Hammering away! Pile Driver OB's small steam engine alternately raises and drops its very heavy iron hammer on a small pile in the Antonito Yard, adjacent to the balloon loop track. The pile is held vertically by a small vice arrangement at the bottom of the derrick, much as one would hold a nail while driving it with a hammer. While OB is steam-powered, she does not have her own boiler. She relies on a feed of live steam from the locomotive that is being used to move her to the job site....in this case, K-27 "Mudhen" #463.
The operation seen here was a demonstration of Pile Driver OB, conducted by a crew from the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. The Friends were largely responsible for the restoration of this machine a few years back, and they periodically bring it out for demonstration purposes. In this case, the occasion was a chartered Maintenance of Way Train, which operated the day before. Patrons were invited back on this day to witness demos of both the OB and Derrick OP.
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad are all that remains of the legendary Denver & Rio Grande Western narrow gauge system. Here you'll find some of my favorites from these two beautiful railways.
