trestle bridge barrels ?

fran1942

New Member
Hello, I am wanting to decorate my trestle bridge, and I noticed some other people have built on small platforms that extend from the edges of their trestles. Some hold barrels (see pic attached).
What exactly are they for ? (fire emergency water?)
How commonly were these small platforms found on trestle bridges ?
Would they fit with US west coast 1910 OK ?

Thanks for any advice.
 

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shaygetz

Active Member
They were required on every wooden bridge over 50 feet long with an additional barrel every 150 feet, i.e. a 200 foot bridge would have 2 barrels.
 

N Gauger

1:20.3 Train Addict
Mine are based on The D&RGW :) So "water" barrels work... out west in the US :) :) :)

005.jpg
 

zedob

Member
Big question, who filled them? did the MOW crews carry extra water with them and top the barrels off, or did they rely on the weather?
 

Clerk

Active Member
I am just going by what I saw on a trestle outside of Bellingham, Wa. I was about 10 or 12 years old and two cousins and I walked across this trestle and looked into 2 barrels and they were full of sand:rolleyes:
 

ezdays

Out AZ way
Clerk said:
I am just going by what I saw on a trestle outside of Bellingham, Wa. I was about 10 or 12 years old and two cousins and I walked across this trestle and looked into 2 barrels and they were full of sand:rolleyes:
Hey, I got an idea, just put a lid on the barrel and it can be full of whatever you want it to be...:D :D
 
I don't know about you guys, but the barrel on the BAD Western trestle is going to be filled with one of the young ladies from the local saloon cooling off on a summer afternoon.
Doc
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
I wonder how effective a barrel of water or sand was in stopping a fire started on a wood trestle built with wood treated with creosote?
 
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