Sharrod Wrote:
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> Why was the foundation changed? Building move?

As far as the foundation change from rocks to formed concrete I have no idea when that happened, but from a practical standpoint I would rather see the building last over keeping what has been proven a inferior foundation that was historic. Years ago our team was tasked to rebuild the foundation to the root cellar under the section house. We unbolted/unnailed the dog house covering the steps and moved it back out of the way. Then we preceded to demo what was left of the original foundation the was broken up in many pieces over the years. We then framed and poured a new foundation and included rebar in the concrete to insure its integrity. While this may not be historic, it will certainly help protect the building against the elements for years to come.

Bob Conry faced a similar problem up on Cumbres Pass years ago. You might recall that water from the cistern that supplies the water spout was leaking and water was flowing under the section house undermining its foundation. Bob had to jack up the entire side of the building on the Chama side almost 6 inches and reinforce the footings under most of the structure. I'm sure in the old days the railroad would have replaced the entire structure (or just demo it as it wasn't being used much any more), but for the group trying to save the original fabric of the RR we sometimes have to make compromises.