Remnants

[brathke at juno.com]

The record for post-abandonment longevity of remnants may be the DCT line
in Georgetown which was abandoned in 1962, but both the tracks and street
signs remained in place until at least 1978.  See the photos I took in
November, 1978:

http://gelwood.railfan.net/other/lightrail/dct-track-a.jpg

http://gelwood.railfan.net/other/lightrail/dct-track-b.jpg

I was in Washington last week, but didn't have time to go over to
Georgetown to see if any of this was still there.

Bob 5/1

--------------------------------------------------------------

On Mon, 01 May 2000 11:27:52 -0400 mrb190 <mrb190+ at pitt.edu> writes:
> At the intersection of Penn Ave. and Main street where the 77/54 and 
> 88
> Frankstown met, the wiring remained in tact almost two years after
> abandonment.  In fact, while the 77/54 rails were being removed from
> Main street, the wiring remained from Penn all the way up to the
> connection with 87 Ardmore on Liberty.  The 77/54 rails were ripped 
> out
> while the 88 still ran in 1966.
> 
> Anyway, it was kind of strange to still see the complex intersection
> wiring come in to view as one climbed Main Street, from Butler, to 
> Penn
> Ave., only see that it lost connections at both ends on Penn Ave.  
> 
> I also recall that the wire cutters weren't much for finishing the 
> job
> too quickly as they'd remove just the wire first, then some days or
> weeks later, they'd take the suspension wires and -what do you call
> them- frogs?? off later.   At one point on Penn Ave., I remember 
> seeing
> a long bar-like gadget instead of frog, flipping back and forth in 
> high
> winds.  Those long bar-like things --->  what were they, contact 
> points
> to let a station know if a car had passed that point?
> 
> I was too young?  too shy?  too afraid of doing something illegal? 
> at
> the time, but at the corner of Penn & Main, there was a cut 
> suspension
> wire, with a clipped on car stop sign, hanging all the way down a
> utility pole, just in reach -- but I never took it---the car stop 
> sign,
> that is.  Hmmm...
> 
> Guess it's probably futile wondering where I could get one at this 
> time.
> 
> Matt
> Kenneth and Tracie Josephson wrote:
> > 
> > Jim Holland wrote:
> > 
> > >         A classic case was Los Angeles.  Within weeks after 
> abandonment the
> > > streets were tarred - not dug up to remove rails, simply tarred 
> - but
> > > the wire was still up.  Saw this myself after I got out of boot 
> in June
> > > of 1963.
> > >
> > 
> > I forget where (perhaps a stretch of Pico Boulevard) in L.A., but 
> in 1968, there was an area
> > where the tracks were still intact and the cross spans still 
> up...five years after
> > abandonment! The tracks I could understand remaining, but the 
> cross spans? Where the line had
> > turned, the tracks were asphalted over, but the cross spans 
> continued down the cross street
> > toward downtown. Ken J.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------
Never argue with an incompetent person.  He'll only drag 
you down to his level, and then beat you with experience.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------

________________________________________________________________
YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!
Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!
Try it today - there's no risk!  For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.