Espee's Rosenberg Line

Concrete ties wear better and last longer than wooden ties. It saves money.

Ballast is the rocks under the track. It allows it to drain water in wet periods and stabilizes the track and ties. Track, ties, ballast all together are called "roadbed."

Victoria, Texas

Not sure. Next summer, or so. That answer might be found earlier in this thread.

Others may have better answers to these.

Glad you stumbled on to TrainBoard and hope you will stay. We have several different forums depending on your train interest.

Welcome to TB and your first post!!:thumbs_up:

 

Victoria happenings

From the KCS web site, the line will be open late 2008 or early 2009. Earlier in the week I was in Victoria and they have started ROW clearing from the end of the line to the north. There was only 1 grader and 1 backhoe working and they had cleared about half way to the 59 overpass. I had read somewhere earlier that the line would be worked from both ends with the primary goal to get phase 1 of the intermodal center in Kendleton open. There was some work going on behind the scenes on a Victoria bypass, but the area that they just started clearing this week is in the area that would be bypassed so I guess that means that bypass may not happen until sometime in the future after the line is restored.

Has any rail been laid south of Kendleton, I haven't been up that way in about three weeks?

I have some pictures that I shot in Victoria to Rosenberg in a pre-existing album on rrpicturearchieves.

 

Do you have a link to the album? Thanks.

 

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/archiveThumbs.aspx?id=30726

I think that should work.

 

Y'all are great! Thanks for the information. Initially, I had thought the use of concrete ties were to implement high speed rail similar to what is used in the NE corridor on Amtrak. Now I'm just wondering if there are any plans to extend the line to Laredo and Mexico to be part of all this NAFTA stuff you read so much about. I mean, a year ago this line was an old goat trail to nowhere.

 

One thing I've noticed for the first time is the new "modular" construction of the San Bernard River bridge. The original bridge reminds me of an old movie with the men dodging mosquitos, aligators, and malaria to finish a bridge.

 

Thanks for continuing to post the progress updates Russell. It is really cool to follow.

 

I thoroughly enjoyd reading your link to the origins of the "Macaroni Line". One wonders if the new owners plans to re-initiate passenger service again to Mexico. Obviously, there's plenty of busses making the trip.

 

I followed the line out from Rosenberg last Wednesday, June 4. I'll post some images here.
West end of Kendleton. Note the stacks of concrete ties.

 

Ribbon rail on dolly near the end of track:



Here's the end of track in Kendleton:

 

West end of work train laying ribbon rail:



East end of work train laying ribbon rail:

 

The work train was just west of the intermodal facility under construction east of Kendleton. There were a lot of loaded FURX aggregate gondolas sitting on the spur track there (possibly road base for the intermodal facility).

Here are the work train locomotives:

Lead unit on the east end (SD40-2 6618)





Lead unit on the west end of the train (SD60 7100):