Re: Coal Tipples vs Coal Trestles

Interesting subject. A number of locations had raised bins for coaling, designed so the coal was shoveled up out of the cars onto the platform, and then could be thrown shoveled into tenders from the raised platform.

According to the 1923 D&RGW roster, there were bins of this sort located at the following locations:

Chester
Cimarron
Grays
Lake City
Marshall Pass
Mears Jct
Villa Grove

Chama - Incline trestle, dump bottom cars
Embudo - Incline, shovel into pockets
Gunnison - Incline, shovel into pockets
Sargent - Incline, dump bottom cars

Durango - shovel from cars

Monero - mine tipple. (Presumably this is the truck filled bin)

Interestingly, no reference to any sort of coaling at Montrose. Surely they must have coaled from cars?

Durango - pre 1900 photos show a long coaling platform type bin. Perhaps the move to coaling directly from cars to tenders came with dual gauge? The coal tipple was part of the mid-1920s improvements.

Chama - the incline trestle was replaced with the existing coal tipple as part of the mid 1920s improvements.

Gunnison - the incline was replaced with a coal tipple as part of the mid 1920s improvements.

Osier - no listing in the 1923 roster, but there was a bin and turntable here - the 50 foot turntable IS listed in the 1923 roster.

Ouray - early photo shows the first turntable, and a coaling platform between the turntable lead and main track. A Donald E. A. Rogers photo circa 1935 shows a three stall engine house, and a gondola of coal spotted on a short spur for coaling locomotives.

Charlie Mutschler
-30-