What if you found a locomotive? PT. 2

[augusthog]

For those who are not familiar with this, I heard a story from an elder about a train that fell off a bridge and was never recovered. I lived near the area and checked it out with my old Bountyhunter and found a HUGE SIGNAL large enough to be a locomotive, about 200 yards downstream. At the time I couldn't dig because its in a creek and the water was running fast.
I was also about to be deployed to Afghanistan in a couple days as a civilian contractor for a year.
Needless to say, I didn't have a chance to find out if it really was down there.

Well, I'm back. Afghanistan sucked, working with the troops was cool! Shake a vets hand and thank them for their sacrifice and their service.

Anyhow, I finelly get my chance! The creek is down and diggable. After chatting with the landowner, I headed down to do some poking around.
About 2 feet down my rebar probe hits something solid. With shovel in hand I start digging. Wild thoughts of all kinds are running through my head. Did I really find it
My shovel hit something solid! I'm freaking out and the addrenalin is pumping bullets through my veins.

Imagine my dissappointment as I uncovered a large sheet of corragated, galvinized metal sheet that looks a lot like the shoreing used to hold back the bank at the bridge.
SIGH
So with tears in my eyes I reported my findings to the landowner and we both had a good laugh about it.

Ya cant win em all, but it's sure fun trying.
Thanks to all for the comments and advice on my other post.

Just remember, that next big find is just 1 swing away...........................

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

I've heard a similar urban legend fanciful story like that in my area too. Supposedly (or so I heard when I was a kid 35+ yrs. ago), that a narrow guage train that used to run around in our county, had gone off the tracks on the bridge over the river. And this river has sort of quick-sandsy terrain and such. And that after many efforts to snag it and bring it back out, they eventually gave up, because it was pulling in any old steam-shovels and such that they were trying to use, to pull it out.

So if you ask me, those stories sound like urban legends.

 

[allen_idaho]

Out here in northern Idaho, there actually was a submerged train. In 1919 it jumped the track and went into the northern tip of Lake Pend Oreille. At some point, years later, the engine and most of the cars were removed. But two rail cars and various small train parts still exist at the bottom of the lake at about 110' deep. It makes a pretty interesting dive if you are ever headed up that way.

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Here's one in a river in SW Washington state. I wanted to go poke around when I was out there but never got the chance. Also for anyone in the Northwest, this site has tons of info on old logging rails, and other abandoned railroad history out there.

RingofFire