Re: A strange thread
| November 18, 2021 12:28PM |
This was indeed a spur to a gravel quarry, it was constructed and used for industrial haulage of material from the quarry long before the war began.
Why is the gauge of this spur important?
Well, it is known that the deportation trains involved in these horrific matters traveled on 1435mm (4 ft 8 1/2 inch) gauge. So if this spur/tramway is a meter-gauge, as I suspect it is, then this spur could not be the same that brought the 1435mm rolling stock to the camps.
What does that matter in the grand scheme of things? Perhaps it does not, but it's ultimately a matter of historical inquiry, to understand if what is claimed to be the 1435mm spur that brought these wagons to the camps is in fact the very same spur in these photographs.
An alternative hypothesis is that the 1435mm track was dismantled, and this was a meter-gauge tramway for industrial haulage left behind which has been mistakenly identified as the very same spur that brought the wagons to the camps.
Maybe this could be dismissed as minutiae, but my interest is in accurately identifying the rails in the photograph, and on important matters like these a more accurate analysis of the historical evidence, even minutiae like this, is a worthy endeavor in my opinion.
With that said, everybody here seems to be convinced that these are 4 ft 8 1/2 inch gauge rails:
I still find it hard to see, as it still looks more like a meter-gauge tramway for industrial haulage in my view. But I accept that everyone here has a different view.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/18/2021 12:29PM by Loco-Motive.
Why is the gauge of this spur important?
Well, it is known that the deportation trains involved in these horrific matters traveled on 1435mm (4 ft 8 1/2 inch) gauge. So if this spur/tramway is a meter-gauge, as I suspect it is, then this spur could not be the same that brought the 1435mm rolling stock to the camps.
What does that matter in the grand scheme of things? Perhaps it does not, but it's ultimately a matter of historical inquiry, to understand if what is claimed to be the 1435mm spur that brought these wagons to the camps is in fact the very same spur in these photographs.
An alternative hypothesis is that the 1435mm track was dismantled, and this was a meter-gauge tramway for industrial haulage left behind which has been mistakenly identified as the very same spur that brought the wagons to the camps.
Maybe this could be dismissed as minutiae, but my interest is in accurately identifying the rails in the photograph, and on important matters like these a more accurate analysis of the historical evidence, even minutiae like this, is a worthy endeavor in my opinion.
With that said, everybody here seems to be convinced that these are 4 ft 8 1/2 inch gauge rails:
I still find it hard to see, as it still looks more like a meter-gauge tramway for industrial haulage in my view. But I accept that everyone here has a different view.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/18/2021 12:29PM by Loco-Motive.
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488 stops for water at Los Pinos tank on closing day Oct. 1979. Photo courtesy Don Richter
The NGDF was started by Don Richter and is currently operated in his memory by Nathan Holmes and others. Others who have contributed to the upkeep of this board are (in no particular order): Charles McCandless, Everett Lueck, Ted Wilton, Cole Adams, James Bane, John Moellmer, Jon Bentz, Linn Moedinger, lloyd lehrer, Rod Jensen, John Craft, Steven Forney, Herb Kelsey, Bill Ramaley, Russ Sperry (El Russo Loco), Josh McNeal, John West, Jim Armstrong, Bob Bergstrom, Greg Scholl, Blake Forbes Doug van Veelen and Mark Fuller.