Hangin' By A Thread

Gallery: Man & FaunaPosted June 2, 2010370 views2 comments

I originally posted this in Man & Nature, but was encouraged to post it here instead.

Damaged railroad tracks on the Salmonberry River in the Northern Coast Range of Oregon. The tracks are suspended ~20 feet above the water and are only supported by the strength of the steel tracks and the railroad ties. In December 2007, this area was significantly damaged by heavy rain. The rain was due to 2 typhoons that combined in the Pacific Ocean and then slammed into Oregon/Washington. The mountains in the coast range received 10-14 inches of rain in a 60 hour period from December 1-3, 2007. The question now is what to do with this rail line. I'm in favor of retiring the rail line since the cost of fixing the damage is likely greater than $25 million and the Salmonberry River is home to one of the largest wild steelhead runs in the Pacific NW.

Nikon D80, 12-24mm dx, 1/5 sec at f/16, ISO 100, polarizer, May 2010. All C&C are appreciated.

Comments

2 comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on June 6, 2010 at 8:01 AM

I liked this photo in Man & Nature and like it here. IMHO it illustrates a growing problem of what to do with these intrusions into nature when they are no longer fesible. Thanks for posting again.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on June 30, 2010 at 1:39 AM

Nice composition; the rails lead the eye across the river.

I have very fond memories of steelheading on the Salmonberry back in the early 1970s, before coastal range logging damages the streams. Generally, the best use of abandoned railroad grades is to turn them into trails.

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments