Re: Alpine & Boreas Passes - Stone Engine House Turntable Question

Well there was definitely a turntable pit in the Alpine engine house. That last shot shows it positively - well done Todd! Strange a turntable wouldn’t be on facility lists or in employee timetables, and that some employees from those days say there never was one. There’s always the possibility that the engine house was built big enuf to accommodate one, including building the pit, but the actual table was never installed.

Chapter XXII of Poor’s book is a “Station List” and it seems absolutely meticulous, including documenting changes at even the smallest locations over the years. Alpine Tunnel Station gets almost a full page, including two full paragraphs, “Relative to the subject of a turntable...”. In re-reading it, Poor says, “A number of old time Colorado railroad men contend that a table was built inside this house. Others maintain the opposite. In view of the evidence which has come to light, the writer is forced to agree with the latter group.”

Therefore I misread it the first time, and Poor does NOT think there was a turntable inside the engine house.

Boreas Pass on the other hand, is mentioned on pg 445. The engine house there is specifically listed as containing a 49 1/2’ wrought iron turntable, plus the building’s width of 57 3/4’ is a little wider than Alpine’s 54’. If the Boreas facilities list includes a turntable, and Alpine’s doesn’t, I’d have to go with Poor on this - despite the fact that they built a pit at Alpine to accommodate one.

I’m only working from one source here and if someone has other official documentation that lists a turntable inside the Alpine engine house, that would be welcome to know.

Cheers,



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/05/2019 10:31AM by tgbcvr.