Q re boiler sizes

I live near an old section of the Rio Grand Southern narrow gauge line (abandoned ~1950), you often find parts and pieces here and there along the old grade. There's a section of some type of steam boiler lying along a gravel road about .5 mile from the old RR grade, and I've wondered for some time what it is. I don't know that it is part of a locomotive, seems too small in diameter, but I don't know much about the topic either - it could be a locomotive boiler section. It is definitely a riveted bolier of some type, just not sure from what, and being this close to the old RGS line makes me wonder if someone didnt pick the piece up along the line somewhere, drive it out towards a main road, then abandon it for some reason. It's approx 36" in diameter (going from memory here, could be +/- ~6") and the length of this cut-off section is about 4'. Does anyone know whether or not this could be part of a boiler from a locomotive? My interest in the matter, if it were part of an old locomotive, would be to see that it is properly secured to a RR museum or other organization instead of eventually hauled to a steel salvage yard.

John

Cant say for sure without a picture, but i would guess that it is part of some old mine equipment. The mines back in the
day all used steam for hoisting,pumps etc. It also may be a part of an old compressed air loco, they were common in
mines in the west U.S.

Mine equipment - hadn't thought of that. There are old mines relatively near here, I think I got focused on it being so close to the old RR grade I was thinking that's what it is associated with. I have a picture of it, will try to post it here, haven't posted photos here before. Thanks for the info ....

I would be interested as well to see this as it rings of an old myth thats about my area.

Rumor is that one of the companies that mined Broad Top mountain had several consecutive mines. As each mine petered out they moved their mining dinky engine to the new one. When the final mine closed, they shoved the engine inside and dynamited the entrance shut, forever entombing the engine.

If this is true, I'd love to detail one of our Keyhole spy satellites over the area and use it's magnetometer to look for an anomaly in the earth's magnetic field to see if the engine could be located.

While walking a mothballed line a few years ago, I found the remains of an old factory along the right of way. As history in general interests me, I went exploring. Turns out the "forest" along the tracks was actually growing on the first floor of the building. In the basement I found a chunk of what I think was the old boiler, as well as two of the old machine pulleys and part of the drive line.