Does this look like a yard?

[Erik W]

I was messing around on http://www.maps.live.com and I noticed this along the old Milwaukee Road line, abandoned since the late '70s, on the southern side of Butte, Montana.  It looks like the remains of a small parallelogram shaped yard to me.  What do you guys think?

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=45.915534~-112.525824&style=a&lvl=17&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&encType=1

Erik

[3rdrail]

Since the parallel lines continue on the other side of the dirt road, and there appears to be a farm house and outbuildings with trees there as well, I'd say those are furrows of a farm field.

[Mark5]

it's only about 400-500 yards end to end according to the scale included in the view.

[Erik W]

Yeah, It is pretty short.  I guess there would also be an area that would have housed some out buildings or something of that nature. 

I like using the maps.live and maps.google websites to follow old RR roadbeds.  The Milw Rd is interesting as you follow it through some of the more remote, rugged parts of Montana and Idaho.  Some of these stretches of abandoned roadbed would make fun RR hiking/biking archeology trips.

Erik

[TrainCat2]

Go to Google maps and click on Terrain. The topo lines suggest that area is NOT flat.

[wcfn100]

Looks flat to me.  I don't know how much difference in elevation the lines represent, but it's all on the same plane.

Jason

[Pomperaugrr]

If you continue to follow the line exiting the "yard" location, you can see the right of way parallels the main road, often with dirt bike tracks on it.  That line leads directly to a freight house and a string of black tank cars.  This definitely looks like an old abandoned small yard to me.  Just keep clicking and dragging along the right of way unitl you see the next main road.  If you keep going after the tank cars, it joins a main line.

Eric

[Matt G]

Hey Erik,

My vote is not a yard. Look on both sides and you notice some pretty good size cuts and fills. If they did need a yard in the area (the area noted would actaully be a good sized yard) they would probably put it on more level ground near the town to the upper left. Looks more like terraced farming to me.

Matt

[wcfn100]

While obviously not proving whether it's a yard or not, it is certainly flat.

If you look at an overlay, it clearly shows where the cuts and fills are to make this area.



The lower left has a fill on the ROW to raise the 5617 elavation to grade and the north side of the "yard" is cut to bring the 5663 down to grade.


Jason

[DKS]

If you trace the line back north a few miles, you find this live, active yard:



Compare it at the same scale to the land feature in question:



I've traced over the furrows in the ground as best as possible to produce this approximate configuration:



It's not a bad match to the "real" yard. However, I find it curious that, aside from the irregular sandy patch to the upper left, there is no evidence of any structures in the area, and the sandy patch is not a reliable indicator, either. Also curious is that there's no evidence of a switching lead, although the landforms are too deteriorated to provide any conclusive evidence either way (the rut leading off to the upper right veers further away from the mainline and appears to be a road or, more likely, a dirt bike trail). The fill/cut to the lower left precludes anything but a single-track line at that end of the "yard." But an overriding question is: why here? There's hardly anything around.

[wm3798]

It's them crop circle makin' space aliens, I say...


Floyd R. Turbo,
American

[SirTainly]

What about the dark shape in the bootm right, could be a structure. Also the area with trees could be another site of a building. Trees often seem to sprout around abandoned buildings, I guess the walls give them some shelter. Also the fact that these trees are miles from any others would make me a touch suspicious.

[DKS]

What about the dark shape in the bootm right, could be a structure. Also the area with trees could be another site of a building. Trees often seem to sprout around abandoned buildings, I guess the walls give them some shelter. Also the fact that these trees are miles from any others would make me a touch suspicious.

The dark area to the bottom right appears to be more trees. Also, that space is a bit small for a structure (compare the structures in the Butte yard for size). And the trees at the upper left are smack in the middle of the furrows where the yard tracks would presumably be. It's all quite a puzzle...

Too bad Google has no images of this area for comparison.

[asciibaron]

the location is Newcomb, Montana.

here is a closer up view - this was not a rail yard - possibly an industrial site tied to the copper mining.

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=45.915971&lon=-112.525411&z=18&l=0&m=a&v=2

here is a picture of the passing siding...



-Steve

[Ryan87]

Here's a shot from '95

http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=10&Z=12&X=1908&Y=25429&W=3&qs=%7cbutte%7c%7c