Re: Silverton Railroad aerial map with photos

Something that few people realize is that there is still rail anchored to the roadbed of SRR's sister line - the SN. Near Toltec Mine, about halfway between Eureka and Animas Forks, a section of rail is still firmly fixed in place on the former ROW, but not usually visible. This rail was likely buried by sediment and rocks eroded from the hillside before the track was removed and the ROW converted to a county road in the late 1930s. My guess is that county crews simply chose to grade this material over the buried rail rather than dig up the track and remove it. On rare occasions, when the road grader bites deeply into the road surface, the rail end (with rail joiner still bolted in place) is exposed. This area is located in an area of slope instability and sediment, gravel and cobbles are often deposited onto the road surface with each major storm event.