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.
>
> I am really scratching my head as to why the flume
> arrangement did not catch my attention in 1963
> when I must have walked right under it on my way
> to Elk Park and back. Oh the things I missed back
> than.
>
> JBWX
Depending on the source of Silverton's water, it could have a high mineral content and be very bad for locomotive boilers. Note that none of the tanks on the Silverton Branch draw their water from the Animas River. They all get their water from side streams.