Built in 1882, this hand-operated turntable still looked good in ’54 (Bill Poole photo). Below, a modern painting from an old photo shows how the turntable was operated. Incredible! The 4 men probably weighed about 600 pounds while the engine and tender came in at almost 50,000.
Looking south in 1940. The turntable is beyond the tank.
Thanks to the SP’s fore site, today Laws is a beautiful museum complete with a small operating railroad that features the Death Valley Rail car #5. No trip to the Owens Valley is complete without a stop at Laws.
In 2022, Laws Railroad Museum began the process of working with local agencies to extend the track south on the original right of way. The photos below were taken in March 2023 showing the area that will hopefully, once again, have rails on them.
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