Nov 2026: floods break BNSF Southern Transcon and Florida East Coast Railroads

Rail Wrecks & Reform posted
8 inches of rain in three days shut down BNSF’s Southern Transcon,  the busiest main line in the country, near Laguna,  New Mexico on October 24. The area normally gets about 10 inches a year. Trains moved again in about 60 hours, but 36 eastbound trains were still waiting to clear on October 28.
The washout affected about three miles of track. Amtrak canceled the Southwest Chief, and a normal day on this line is about 59 freight trains. BNSF says it is hardening the main line through Laguna ahead of more rain.
[And then there was a flood in the Four Corners on Nov 1, 2026, that was worse than this Oct 23 flood.]

Facebook Reel

I add to scroll through a bunch of noise comments before I found some information.

Comments on the above reel

Stewart Mountain and Granite Reef Dams on Salt River near Mesa, AZ

Stewart Mountain: (Satellite)

Granite Reef: (Satellite)

Nov 1, 2026, flood

Stewart Mountain Dam

Mark Anderson posted
Stewart Mountain Dam releasing water

Erik Seineke: Great capture, any Down Stream info for damage?

Mark Anderson: Erik Seineke Phon D Sutton is underwater. Same with Granite Reef. There was a car inundated in the Granite Reef lot. Not sure on the diversion dam. I didn’t follow it to the Gila confluence.

Jeanie Simmons: Mark Anderson There was a post saying the car belongs to the elderly couple that drowned in the river at the start of flooding. 😞

usbr

"On the Salt River 41 miles northeast of Phoenix, Stewart Mountain Dam created Saguaro Lake, a 69,765 acre-foot capacity reservoir. The dam is a concrete thin-arch structure, 207 feet high, with gravity abutments. When built by the Salt River Valley Water Users' Association from 1928-1930, the dam included an open, super-elevated channel spillway equipped with radial gates.

"The spillway was modified by Reclamation in 1936. The work consisted of building a concrete-lined spillway discharge channel, 450 feet long by 265 feet wide, below the existing ogee spillway; reconditioning the hoisting equipment for the radial gates; and installing individual gate operating motors and two 10-kilovolt-ampere gasoline-engine driven generators.

"From 1988 to 1992, the dam was again modified by Reclamation, to meet concerns about its stability in a probable maximum flood or maximum credible earthquake. To address PMF concerns, a new spillway was constructed on the dam`s right abutment to increase its ability to safely release flood waters. As part of earthquake protection measures, a new concrete overlay was placed over areas on the right and left abutments to improve the dam`s stability. The existing power penstock and river outlet works were also replaced, the road on the top of the dam was raised and widened, and the existing left spillway and spillway wall was modified. In addition, drainage holes were drilled at selected locations in the dam`s foundation to help relieve hydraulic uplift pressures, and some areas of the foundation were grouted to help reduce seepage. Finally, 84 steel cables were installed through the dam and into its foundation to strengthen it."

Granite Reef Diversion Dam

usbr

"Granite Reef Diversion Dam is located about 4 miles downstream of the confluence of the Salt and Verde Rivers and about 22 miles east of Phoenix. The dam was constructed between 1906 and 1908 by Reclamation to divert water released from storage dams on the Salt and Verde Rivers to Salt River Project canals. The Arizona Canal serves the north side of the project; the South Canal serves the south side. From these two main canals, water is diverted to secondary canals, then to laterals through which water is delivered to farms, cities, and Indian tribes.

"The dam is 1,128 feet long, and 29 feet high. The sluiceway contains four 15-by-9-foot slide gates onthe North Side Canal, and two 15-by-9-foot slide gates on the South Side Canal. The North Side Canal headworks contain eighteen 7-by-5-foot slide gates, while the South Side headworks contain nine of these gates."

The shows the water supply canals on the north and south side of the Salt River.

Satellite

1924 Van Buren St. and 1912 UP/MoPac/SIMS Bridges over Little Red River in Judsonia, AR

1924: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Lost: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter)

1912: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

1924 Van Buren Street Bridge

Street View, Apr 2026

John got the other end of the bridge.

John Albert Christeson Jr. posted

Is it pin connected? I don't see any gusset plates. 1924 is getting late for pin-connected trusses.

 HAER ARK,73-JUD,1--6
6. 3/4 VIEW OF BRIDGE, LOOKING NORTHWEST - Judsonia Bridge, Spanning Little Red River at County Route 66, Judsonia, White County, AR

"Significance: The Judsonia bridge, completed in 1924, is significant as the only known swing bridge in Arkansas designed as a cantilever. Besides adding an aesthetic touch, the cantilever-like peak on the top of the bridge structurally aids in centering the weight over the center pivot and supporting the ends when the bridge is in an open position. In addition, the bridge was part of a national modernizing movement to improve roads giving the town of Judsonia access to outlying regions on the opposite side of the river." [HAER_data]

Given their definition of cantilever, I would think that all swing bridges are cantilever bridges.

Lost St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Bridge

I can see tie bars so this bridge is pin connected.

BridgeHunter_lost

1912 UP/MoPac/St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Bridge

Street View, Aug 2026

This bridge is riveted.

2009 photo by Wayne Kizziar via BridgeHunter_1912

Singing Bridge Footbridge on San Juan River got hit by a house in Pagosa Springs, CO

(Satellite)

See Pagosa Springs for more information about the Oct 23, 2026, flood. And then there was a worse flood on Nov 1. It was the second flood that floated this house down the river.

Zach Sallee posted

Chris Rice posted

Rocky Mountain Vacation Homes posted three photos with the comment: "Our wonderful Assistant Chief of Police, Zach Leewitt and coworker examining the damage done to the pedestrian bridge after it was hit by a house."

Diane Maun: Think the house belongs to David and Jessica Bartle’s home. 🙁

1

2

3

Bob Bouchet commented on the above post
Looks like this place
[Nope, based on the following, the brown house west of the circled house makes more sense. But even that house doesn't match the video.]

Facebook Reel

1924 Cumbres & Toltec/Denver & Rio Grande Bridge over Rio Chama in Chama, NM River

(Archived Bridge Hutner was broke; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

This is not how I like to learn about truss bridges.

Nov 1, 2026, flood

Anita Vargas posted

Damage just about everywhere 

This  is the Cumbres &Toltec RR 

. Better known as the ol town "train bridge” 

Credit to John Beaver

Peter Kilfoyle: Is that the working trestle? Or should I say the former working trestle?

Rob Meredith commented on Peter's comment

My guess is that Anita's photos are from the west bank because the abutment is on the outside curve of the river. The current of a river is strongest by the outside curve.In fact, some rivers will build a sandbar on the inside curve.

Satellite

They did line the bank with some big rocks to try to avoid erosion of the bank, but they did not do the job. Fortunately, the abutment did do its job and continued to hold the truss in place.

Tim McCain posted video @ 0:55

Note the big rocks on the right.

2014 photo by Royce and Bobette Haley via Bridge Hunter

Even though it was built in the 1920s, it is pin connected.

2014 photo by Royce and Bobette Haley via Bridge Hunter

The main road in town was closed by the flood.

Satellite

Show Low Dam on Show Low Creek near Show Low, AZ

Spillway: (Satellite)

Outlet works: (Satellite)

Nov 1, 2026, flood

Facebook Reel

The reel starts with a "before" view:

Same Reel

Donna Chiappini posted a video and photo with the comment: "Spillway at Show low Lake this morning [Nov 2, 2026]."

video

photo, cropped

A current satellite image shows the low level of the lake.

Satellite, accessed Nov 5, 2026

In Google Earth, this is the only image I saw that had a wet spillway.

Google Earth, May 2023

This was the next lowest image I found.

Google Earth, Jun 1997

US-163 Bridge over Comb Wash near Bluff, UT, washed out by Nov 1, 2026 Flood

(Satellite)

It is easier finding a bridge when you can look for the road closed markings on Google Maps. A popup says the road is closed until late Jan 2027.

Nov 1, 2026, flood

I can't tell if the bridge uses steel or concrete girders. Note the exposed pilings under the pier cap.

Facebook Reel
A section of the Comb Wash bridge along Highway 163 southwest of Bluff is gone. It was washed out Sunday night when flooding in the wash was just too much for it. Work crews are already figuring out how to get it fixed fast

If you look closely, you can see a puddle remaining in the wash.

Street View, Sep 2025

This is the only street view that had significant water in the wash. But it is a long way from topping the bridge.

Street View, Jan 2008