Rice Siding Removed
Posted 9/20/07
Rice siding over in the wye is out of service, and Jesse is pictured here pulling up the rail. It is about 45 lb rail and it is original Central Pacific rail that the Pacific Coast Railway used as relay rail. The rail originally came around the horn and was laid on the transcontinental railroad. When it was relaid with heavier rail the PCC purchased it and used it here. When the track was regauged for the SMVRR some of the sidings used the old PCC rail.
The Scranton rail was rolled in 1878 and the BICO (Bethlehem Iron Company) was rolled in 1883! The 45 lb rail is the south tail where it stops in the sidewalk (BICO Steel 83) and the siding next to the potato shed (Scranton 78).
Angle bars, track bolts, and tie plates were preserved. The CP originally did not use tie plates. The spikes are quite small.
