place I'd always wanted to see but hadn't really connected where it was in relation to our planned itinerary. But on our trip north on Sunday toward South Dakota we had been paralleling BNSF's Napier Sub. In this photo I mentioned how we stopped at famed Pacific Junction ever so briefly: flic.kr/p/2ms7JC9
What I didn't mention in that there were two trains lined up back to back pointed north. We weren't sure if or when one might be moving, but then as soon as the empty coal cleared the first one got the light and started to swing around to head west. It was only then that I tumbled to the fact that the famed Plattsmouth Bridge(s) over the Missouri River was only about five miles away. So we took off and crossed into Nebraska on the famed toll bridge and then guessed where the shot might be since none of us had ever been here and we only had moments to figure it out. A scramble up a hill revealed this view down on to the twin nearly 1700 ft long spans near MP 3.8 on BNSF's busy Creston Sub (ex CB&Q). Four GEs lead an unidentified manifest west into Nebraska as the nose catches some of the last rays of evening sun.
The left (upriver) span dates from 1903 having replaced the first 1880 crossing. In 2013 the BNSF opened this second span to increase speeds and capacity while relegating the older span to a siding. To learn a bit more check out these links:
journalstar.com/business/local/new-bnsf-bridge-at-plattsm...
www.johnmarvigbridges.org/New%20Plattsmouth%20Rail%20Brid...
Plattsmouth, Nebraska
Sunday August 29, 2021