Re: The C&S Coal Chutes: Four bins? Six Bins? Eight Bins? Twelve Bins?

Posted by Jim Courtney on Dec 18, 2015; 6:00am
URL: http://c-sng-discussion-forum.254.s1.nabble.com/The-C-S-Coal-Chutes-Pine-Como-Dickey-Pitkin-and-almost-Breckenridge-tp4269p4281.html

OK, Robert, I think your really on to something here, regarding the Schwanders chute(s).  There were likely more than one.

The June, 1886 UP Ry. Colorado Division B&B Book with annotations says: Coal Tower and Chute (singular)--Small Chute from Denver Yd.  Remarks:  From Denver, '89 Rmv'd."

The Receiver's Inventory of October, 1893 lists at Schwanders: "Coal chute, 1 pocket." (Even though the previous document said it was removed in 1889??)

The DL&G B&B Book, dated November 1, 1894 and annotated and updated by it's owner (perhaps by its subsequent owner, ie the C&S??): "Coal chutes, 8 pockets 11/1900"

So, maybe Mac Poor co-mingled two different facts:

1. A small coal chute appeared at Schwanders as early as 1884, possibly moved from Denver, and it was removed between 1889 and 1894 (the Receiver's Inventory shows it still there in 1893).  

2. Then, a second coaling structure, a big 8-pocket chute, was built by the successor owner (C&S) in November, 1900, which "annotated and updated" the B&B book of 1894.  The construction date for the later 8-pocket structure puts us back to the first years of C&S management and would make the 8-pocket chute at Schwanders (1900) a contemporary to that at Pitkin (1901) and Dickey (1902).  Mac Poor's cited construction cost of the 8-pocket chute at Schwanders, $2,796.36, was within a $100.00 of the later cited cost of constructing the Pitkin chutes.  Wonder if the Schwanders trestle and chutes looked like the other two?

Is this making any sense?

And Cliff Mestel's DSP&P B&B Inventory at  http://www.railwayeng.com/dspp/rowbuild.htm lists the Pine 4-pocket coal chutes as being in place as early as 1890; the Como "10-pocket" coal chute is not listed in 1890, but shows up in 1891.

So is 1891 a good build date for the Como structure?  And BTW did the Como structure have 8 or 10 pockets?

Thanks for the links, Robert.  I was hoping that my post would unearth more information!