Dome Rock Switchstand

[Chris Walker]

While searching for photographs of the old DSP&P I kept coming up the same image twice or more, in the thumbnails. Obviously there is more than one copy of the image in the collection and changing to a search for Platte Canon Line yielded yet another image. This was a different format yet carried the same image Title and to a scan of the thumbnails appeared to all intents to be the same.
Not So:
I'm happy to say as lurking in the picture was an elusive piece of hardware not very closely captured on the DSP&P and if only the first image was viewed then the hardware was obscured and unless you noticed the shadow, therefore missed completely.

CHS.J3533

http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p15330coll21/id/7116/rv/singleitem/rec/3

A very nice find of a hidden original fabricated Harp Switchstands of the D.S.P.&P. in the first picture I viewed.
see additional http://c-sng-discussion-forum.41377.n7.nabble.com/One-For-The-Buffalo-Hunters-tp1605.html

CHS.J903

http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p15330coll21/id/9736/rv/singleitem/rec/18

Another little detail popped out at me: is this a Stone Section Marker or just another Stump?  Very clearly a Stump on the left, but the object on the right appears dissimilar with a letter on two facets.

CHS.J903

[Rick Steele]

By God Chris, You found it.

The missing Bedrock Switch Stand. One of the items developed by Mr. Slate at the Bedrock Quarry for the Flintstone Railroad.

Rick

[Chris Walker]

  Rick, Any thoughts as to the Marker ?

[Robert McFarland]

Now tell me if the Mason Bogie is derailed or not.

[Robert McFarland]

I believe the Reynolds Gang treasure is hiding slightly to the right  and behind the thingy.Looks man-made and looks like it might have writing on it.

[Chris Walker]

Robert McFarland wrote

Now tell me if the Mason Bogie is derailed or not.

Why would you think that?  If it was, would not the passengers be gathered around all gawking at it?

[Jim Courtney]

A further enlargement of Chris's shy harp switch stand:





The head block tie seems to be a hand hewn log, and the bridle for the stub rails seems to be one piece to include the throw rod to the early "harp" switch stand.  

Great find, Chris!

[Robert McFarland]

If you look carefully at the front driver the flange appears  to be in front of the rail and resting on the ties.Then there are the three men-engineer,fireman,and conductor whose attention seems to be focused on that area.The passengers could care less-they're stretching their  legs on the rear platform or station platform and/or posing for the camera.

[Jim Courtney]

Robert,

I think the Mason bogie's front driver is on the rail, sitting exactly on top of a (Fisher?) rail joiner, giving the illusion of being derailed with the flange outside the rail. But that's just me.





Jim

[Jim Courtney]

Chris's thread got me to looking on DPL.

I found this view that I'd never studied before. Just around the curve to the west, the little Mason bogie "Pitkin" likely stopped to take water:


http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p15330coll22/id/75055/rv/singleitem



I didn't realize there was a tank here in the late 1870s, I thought the next tank was at Deer Creek (by Arch Rock) to the west. The pump house and picnic grounds are far in the future!

Jim

[Jim Courtney]

Found yet another view of the switch stand:


http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p15330coll22/id/41480/rv/singleitem/rec/3



The thing is so skinny, you'd miss it if you didn't know it was there!

Jim

[Rick Steele]

Just FYI guys,

When the South Park was built, the original contract for ties specified ties that were 7 feet long and flat on the top and the bottom. Nothing at all was mentioned about the sides. Remember, back then, if you didn't have a sawmill, and there weren't many in Colorado back then, the smoothing would be done with an adze.

I think that is why the head block on the switchstand looks so crazy. Of course, if the wood was green when it was placed, it may have warped as well.

Rick

[ComoDepot]

I have seen mention of sawmills early on, now what they were, how much lumber they could produce, suited for mass tie production, is another issue. They probably were not located close to the track either. Maybe a chicken and egg situation, the track had to get there to get the equipment in. Bodies to do it by hand may have been the quick and cheap way. Fell the tress above and float them down to the head of the track.

That building looks very new, freshly painted, I particularly liked the telegraph wires going in and the carving above the windows looks very similar to the Como Depot. I am assuming this building was a standard plan.

[Robert McFarland]

Dome Rock and Estabrook depots appear to be almost identical.

[Chris Walker]

As far as I remember reading, there weren't Sawmills as such involved in filling Railroad orders for ties but loose groups of men known as Tie Hacks or Tie Cutters, the ties were all cut by hand.   Mining outfits also sourced this same way for their requirements of Timbers and Stulls.  Sawn crossties were more of a 20th century gig, as the hand-hewn operations up in Wyoming around Dubois were still active in the 1930's.  
EDIT: There is evidence that the Colorado Midland laid sawn Ties at Ute Pass, I haven't looked any further into this.

Smaller trees were usually sourced near the railroad line or intended route, moved often by mules or horse teams.   Dave Grandt posted a great picture somewhere along the D&RG(W) a while ago on the NGDF showing such an outfit when quizing for the location.

Trees would be felled with a two-man cross cut saw and the tie hack would then cut off the limbs. The trunk would be notched with a double bitted axe every eight feet then would be scored on two sides. Using a broad axe, the tie would be shaped to a thickness of seven to seven and one-half inches, flat on two sides. The timber would then be cut into eight foot lengths. This all done by eye. I think the adze was more used for fine work such as notches and rebates, the blade not being wide enough to be efficient against the broad axe.

[Jeff Young]

Hmmm… about those sawmills….

It’s getting about time for me to put Jefferson together.  There’s a picture in Platte Canon Memories of several stacks of logs across from the depot, in front of a shed.  The Mineral Belt has another shot of the back of the depot, in which log piles can be seen across the tracks.

I thought I had read somewhere that there was a sawmill in Jefferson.  But now I can’t find any reference.  So were the just loading timber that had been cut elsewhere, or does that shed contain a sawmill?

Cheers,
Jeff.

[ComoDepot]

I think there have been 3 sites for Jefferson. So which one would be my first question, certainly the last move was when the track cam through, well within a year or so.

My impression, no proof, was the sawmill operations were usually close to the lumber and the finished product was then moved.

[Jeff Young]

Hi David,

This part of my layout is set in 1928, so that would no doubt be the last Jefferson.

I’ve found references (in the Fairplay Flume) to sawmills and tie camps in the Jefferson vicinity, but all in the track-laying period (1880 to 1910).  I haven’t found anything that gives any clues as to what all the timber that was seen in the late 1920’s was.  (Or that tells me where I got the impression there was a sawmill there.)

All the shipment info I’ve found in the later period regards cattle, hay and lettuce.

Cheers,
Jeff.

[Jeff Young]

There is at least this:


Fairplay Flume, June 1 1923

[ComoDepot]

OK, I was thinking early, certainly in later years with the railroad established logs were shipped in, there is a photo of a crash site just north of Como where the logs were heading for King.

And of course in the 50's there was a saw mill in the Roundhouse, they moved on to Kenosha. Never asked who were their customers.