More Bodie & Benton Questions

I think that I have read most of the postings on Bodie, CA and the railroad, and I'm left with some unanswered questions.

1. One post mentions a branch line which furnished logs to the mill at Mono Mills, but didn't specify where it was located. Could this be the branch to the east of Mono Mills which was the beginning of the abortive line to Benton? On the topo map the grade ends at the edge of a wooded area, so this raises the possibility that this is the branch referred to.

2. There is reference to the line extending to the south of Mono Mills, but very little in the way of specific info. Again, since the grade extended into a wooded area, could this have furnished logs to the mill? Due to the number of graded roads in this area, it's impossible to trace the line on the map south of Mono Mills.

3. Consider that the boomlet in Bodie only lasted about 4 years, but yet the B&B stuck around for quite a few years after that. What kept it alive? Even in the boom years I doubt that there was much outbound mineral traffic. From what I have been able to piece together, most of the mines had their own processing facilities, which means that, if at all, the carloadings would have been minimal. And related to that, there was no smelter in the area. How were the concentrates from the mines shipped, but what method, and to where? Since the B&B had no outside connections I suspect that the outbound concentrates were hauled by wagon.

4. The role and function of Lime Kiln is a real mystery to me. There was mention that the site was used to station extra motive power to boost trains over the hill to Bodie, but nothing more. I would speculate that Bodie used part of the output of the kilns in the building of the town, but that would have been short lived. Was the finished lime product brought into Bodie on the B&B?

5. There is some confusion in my mind about the motive power on the B&B. I've read references to both 0-6-0's and 2-6-0's being used.

So many questions, and so little time !!

Thanks.

CJ