Dos Cabesas

Dos Cabesas http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Dos_Cabesas.html After passing through the Carrizo Gorge on its way to the Imperial Valley, the railroad comes to a siding in what is now the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. A large steel water tower supported by wooden timbers stands as a monument to the era of steam powered railroading. Nearby are some foundations and debris from large buildings of unknown origin. At one end of the siding there’s a loading ramp. To the north is a former dolomite quarry. A few miles south is Dos Cabesas spring, which once supplied water for the tank. I first saw the tower in July 1975. It was in much better condition then -- the wooden ladder was still largely intact, as where the guy cables and the spout weights. The spout itself was already missing at that time. Since then a lot of the black paint has worn away, replaced by rust. Vandals have cut the guy cables and stolen the lead spout weights. The ladder is almost completely gone, and recently the tank and a phone box were defaced with a lot of really ugly graffiti. I’ll post more as time permits. Last updated March 6, 2008. Return to Railroads list 005_2 A freight train passes by the water tower at Dos Cabesas siding in July, 1975. I stopped here during a backpacking trip. This photo was damaged while in storage. I may have a better print somewhere. When and if I find it, I’ll replace this image. http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Dos_Cabesas.html#0 b870fa2e-165f-4e09-8505-82abdb373dfa http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Dos_Cabesas_files/Media/005_2SPtowerWeb/thumb.jpg http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Dos_Cabesas_files/Media/005_2SPtowerWeb/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="image_cluster_layout_style_default_External_135_70"><div class="image_cluster_layout_style_default"><p style="padding-top: 0pt; " class="Caption">005_2<br/></p><p style="padding-bottom: 0pt; " class="Caption"><span class="style_4">A freight train passes by the water tower at Dos Cabesas siding in July, 1975. I stopped here during a backpacking trip. This photo was damaged while in storage. I may have a better print somewhere. When and if I find it, I’ll replace this image.</span></p></div></div> 006_3 The east-facing side of the tower in July of 1975. The wooden ladder is still mostly intact, and if you look closely you can see the lead counter-weights for the spout at the bottom of the guide rods.  This print was damaged while in storage. If I can, I’ll replace this image with a better one later on. http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Dos_Cabesas.html#1 6e736155-db44-4b6a-bf36-28abda354c0a http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Dos_Cabesas_files/Media/006_3DCTowerWeb/thumb.jpg http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Dos_Cabesas_files/Media/006_3DCTowerWeb/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="image_cluster_layout_style_default_External_135_70"><div class="image_cluster_layout_style_default"><p style="padding-top: 0pt; " class="Caption">006_3<br/></p><p style="padding-bottom: 0pt; " class="Caption"><span class="style_4">The east-facing side of the tower in July of 1975. The wooden ladder is still mostly intact, and if you look closely you can see the lead counter-weights for the spout at the bottom of the guide rods. <br/>This print was damaged while in storage. If I can, I’ll replace this image with a better one later on.</span></p></div></div> 097_4 The Dos Cabesas water tower sometime in the late 70’s or early 80’s. http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Dos_Cabesas.html#2 38a7634f-6dd1-4c08-87b2-036e849589e9 http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Dos_Cabesas_files/Media/097_4Towerw/thumb.jpg http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Dos_Cabesas_files/Media/097_4Towerw/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="image_cluster_layout_style_default_External_135_70"><div class="image_cluster_layout_style_default"><p style="padding-top: 0pt; " class="Caption">097_4<br/></p><p style="padding-bottom: 0pt; " class="Caption"><span class="style_4">The Dos Cabesas water tower sometime in the late 70’s or early 80’s.</span></p></div></div> DSCN1197 A 2006 photo of the Dos Cabesas water tower shows the ravages of time and vandalism. This is the west-facing side of the tower. http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Dos_Cabesas.html#3 3abc6bb2-5228-4008-b844-3054c68fe5b6 http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Dos_Cabesas_files/Media/DSCN1197/thumb.jpg http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Dos_Cabesas_files/Media/DSCN1197/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="image_cluster_layout_style_default_External_135_70"><div class="image_cluster_layout_style_default"><p style="padding-top: 0pt; " class="Caption">DSCN1197<br/></p><p style="padding-bottom: 0pt; " class="Caption"><span class="style_4">A 2006 photo of the Dos Cabesas water tower shows the ravages of time and vandalism. This is the west-facing side of the tower.</span></p></div></div> 023_3 The east-facing side of the Dos Cabesas water tower in the spring of 2006. Time and vandalism have taken a toll on this historic relic. http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Dos_Cabesas.html#4 2312f240-1dc3-4104-9437-259c0422cbf5 http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Dos_Cabesas_files/Media/023_3DCTowerESide/thumb.jpg http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Dos_Cabesas_files/Media/023_3DCTowerESide/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="image_cluster_layout_style_default_External_135_70"><div class="image_cluster_layout_style_default"><p style="padding-top: 0pt; " class="Caption">023_3<br/></p><p style="padding-bottom: 0pt; " class="Caption"><span class="style_4">The east-facing side of the Dos Cabesas water tower in the spring of 2006. Time and vandalism have taken a toll on this historic relic.</span></p></div></div>