Re: Climax Molybdeum tamper

The Sunnyside Mine at Gladstone had a 3 foot main haulage line of about 2 miles. In the late 1980s the D&SNG was hired to rebuild that line and they brought the railroad's tamper up to the mine for the work. The crew was housed in our hotel and the work proceeded over the course of the winter. They had mixed results working in a mine situation were there is not a regular ballast bed under the ties and the narrow confines of the tunnel, air doors, etc, made the work very difficult. The mine and railroad quickly learned of the extreme difficulty of working underground in a non-traditional railroad setting. We have one of the "motors" in operating condition from that line displayed next to the new mining display building in Silverton.