There is a bit of the past and the future in this photograph. In the background is the boom of RF&P Acca wreck derrick No. 1 working to clear a derailment at Brooke, VA on Sept. 25, 1976. Wreck derricks were interesting to watch to say the least, but they were incredibly slow in getting the track cleared. The bulldozer shoving against the SCL boxcar was a sign of the future. Soon contractors with bulldozers and mobile cranes would start replacing railroad derricks in the work of clearing derailments. Today, derricks are few and far between and help clearing derailments is just a phone call away.
