Re: Salida Barrel Transfer picture

CharlieMcCandless Wrote:
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> Mr. (I forgote his first name) Allen, who was the
> engineer on the Aug. 6, 1935 runaway near Mears
> Junction, was later the engineer on the switch
> engine on the barrel transfer, said Woody
> Ralston.
> Did they unload one car at a time? Also, since
> the narrow gauge gons probably did not have rotary
> couplers did the switch crew have to uncouple the
> car and pull the string back before the load was
> dumped? Did the crew use air brakes or engine
> brakes on the cut? Was there also a standard gauge
> switch engine working that part of the transfer?
> It looks like it would take all day to transfer a
> limestone train.
One car at time was unloaded. The track thu the transfer was on a downgrade. The loaded cars were dropped one at a time by gravity. Enough of this upper track was dual gauge so a standard gauge engine with dual gauge couplers could push the cars to this track. After the car was dumped, it was dropped to a waiting track by gravity.

It was time consuming, but it took 900 men to transfer the materials by hand prior to the construction of the transfer.

Your last sentence indicates that you think like a lot of people that the transfer was for Monarch limestone. Actually there was much more coal transferred over the years than limestone. From 1953 to 56, it was only used for limestone after the mine at Crested Butte closed and that is when many of the photos were taken.

Jerry Day
Longmont, CO