Re: Where is Mears Junction Located?

The storage track at Mears dead ended by the trestle. The switch was on the east end. Trains coming from Gunnison would leave gons and box cars of coal. The engines on south bound trains would to leave part of their train on the north side of the trestle, cross the trestle, back down the west side of the loop, come forward and back into the siding to pickup the cars, it would then back up the main to the left side and go back up the grade and then back to its train. A complicated switching move. Northbound trains had it much easier, stop with the train on the loop, back the empty cars into the spur, couple up and head to Salida. I am not a railroader, but seems the only way it could work. He must have been on the engine during the switching. Other photos of that train show 8 high side gons of new ties from the Salida tie plan, the rear of the train seems to be gons of coal.