On Wednesday, 16-Apr-2008, a wildfire ripped through Ordway, CO, on the former Missouri Pacific line east of Pueblo. Two wooden trestles were amongst the many structures lost in the area. Many local railfans assumed that the two lost bridges would spell the end of the Towner Line as a through route, as the current owner - the V&S Railway - is closely affiliated with A&K Railroad Materials, one of the nation's largest railroad scrappers.



As it turns out, the line isn't quite done yet. On a trip along the route on Sunday, 22-Mar-2009, I found that both bridges have been repaired within the last couple of months. (I swear when I made a similar trip in January, both were still missing.) Also, a good number of UP auto racks are being stored in the Pultney siding and on the main just west of Ordway. V&S's two GEs were nowhere in sight, but that's not unusual - they're usually kept on the east end, where the line's only traffic is located.