Almaden in San Jose in Santa Clara County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Incline Tramway
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, April 23, 2013
1. Incline Tramway Marker
Photo captions, clockwise from the top left: The hillside in front of you is where ore cars loaded with cinnabar traveled downhill on their way to the furnaces.; Over 100 rail cars, each carrying two tons of ore made the round-trip across Deep Gulch Creek on this graceful bridge at the bottom of the incline.; Mine workers, not motors, controlled the rail braking system. Heavier ore-filled cars at the top of the tramway were connected via cables to empty cars at the bottom. The weight of the empty car being pulled uphill reduced the amount of hand braking required as the heavier car descended.; At the upper left is the rail tramway coming down from the Cora Blanca and the Main Tunnel sorting shed. At the very top of the photo is Spanish Camp and the bottom of the photo was called China Dump.
Click on image to enlarge the picture.
Click on image to enlarge the picture.
Transportation of ore to the furnaces was slow and expensive by horse and wagon, and production and demand had increased greatly.
This gravity-aided tram was used to move thousands of tons of cinnabar ore across this steep terrain from shafts and sorting sheds to the furnaces.
Loaded ore cars travelling (sic) down hill helped pull empty cars back up to the top with cables. The rail line with three steep inclines had almost three miles of track and was used for some 40 years
Erected 2013 by Santa Clara County Parks.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1864.
Location. 37° 10.475′ N, 121° 49.673′ W. Marker is in San Jose, California, in Santa Clara County. It is in Almaden. Marker can be reached from Almaden Road. This marker is Almaden Quicksilver Park on the Mine Hill Trail near the Hacienda Entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 21785 Almaden Road, San Jose CA 95120, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Hacienda Mining Display (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Cornish Pump
this page online
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, April 23, 2013
2. Incline Tramway Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 2, 2013, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 644 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 2, 2013, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
