Saline Salt Tram November 9-10, 2007

[Tucson T4R]

Outstanding shots and descriptions.:wings: It's really nice that once you got off the beaten path, you were able to find so much untouched history along the line. What an amazing area to have in your backyard and be able to explore as you have.

 

[teotwaki]

Outstanding shots and discriptions.:wings: It's really nice that once you got off the beaten path, you were able to find so much untouched history along the line. What an amazing area to have in your backyard and be able to explore as you have.

I've been planning this for weeks with satellite photos, old topomaps, hundreds of google searches, old photos and documents, etc.

It made the difference by having good intel before we took the first step.

 

[teotwaki]

Alan's Pictures

Alan just emailed some to me that help to give other views besides my camera. They are mixed in terms of matching the sequence of my previous posts..

Here is one that gives the scale of the dry waterfall with arrows pointing to Mike and I as we descended


trying some different lines while ascending on our return trip


No. 4 pickaxe head made by "Washo"


Me, huffing and puffing after the last steep ascent


Standing by the speed governer


Examining some of the tools; a sledgehammer head and another #4 pickaxe head


A hanging salt carrier over a deep canyon, below the second tower down from the control station

 

[CLynn85]

Sounds like an awesome trip. It amazes me how much of the mining gear and equipment gets left behind out there, and remains there to this day. Even the tools hung on the pillars! It's such a foreign concept compared to the way things are out here.

 

[Green Ganesha]

I've been planning this for weeks with satellite photos, old topomaps, hundreds of google searches, old photos and documents, etc.

It made the difference by having good intel before we took the first step.

The fruits of your exhaustive planning really show! What a spectacular trip, and all the more so with such fascinating and informative illustration and documentation.

The Saline Salt Tram has intrigued me for years. I've driven the Swansea/Cerro Gordo trail several times, explored the summit station, hiked down a bit in each direction, poked around Daisy Canyon on the Saline side, but NOTHING even close to what you've uncovered!

My hat is off to you, gentlemen.

 

[Green Ganesha]

Sounds like an awesome trip. It amazes me how much of the mining gear and equipment gets left behind out there, and remains there to this day. Even the tools hung on the pillars! It's such a foreign concept compared to the way things are out here.

Inaccessibility. The relics are scarcer at the more approachable tramway termini. But most of its route is ridiculously hard to reach, making this trip all the more impressive. (Did you check out the scale of that dry waterfall?)

Kudos, and more kudos.

 

[teotwaki]

On Friday Rich and I pretty much roamed portions of the right side of the diagram

On Saturday we went from the 8700' summit down the left side of the diagram to
"Control STA for Sec II (Motor Drive)" at 6000', letters D and H

 

[rmarz]

Some of the arduous terrain, nothing will stop Teotwaki when he has a goal!

A thorough inspection reveals that OSHA was not a factor back in 'the day'.

 

[ckkone]

Added this to my long list of things to do before I go six feet under, thanks for the report!

 

[Andrew Walcker]

Jim and Richard, absolutely an incredible trip!!! Great pics and write up, thanks for sharing!

 

[rmarz]

By rmar


By rmar

Thumbnails, hot links, codes, computers, sorry for the little pics, here are the right formats...

 

[HMR]

Jim and Richard, absolutely an incredible trip!!! Great pics and write up, thanks for sharing!

+1

 

[teotwaki]

How did they move all of that material?

Here is a small sled that is about as wide as the mule trail. Note the iron skids and hand forged links


Alan holding the sled up for a better view of the skids




Some material could be carried on completed portions of the tramway and some was carried by mules or on sleds pulled by mules



This is from a glass slide that is archived at the Colorado School of Mines

 

[Ursidae69]

Next time I go back, I have to do this hike. Great photos. :wings:

 

[teotwaki]

1913 Mining Magazine Article

Here is a brief description:

Title: A 13 mile bucket tramway.

Publisher: New York : Hill Pub. Co., 1913.

Notes:

The Engineering and Mining Journal, Vol. 96, No. 16, Oct 18, 1913

A 13 mile bucket tramway for the Saline Valley Salt Company
was completed late in June, and was built for the
transportation of salt from the beds in Saline Valley to
the railroad at Swansea in Inyo County, California. It
was built by the Trenton Iron works and it is said cost
$500,000. The total length of the bucket line is 26
miles, and is made up of five sections, each working
independently. It is electrically driven. An
interesting feature of the construction is the use of
the down pull on the west side of the mountain for the
generation of 75 hp., wish is used in aiding the pull of
the load up the east side of the mountain. The bucket
line is its travel reaches an elevation of 8700 feet.
The rated capacity of the plant is 20 tons per hour,
which can be increased by increasing the size of the
cables. The Saline Valley Company owns 1400 acres of
land in Saline Valley in the northern part of Inyo
County, east of the Inyo Mountains. Salt has been mined
here for the last 10 years, but transportation by mule
team was too costly to permit the creation of a market
for the product beyond the local demand. The tramway
will deliver the salt at the railroad station, and
should place the company in the position of a large
competitor in the salt industry of California