Washout at East Portal of Hoosac Tunnel

Gary Senecal took this photo of the washout at East Portal of Hoosac Tunnel in Florida MA.  This happened after the storm Irene in late August.  As you can see, the bridge has room for the old second track that once went through the tunnel.  The wash out unearthed some wooden beams.  There are many thoeries floating around as to what these beams are doing there.  Perhaps they were added when the bridge was built, as fill to get the grade right before the bridge.  But would they still be intact after 100+ years?  Maybe they were added more recently, after similar weather hit the area and the grade had to be built up.  What I want to know is, how important are they to the anchoring of the bridge itself?


Photo by Gary Senecal