Re: Along The Gilpin Tramway - A Closer Look

Posted by Keith Pashina on Jan 15, 2025; 4:59pm
URL: http://c-sng-discussion-forum.254.s1.nabble.com/Along-The-Gilpin-Tramway-A-Closer-Look-tp20380p20440.html

Chris - a very interesting post!

You posted the picture of the gate across the Gilpin Tram grade, near Tucker Mill Junction. When first I started exploring the Gilpin Tram grade, about 1986, the fence and gate were in place and so for many years, the Tucker Mill branch was off limits to me. Some government agency, perhaps the county, purchased parts of Quartz Valley maybe 15 or so years ago. About that time, the fence came down, and the old grade was now the Gilpin Tram trail.

The newspaper accounts were interesting, too.

First, there is one article describing 13 cars of ore for the Tucker Mill, but all of the spur hadn't been built yet. I wonder how they got the ore to the mill? Even if all of the track to the mill had been laid, the switchbacks were short, so the tram would have had to gradually bring the ore cars down in small cuts for unloading.

Second, I had never heard of the accident where a train ran away and the locomotive crashed into the door of the warming house. That must have been quite a mess to clean up. This is the only newspaper mention of the warming house I have seen, except for mention of it when it was first constructed - a good find!