Re: More new RGS photos - bad week for private cars (pic)

As a follow up to the wreck of RGS train # 8 on Friday May 17th, 1912 I might suggest that there may be more to this story than we may know. First in reviewing the schedule for # 8 the photo caption is incorrect as # 8 was heading Northbound toward Ridgway. They would have potentially made a flag stop at Brown at 8:58AM that morning just prior to the accident as they worked the 3% ruling grade toward Dallas Divide. I don’t have a weather report but from the appearance of the scenes, clothing on the passengers and time of year it very well could have been an early morning frost combined with a warming sun that created the kink in the track. I call your attention to some details in the below view from Steven Haworth’s website rgsrr.info and the original photograph (#17 in the set if you want a larger version) by John Walter Mercer from the Mercer-Kirkham-Turner Collection.

Observe that there are about 6 rail braces adjacent to “kink” on the downhill rail and the pile of bent rail next to the milepost. It looks to me like they had to replace rail here or nearby and maybe strengthen this location? from some prior “kinky” event. I also see in the RGS Story Vol. X on the ROW Map (page 138) several wood box drains adjacent to the kink location but I don’t see them in the views. Any of you gandy dancers have any thoughts on the drainage/ lack thereof creating soft track? Now the back story on the fire that destroyed the passenger cars would make a good CSI drama no doubt...

Rod