CALABASAS : Use of Rail Cars Will Cut Cost of Bridge

The developer of four luxury homes in Calabasas is using two 14-ton flatbed rail cars as a bridge over a stream, an innovation that designers tout as a cost-cutting move, as well as a good use of recycled materials.

The two rail cars, turned upside down and custom welded, are part of the first such project in the greater San Fernando Valley area, said Richard Schoen, architect for the development.

Rail cars have been used as bridges in Santa Rosa, Poway, Clayton and a few other California cities recently, he said, and are becoming more popular because they are strong and they generally cost about half as much as building a bridge. The rail-car bridge, which will provide access to the four homes, will cost about $60,000, Schoen said.

“They also make a statement about environmental principles,” Schoen said, gesturing at the rail cars on the northwest corner of Old Topanga Canyon Road and Mulholland Highway. “It says quite obviously that it is recycled without beating anyone over the head with it. That’s about as sensuous a piece of steel as you will find.”

The 60-foot cars, hoisted into place with a crane and fastened together on Wednesday, are part of a development that will include solar-efficient materials, areas to collect rainfall and other environmental features, said developer Debbie Grissom.

“I’m going to live in one of the houses, and I want the others to attract people who care about their surroundings,” Grissom said. “We’re doing everything possible to build lightly on the land.”

The homes on one-acre lots will be priced in the $750,000 to $1.5 million range, and two may be finished as early as next summer, Grissom said.