Today, we headed out towards U.S. Basin with Kat driving, Charles & Jane following in their Jeep. Noticed a guy taking pictures on the side of US550 where a moose is known to hang out, so we made a quick stop. There were two of them down there, but one stayed hidden.
BIG GUY!!!
Then into U.S. Basin, an easy, but beautiful ride.
It's a six mile loop off 550 and reaches an elevation around 12,000 feet.
Through Browns Gulch and a stop at the old Brooklyn Mine:
Headed toward Irontown and the Red Mountain Mining District.
So many of the old buildings are really deteriorating since we have been coming out here:
The Longfellow Mine:
I believe this is the Genessee Mine area:
The famous, Yankee Girl Mine:
We have never been to the Corkscrew Gulch Turntable. I am including some data found at the Silverton Railroad History online: The last innovation Gibbs installed on the Silverton Railroad was the Corkscrew Gulch Turntable. Originally, as the Railroad descended from the Guston Mine into Ironton, a switchback had been used. A time went on, the switch back proved unworkable for safety reasons. Trains on the Silverton Railroad were required to run locomotive first down hill, to prevent runaways. To apply this rule, locomotives had to run all the way down to Ironton to run around their train. Gibbs solution was a 50-ft turntable, installed on the leg of the switch back. He covered the turntable with a large wooden structure that resembled a circus big top, to keep the apparatus free of snow. The following process was used to get the locomotive on the downhill side of the train. The train would stop above the turntable. The locomotive then run onto the turntable where it was turned. It then exited out the other leg of the switchback. The train was then run by gravity through the turntable, and stopped on the tail of the switch back. The locomotive was then backed into the waiting train and after, proceeded down grade locomotive first. The most interesting part of this operation was that the train could be run onto the tail of the switchback by gravity from either direction . . .
Here's the trail to the turntable.
Charles leads, followed by Jim, Jane, with Kathy dragging up the rear. The sign said it was .8 miles. I have to confess, Jim and Kathy did not make it to the end before they turned around (felt more like 8 miles!) Charles & Jane, better acclimated and in better shape, made it all the way.
Bridge heading back toward Hwy 550:
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