Landslide cuts railroad service

The late winter of 2019 threw a pointed punch at the PCC railroad system when heavy runoff Jan. 23 caused a slide which closed down the line along Highway 26 near Pampa. The runoff slide along the bank of Willow Creek left a sheer face of earth next to the railroad and made it too dangerous to continue to run trains in the line.

The shutdown cut railroad service to the west side of the county. Grain shipments could not get out, and farm chemical shipments for spring work could not get in on the line which is operated by Watco.

Shamrock Construction submitted the low bid to haul ballast rock to the site and bolster the railroad embankment. The work entailed clearing the slide area along the creek and dumping the ballast into place.

Shamrock submitted the low bid of $480,000 and Railworks Track Systems, a national company with a location at Airway Heights, installed the track.

The line was open to train traffic in the first week of April.

Site of the slide area was near mile marker 100 on Highway 26.