Aug 30 2021
Most are now familiar with the 32 miles of ERTS which has been open to hikers, bikers, and equestrians for a little over a year now. We can add, above Nottingham Store in Duck, there's another few miles complete with top coat. True they have those concrete barriers on that section, but Heck, that never stops anybody especially ATVs.
We think the barriers are in place to keep the top coat lookin good until the Gov can get up here and cut the ribbon on that section.
The new story has to do with the FEMA paid for railroad rebuild now in progress between Dundon and just above Swandale.
While waiting for the 13,000+ ties to arrive, the contractor and sub contractors are busy replacing culverts, cutting brush, gauging the existing rails and building up the washed out areas beside Buffalo Creek, all in prep for the major push, new bridges, ties and ballast (gravel).
New signs have gone up
Here's one of the new culverts at Swandale going in.
Most of the culvert work at this site are complete. Hope Hurricane Ida doesn't rearrange the completed work. For this crossing, the hiking trail will be situmendated on the far side of the rails.
One reason you haven't been seeing heavy equipment on the main roads, they've got their own road, the BC&G RR tracks! On many sections of old line, the rails are in good enough shape to ride the end loaders, brush cutters, dump trucks etc on the rails themselves. Other equipment is set up to drive on the rails minus any need for a trailer.
One of the staging areas is in the big hay field at Cressmont
The first of the new railroad ties arrived last Friday. These are parked at Dundon in the Little League parking lot.
AW