Como Section House

[Don Pacetti]

Jeff, that's awesome. I knew what the pump looked like; now I know what the boiler looks like!

[Robert McFarland]

There is a photo of the bunk cars of the scrap train parked near the section house on the Como Civic Association facebook page.

[Robert McFarland]

I found the story you mentioned about Roger Coyne in the  Flume on the Colorado Historic Newspapers website-and found that the website has been greatly improved,making it easier to read.

[Chris Walker]

Jeff Ramsey commented on the facebook photo page that it looked like Garos' Sectionhouse, I think he is right on that as there is another photo in the Park County Archives showing those same cars at Garos.  Further more the Como Sectionhouse was in close proximity to the South Tank which stood after the line was pulled up, there is no Watertank visible in the wide view to which you refer to, hence my siding with Jeff on the Garos location.  


https://scontent-syd1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/10401962_405890589614224_797590861899232674_n.jpg?oh=6d672ae276278b502485f434ceb0eb30&oe=56EA85FA
Photo from Como Civic Association Facebook Page


Also on the facebook page, is also this picture showing the South Tank in use at or about scrapping but as I related earlier no sign of a two-storey building adjacent.  Given the wide expanse of South Park visible, if the Sectionhouse was still standing, it would be seen in this view.


https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xtl1/v/t1.0-9/11412154_405890556280894_3649692680103924473_n.jpg?oh=94f51ef28a860c0fcd4f39bc6f5c76ac&oe=56B8C601&__gda__=1454804668_1a76ba6f2d7a02c17aeca2b3c096660f
Photo from Como Civic Association Facebook Page

What say everyone else?

[Jeff Young]

If that were the Como section house then the cameraman would be facing NNW, and there would be a large hill behind the section house, and behind that Mt. Silverheels and Boreas Mountain.  Yet there is no large hill present, and the mountain range that does appear in the back ground is too uniform to be Mt. Silveheels and Boreas Mountain.  (While it could be the Mosquito range, the cameraman would need to be looking W for that.)

So I don't know if it's Garos or not, but I don't think it's Como.

[Jeff Young]

This shot shows the relative positioning of the section house and water tank well:


Photo from Como Civic Association Facebook Page

[Chris Walker]

Jeff Young wrote

So I don't know if it's Garos or not, but I don't think it's Como.

As you point out the hills at Como so there are same at Garos and the view in relation to the track, should be looking East with no snowcapped range on that side of Sth Park(?), I'm starting to think that the photo is flopped and the place is Jefferson, that would then orientate the mountains in the background, and the lower single-storey addition to be on the "East" as it was at Jefferson.

Anyone orientate the RPO with the stack sticking up? or the lettering.

[Jeff Young]

The ICC maps show the Jefferson section house straight behind the water tank (nearly due NW).  So any shot which showed the tracks and the section house would have to include the water tank between them....

[Jeff Young]

I followed the ICC maps on down to Garos, and the track there runs due N/S, so a shot of the section house behind a train would indeed be taken pointing W, where the Mosquito range would appear in the background.  So I think Jeff has this one right.

[Don Pacetti]

Photo of tank and section house is definitely one taken by Dimmler's ICC Summary Team in 1918. The other photo showing cars and Section House being discussed is not Como, IMHO. Concur with Garos location.

[Ken Martin]

Chris,
The Bagg-mail is not reversed. It is #12 and another photo shows it with the smoke stack.

Ken Martin

[Mike Trent]

Wow, Ken is this associated with the scrap train?

The weird stack isn't the only weird thing here, that's #537's (ex #70's) tender in the consist.

Reminds me of the line from Alice in Wonderland, "Things just keep getting curiouser and curiouser!"

[Ken Martin]

Yes it is. However I don't' remember where it was located.

Ken Martin

[Jim Courtney]

However I don't' remember where it was located.

The hills in the background suggest that it's on the siding at Breckenridge.  Note the ties for the abandoned turnout (former housetrack in front of the depot?) in the foreground.

[Chris Walker]

Found the C&S Valuation map for Garos, in the Gunnison Memories & then some, this shows the Sectionhouse there South of the River and on the Western side of the Mainline.  This is counter to what I thought given the caption describes the view as standing on the mainline to Buena Vista to which I interpreted as looking towards BV, actually was page left to Como/right to Trout Creek Pass: neither destinations are recorded on the map.  The same picture recorded in Mac Poors DSP&P book has a more articulate caption.


Next Question:
Was the C&S Sectionhouse style more commonly associated with the Clear Creek lines the lesser used style on the South Park lines?  Incidentally Poor lists "of log construction" for Fairplay.

[Robert McFarland]

South of the river?

[Jeff Young]

> South of the river?

Well, in C&S parlance that would be “west of the river” (as in farther towards Gunnison from Como), but the line is running geographically N/S at that point so “south of the river” is geographically correct.

However, I do think Chris has his page-left and page-right transposed.  Photographer is looking almost due west; to the right (N) is the river and Como, to the left Trout Creek Pass.  I agree with Chris that the train is before the wye, on the Gunnison mainline.  (The Alma branch will be behind the section house from the photographers viewpoint, going off page-right toward Fairplay.)

Cheers,

Jeff

PS: for anyone not familiar with the geography, the river in question is the Middle Fork of the South Platte.  The Arkansas (and Beuna Vista, and the D&RGW) are on the other side of Trout Creek Pass.

[Robert McFarland]

I do not believe the scrap train photo we are discussing was taken at Garos.I have been visiting Garos and the surrounding area since 1977,plus checking the available photos and looking at Google maps ground level-the mountains in the background of the photo look too close.Referring to PCA photos of cars at Garos,the scrap train photos were taken at Hill Top Junction.(look under the Leavick heading)There are two or three photos of cars or locos parked at Garos but they don't show much in the way of the surroundings. There is a photo in one of the Mineral Belts that shows a train from Fairplay approaching the wye- if it was postable it might show some details.

[Chris Walker]

Whilst the trains is being made up at Hilltop Junction, there is no sign of the 537's Tank, so these pictures weren't taken at the same time of the photo under discussion.  I haven't seen any listing in Poors DSP&P for a Sectionhouse or Depot at Hilltop Jct either.
https://scontent-syd1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/10401962_405890589614224_797590861899232674_n.jpg?oh=6d672ae276278b502485f434ceb0eb30&oe=56EA85FA

from http://www.parkcoarchives.org/

http://www.parkcoarchives.org/photo_inventory/inventory_2800to2899/2823.jpg


http://www.parkcoarchives.org/photo_inventory/inventory_2800to2899/2822.jpg

[Jeff Young]

Are the mountains in the background even the Mosquito range?  Could they be the Saguache from Schwanders or Nathrop or somewhere in that area?

(I’ll admit that Hilltop Junction is a good match for the background scale.  I also thought about London Junction, but I think the mountains would appear even closer if it were London Junction.)

Cheers,
Jeff.