While getting lost on the way to Yellowstone, found some BA&P relics. Long live the electrics!! The main offices at Anaconda. No.9 at the depot
Thr shops and roundhouse area. Rumor has it they want to open this up for tourist type activities? Sure would like to see inside the roundhouse, or what's in it! Near the old smelter, on the east end of town.
I have not stopped in Anaconda for about five years now. BTW- AFAIK, that "depot" is just not really.....
BA&P was a predecessor electrification to the MILW. In some ways a test bed for the possibilities, later enlarged upon by the MILW.
When I say "predecessor", although the two companies were never owner related, I meant there was other cooperation.
That implies that MLW was examining how 3000 VDC worked for BA&P to determine if it would feasible? I always wondered why MLW chose DC while the East Coast companies were using AC for long distance.
The BA&P ran a lower DC voltage. BA&P was heavily engaged with the area's copper mining activities. It had an owner, who was also a MILW official. The success of BA&P's electrification, coupled to the massive forest fire of 1910, ("The Big Burn"- ID, MT, WA, BC. Over three MILLION acres/4700 square MILES), led to MILW starting their electrification construction a few years later.
Yeah, thought it looked a little too "modern". I heard there was another depot nearby, but couldn't find it.
There were a couple of depots in Anaconda. BA&P, the street railway. Cannot find my notes, but if you check at rrshs.org, you should get some ideas.
Nice stuff! That is quite the stack. Word was the Black Eagle smelter east of Great Falls, owned by Anaconda Copper, had a stack that was simply enormous and visible for dozens of miles. This one looks huge as well.
The tall stacks were intended to vent the waste gases, predominately sulfur dioxide, well above what was considered breathable air 100+years ago. Of course now we know that stack gasses will mix with air currents and come to the ground as easily as they diffuse into the upper atmosphere. Any venting of noxious gasses is bad.