![Picture](/uploads/1/2/3/6/12365113/813922.jpg)
This is the story of Columbia Trail, my favorite training ground.
127 years ago, in 1885, a 46-car freight train carrying 500 tons of iron ore crashed into the South Branch of the Raritan River when the wooden trestle bridge it was crossing collapsed. The engine, not coincidentally named Columbia, and most of her cars fell 60 feet into the river. All but 1 of the crew members were able to bail out to safety. Amazingly (remember it was the 1800's!) trains were able to resume crossing the river a mere 6 days later on a temporary bridge. And even more interesting, the engine was recovered and put back into service. I stop on the bridge every ride and think about the engineering required in this rural place to recover and move 46 train cars and an engine. It wouldn't even be easy today. And what kind of business would you search for in the Yellow Pages? Maybe "Train Removal", right next to "Tree Removal".
A side note... there is some controversy about how the trail got it's name. Columbia was the name of the engine, but it's also the name of the gas company that owns the railroad bed right-of-way and granted its use for Rails/Trails. I think it's more poetic to believe the trail was named after its storied history and not some corporation.
127 years ago, in 1885, a 46-car freight train carrying 500 tons of iron ore crashed into the South Branch of the Raritan River when the wooden trestle bridge it was crossing collapsed. The engine, not coincidentally named Columbia, and most of her cars fell 60 feet into the river. All but 1 of the crew members were able to bail out to safety. Amazingly (remember it was the 1800's!) trains were able to resume crossing the river a mere 6 days later on a temporary bridge. And even more interesting, the engine was recovered and put back into service. I stop on the bridge every ride and think about the engineering required in this rural place to recover and move 46 train cars and an engine. It wouldn't even be easy today. And what kind of business would you search for in the Yellow Pages? Maybe "Train Removal", right next to "Tree Removal".
A side note... there is some controversy about how the trail got it's name. Columbia was the name of the engine, but it's also the name of the gas company that owns the railroad bed right-of-way and granted its use for Rails/Trails. I think it's more poetic to believe the trail was named after its storied history and not some corporation.