01-13-2010, 07:54 PM
I checked out a book from the local library once titled Railroads of the Cour D'Alines (spelling?) that was about the railroads serving mining towns in the Idaho pan handle. The route in and out was so steep that in order to avoid switch backs they had the tracks weaving back and forth on two sides of a canyon and crossing over curved trestles to gain elevation. The was even a picture of one "S" shaped trestle! The tracks were stacked two or three deep in the side of the mountain. They had one picture taken in @1910 of a 2-6-6-2 mallet the looked very similar to the Mantua 2-6-6-2 logger with tender. It had a train of 5 or 6 36 foot cars and a caboose that was described as the maximum load that engine could handle into and out of the area by itself! I often thought that I was looking at an ideal prototype for a model railroad for a steam fan!