The Silverton Railroad is a short line but 17.5 miles long, and has the
reputation of being the steepest (5 per cent. grade), the crookedest (30
degree curves) and the best paying road in Colorado; and is owned by one
man, Otto Mears. It also has a turn-table on its main track, and it is
the purpose of this paper to describe it and explain why it was so
placed.
This road leaves the Denver and Rio Grande at Silverton, and runs over a
divide 11 113 feet above sea level, then down into the rich mining
country beyond. The country is very rough and rugged, and in order to
reach the town of Red Mountain it was necessary to run up on a
switchback, as no room for a loop could be found. A wye was, therefore,
built, and the engine could be turned while the train stood on the main
track. The engine was thus placed ahead of the train, only the train is
pulled out of the station rear end ahead. It runs thus till the
turn-table is reached. The train is stopped at a point marked A, Plate
XXII; the engine uncoupled, run on to the table, is turned and pulled up
to a point near B, where it is stopped. The train is then allowed to
drop down to the turn-table and the engine backed on to it. In coming up
from Albany the train is stopped on the down grade between the summit at
B and the table; the engine is taken off, turned on the table and run up
to about A; the train is then allowed to drop to the table as before and
the engine backed up and coupled on, taking not over five minutes in
going either way.
The reason of putting the table in was that there were no mines to the
east of Ironton as shown on Plate XXI, but between the turn-table and
the loop there were several that it was very desireable to reach, and
the side hill is so steep that it is impossible to make a loop on it.
This table is the source of a great deal of comment from tourists, of
whom there are many during the summer months, as it is on the line known
as the “circle,” so extensively advertised by the Denver and Rio Grande
Railroad.
The road is used both for a freight and passenger road, and as before
mentioned, is the best paying road in Colorado, two engines being kept
busy hauling ore to Silverton from the Red Mountain district.
The object of writing this paper was to describe what the author thinks
is quite a novelty, being the only turn-table that he has ever heard of
which is used upon a switchback in this manner, and where the grades are
adjusted as they are to let the train run by gravity on the table from
both ways.
Plate XXI is a print from a photograph of the map filed in Washington,
and is about 9 000 feet to the inch.
Plate XXII is an enlarged sketch of the line near the turn-table.