The old Pere Marquette drawbridge in Port Huron after lengthy attempts to find a way to preserve it, is being demolished. This video shows a fire that broke out in the deck due to use of torches. Port Huron Railroad Train Bridge Demolition - Port Huron, Michigan 3-21-2023 - YouTube
Seems as though someone didn't quite think this through all the way. I wonder how many more times they'll set that old creosote afire?
Funny thing about creosote-it burns pretty good! Couldn't pay me enough to be hanging in that basket, and I don't care if I'm tied off! Green painted lines-where it's getting cut apart?
Ahhhh yes. Raise a glass to the Pere Marquette. When the line started w/ diesels, the color scheme came from the Michigan Wolverines. Filtered down to the Chesapeake and Ohio during their 1947 merger, into the C&O diesels, and into my wallet. I've purchased enough Enchantment Blue and Federal Yellow to float a battle ship. The Pere Marquette was a an awesome, AWESOME railroad. Somewhat unique in their industrial routes in the Northern-Central U.S. and into Canada, especially the car ferries. https://ludingtoncarferries.com/ As for the Port Huron bridge... Gaaawd love her! https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=truss/phrailb/
Basic combustion theory: blowtorch + flammable objects = fire. People who don't understand that shouldn't be wielding any kind of torch...
Nice links. Yes, the PM was indeed unique- Formed in 1900 by the merger of the Chicago & West Michigan, Detroit, Grand Rapids & Western and Flint & Pere Marquette, which were themselves products of no less than 42 individual mergers in prior years, the Pere Marquette was many different railroads. From the heavily trafficked main line from Detroit to Chicago via Grand Rapids to the light railed branches that meandered through Michigan's thumb and the Lake Michigan car ferries, there was a lot of interesting stuff. Indeed, let's raise a glass to the old Pere marquette. As a side note, the first street running I ever saw (around the age of eleven) happened just north of the Port Huron drawbridge. My mother had popped into the old Sears store that was there at the time and left me sitting in the car. (You could do that back then. It was a different time.) I watched incredulously as an enchantment blue-and-crud GP7 rumbled up the street. I told a couple of my friends at school the next day. They didn't believe it.
