Re: Some more speculation

John West Wrote:
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> Reading between the lines of the 1890's
> trainorders I have, I have always assumed they
> were for an engine assigned to switch in Silverton
> (anyone know if this true or not?). And given
> whatever issues caused Silverton not to have a
> tank (bad water??), such an engine would have to
> run to the tank and back periodically. Perhaps as
> business changed there was no longer a need for an
> assigned Silverton engine, and the switching could
> be done by road engines coming in from Durango who
> could fill up at Needleton. So the need for the
> tank at declined, and if the story about slide
> damage is true, there was little incentive to
> repair it. An emgency supply from the flume would
> be adequate to allow engines from Durango to top
> off if needed. But that of course is all
> conjecture on my part.

Water rights could also play a big role too. I don't know whether or not the railroad had any in Silverton. The D&RG did have a small engine house next to the scale track for awhile, and I believe a switch engine was assigned (probably off and on) for a period. It would seem silly to have such a moderate facility without a steady water source. Maybe that building was also plumbed for water with an underground line? I don't know.

-Jon