Comments on: The Rails that Remain (p1)

By: Gordy Schmitt

Gordy Schmitt — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 19:45:50 +0000

Oh this line towards the warehouse did have another use, not sure if its the track on the east or west side of the warehouse, but it eventually went up to Centennial Mine.

By: Gordy Schmitt

Gordy Schmitt — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 13:09:48 +0000

Heres that Kraft photo I was refering to. I take it that building with the nice shiny roof would be the new sand storage? Kind of far from the foundry. Also in the photo I can see a couple of cars sitting on the track by the old sand building.
http://digarch.lib.mtu.edu/showbib.aspx?bib_id=620659#

I bought this photo many years ago, if I remember right it had been from the Kraft family yet, before they were donated to Tech.

By: Gordy Schmitt

Gordy Schmitt — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 03:41:58 +0000

I would be willing to bet a lot of the changes happened after the late 1920’s consolidation.
Heres one of the sand track in 1962 I believe, doesn’t look to be used much by then.
http://gallery.pasty.com/displayimage.php?album=666&pos=3

By: explorer

explorer — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 02:47:03 +0000

Took some time, but I finally found a picture of the bridge in question while it was in use. Comes from a colorized post card at Copper Country Reflections. Here’s the link:

http://www.pasty.com/reflections/id351.htm

its the fifth picture down.

By: explorer

explorer — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 02:41:07 +0000

I wonder if the bridge was removed when the current sand house was built down near the captain’s office, making the spur useless for the most part. I suppose that was especially true considering the conglomerate shafts would of all been shut down (by the 40’s that is). The only real point for any trains going down there would be to get to the roundhouse or warehouses.

By: Gordy Schmitt

Gordy Schmitt — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 02:35:38 +0000

I’ll be darned, and now I know what they unloaded there on those tracks, sand for the foundry.
Keep forgetting I have all those Sanborn Maps.
It was gone by 1947, according to the photo I have that was taken by Mr Kraft who took a bunch of photos from a plane.

By: explorer

explorer — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 02:19:08 +0000

The bridge did exist. According to my Sanborn maps it was there up to at least 1928. The map on the KNHP brochure does not show it however and has it dead ending instead. It looks as if the trestle was removed at some point after 1928.

But the track did come from the other direction and I assume no switch was needed if the train was meant to just join up with the main line there.

By: Gordy Schmitt

Gordy Schmitt — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 01:47:13 +0000

The track at C came in from the other direction.

By: Gordy Schmitt

Gordy Schmitt — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 01:43:39 +0000

The arrow on the switch stand would only show when the switch was lined for what would be considered the spur track, probably the warehouse. If it was lined for the regular route, no marker would show.
I’m willing to bet, if the sand was cleaned out of the switch and rods and with a little lubrication, that switch would throw again.
I don’t think that was a bridge over that road. There was a track on top of the hill behind that wall which dead ended at the top of the wall. Not sure what they unloaded up there, but was probably something for use in the foundry. In the one photo I have, that foundation in the road may have been a support for an overhead pipe system, not sure what was run through it, because it travels to several different buildings around the complex. The old road was more of a two track, I think now its a bit wider, so that foundation was probably on the edge of the road years ago.
The curve to where the track headed towards the C&H trestle over the Mineral Range is about where the track would cross the current 6th St extension