Along the Mary Lee RR

The Answer has arrived!

 

Birmingham Rails extends a warm "thank you" to Mr. Joe Christian who writes in June, 2007, with a definitive answer as well as a wonderful picture taken 38 years earlier in 1969.

 

Joe writes:

In reference to the Mary Lee Railroad and Mines - Intriguing RR device photos... that winch car was manually operated by a B&B gang to assist with relatively light repairs to wooden trestlework.

I'm sure that I took a photo of that car on a weekend in August of 1969 with my son and daughter standing on it. It was tied down on the high, curved trestle on the Mary Lee Railroad main line near the L&N RR Train Order Office at Humoro...

My stepkids... are standing on the Bridge Hoist on a weekend in August of 1969. Apparently the USP&F Bridge Gang had clearance on the mainline for continuation of work, because they left it on one end of the bridge, tied down with the winch cable. Feel free to quote me if you wish.

Joe then generously provided scanned copies of his family photos and following information:

These are two photos that I took on a family exploration trip on a weekend in August of 1969 on the USP&F Co. high, S-Curve Trestle about a thousand feet south of the junction with the L&N RR Cane Creek Branch at Humoro. My daughter, Perrie, and my son, Matt, are in both photos, left and right, respectively. This trestle is not very far from where a similar machine was found and I believe it is one and the same.  

Photo No. 1 (below) – USP&F Co. [U.S. Pipe and Foundry Co.] High, S-Curved Trestle-Humoro , Ala. This shows the south end of the trestle. Note the crosstie or bridge timber lying on the bank at the north end. Also look closely at the north end where the Bridge Hoist Car is very faintly visible.

 Photo No. 2 (above) – USP&F Co.  Bridge Hoist. This photo shows the Bridge Hoist sitting on the trestle, tied down by its winch cable. Apparently the USP&F B&B gang had clearance on the USP&F mainline for several days to complete their work. This machine could only handle limited loads between the track or very slightly outside of the track, thus it was most probably used for changing crossties and bridge bracing timbers, all of which weighed between one and five hundred or so pounds.

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Thanks again to Joe and it is hoped that he will share more of his local history experiences with Birmingham Rails soon.

 

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