Some pictures of the last logging railroad still working
Nice pics. Thanks. I wonder of Simpson is still runnung a log train out of their Shelton operation. My dad used to run a reload and log train at Vail. His one and only lokie was a 1949 Fairbanks H10-44. I was there when they rebuilt the engine, and upgraded it to 1400 HP, I believe, which still isn't much. I have some fond memories of sitting on a loaded log car and riding the train from the reload to the Vail shop, down about 5 miles of tracks. The engineer was Mr. Ernie Kell, whom I believe still resides in Ranier, WA at a ripe old age. His brakeman was the legendary Jim Barrett, who is now deceased. His son Scott is still around.
How many horsepower are those Englewood lokies, about 2000 each?
I really do not know , its in another div ,will try to find out and get more pictures of other stuff they have
Do they load rail cars at a sort yard, or at a reload? God stuff here. When time permits, I will share a few thoughts about the Vail reload.
They have several reloads.
Trains used to come out to Aloha & pick up box cars full of shingles, shakes, and lumber. The went on up to Moclips and did the same thing there. Was always a bunch of boxcars sitting on the siding only a couple hundred yards from the Company house we lived in at the time. We had 2 old wood and glass show cases we kept squirrels and chipmunks in. "Where is he going with this say you?" The box cars also hauled grain, and we could usually get some if we found a crack in the interior. One day my brother Dan and I were in a car getting free squirrel food when the locomotive hit the line of cars we were in to get 'hooked up'. It caused the door we had entered through so slam shut. The door on the other side was latched partially open. But only a few inches. We panicked. Sure we were headed for Chicago. I could just squeeze my 8 year old head through the opening. Dan convinced me that I should be able to get out since a cat could go through anything it could stick it's head through. I did manage to scrape my way through and out. I was going to get help, but 11 year old Dan told me to wait to see if he could get out. He got his head through, but I think he left half his butt getting the rest of him out. ALWAYS made sure the door was latched in the open position after that. One more thing on the squirrels. We actually had several flying squirrels. Most people have never even seen one since they are nocturnal. Dad found a nest of them with babies in a tree he fell. Keep the train pics coming.
Funny how kids have to take their lumps and learn these lessons in life. Like the time back in 1968 when I locked my dad in an outhouse on the side of Mt. St. Helens that later blew. That did not end well.
075: Got any pics of their reloads? I would imagine they use stackers in this day and age.
On page 57 of the madill thread post #849 Torkelh has some pictures of camp 6 reload machine.They use stackers at the dry land to unload thats where I took the pictures (Beaver Cove Dryland)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMRapBFp5IA
I got some pics of their reloads. I will post them later this week. As I recall they have 4 or 5 reloads.
An interesting fact, those locies at Englewood operated right alongside the steam locies for a time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UlNBydfRZo I would suggest watching the whole series, some neat footage from a very interesting period.
Englewood Some old and some new pictures, seems that they direct load the cars if they get the chance...
Englewood cont... Loading device at camp 6 (more pictures in the Madill thread, winch is an 046)
Are those Dynamic brakes on the SW1200's? I bought a book years ago called "Logging by Rail" and it's about the operations on Vancouver Island I remember them saying something about the SW1200's having dynamic brakes. Love the pictures keep them coming.
Holbrook Dysons reload A-frame at Vernon on VI. Also pic of their Western Star trucks. In same picture you can see railroad crossing sign.
Pics from Maquilla reload further North from Vernon. I think this is the 3rd reload site when counting them from South of railway line.
Back before my time, the Atlantic Coast Lumber Co. used direct loaded trains to log the coastal swamps here. There is a steam engine that derailed sometime in the 20's or 30's on land that now belongs to my brother. It sank above the boiler in the mud and they were unable to recover it. When my grandfather first showed it to me, about 35 yrs. ago, you could still recognize the cab and funnel. A few years ago my brother and I made the hike, (3 miles of swamp),:tong to find it. All we found was a pile of rust and scrap. If I ever get rich, I might take a trackhoe in and see what remains under the ground. In a related story, my father was working for International Paper in the early '50s running a D4 w/ a fire plow. He got a paniced call to go to Kilsock Bay,(a Carolina Bay, a unique and treacherous geological phenomenon, not a body of water). It is about 10 miles from where the locomotive is. A crew was using 2 brand new D9s to bed land for replanting, and one sank. They tried to pull it out with the other 9 and it got stuck. When my father got there he could put a stick against the first tractor and tell that it was slowly continuing to sink. When they got several winch-equipped fire tractors in, they were able to recover the second D9, but, even after bringing in several more large dozers, 2 draglines, and alot more equipment, keeping the operators onsite 24hrs/day for 3 days, they never recovered that month old D9. It slowly sank completely beneath the surface.
Vigilant, since you are in NC, you should visit the NC transportation Museum. They have some good info about rail logging on the east coast. http://www.nctrans.org/
I'll check it out. Thanks, Mitch. There is a nice small transportation museum in Roanoke, Va. On display, I believe, is the legendary Engine 611.
More pics from Maquilla reload site
Yes, they still use dynamic
More pics from Maquilla reload site...
Last pics from Maquilla reload site...
Vigilant, that's the best excuse for an edit I've ever seen.:notworthy:falldownlaugh
He, he, did you get the serial from the Madill yarder (reloader) at Maquilla?
here is an old rail loader from the Abitibi mill in Ft. Frances. this unit was retired in the early-mid 90's (when it was a Boise Cascades mill) Pic is from 2008, Unit has since been scrapped.
:Banghead grrrrr! did it again!!!!!!!:Banghead here it is, huge unit; even makes the huge koehring 525 besid it look small.
The Englewood Logging Railroad has three repowered SW1200 with dynamic brakes. They can be identified by the silver and red paint scheme. They were repowered with 3512 Catapillar engines that provide 1500 HP. #302 is still the old GM diesel. The June 2011 issue of Railfan & Railroad magazinehas a good article on the railroad. Chandos also produced an excellent video about the operations.
Those lokies in the first post look a lot like switchers. Interesting note on the reloads. The Vail reload years ago was rigged with two upright spars, set in place, and the same type rigging in between. They first set that reload up in 1927, with a wood-fired 1925 Washington loading donkey. I have heard that Art Smythe came to Vail in 1927 to run that reload, and stayed with it until they dismantled it. That donkey went from wood fired steam to diesel fired steam, to an old truck engine for power. I have no idea how many engines it progressed through. When my dad ran Vail, it had Cummins power, which was odd, since the vast majority of the tower yarders they ran had 8V71s.
It is some fantastic good videos from the Englewood railway at youtube!
When I was a kid (in the 60's) the Hammond Lumber Company had a train running out of Crannell, California. It used to haul logs.......old growth Redwood punkins we called them. Car after car........the tressel went over the highway at that time. Then along the beach, through Arcata and on to the Samoa sawmill. How cool was that! Better than any video game or reality show on tv.
The railroad died out as trucking took over. Later on I would find all kinds of railroad equipment abandoned in the woods while riding dirt bikes........sure wish I'd of had a interest in cameras.......pictures of that stuff....only in my head.
Yes Scott Barrett is still around. He and Frank Telewski co-authored a book on the Vail-Mc Donald operations about 5 years ago or so. I have never meet Scott or Frank, but have had several e mail conversations with Frank about different Weyco subjects. If your Dad ran one of the 2 FMs out of Vail, it would have to have been either 492 or the 493. My Dad has an N scale model of the 492, and it is his pride and joy. Ryan modeling the Chehalis Western in N scale
You are correct. It was Engine 493. Here is a photo of Mr. Ernie Kell, standing by the legendary Engine 684, taken several years after we moved to North Carolina. My dad was transferred to NC with Weyco. Sucked for us all, including me. I LOVED it at Vail, and spent as much time there as I could.
Note the missing fingers on his right hand. Common injury among loggers back then on the landing, working with the tongs before air and cable-powered tongs came along. Ernie Kell was quite a man. As were many of the seasoned loggers I knew back then as a young whippersnapper.
Vigilant, That photo was taken AFTER 1976 because the lettering is CM&E RR, which was the Curtis Milburn & Eastern. This RR was formed after Weyco suspended rail operation in Pe Ell in favor of Curtis. This happened in the summer of 1976. The lone engine for the CM&E RR was the 684. It worked from Curtis to Chehalis only. After the MILW embargoed rail operation in Mar 1980, the CM&E RR became nothing more than a RR on paper and the Chehalis Western RR was again an operation RR. This is all discussed in detail in Scott Barrett and Frank Telewski's book. I would guess looking at the photo that this was taken at Curtis as you can make out the roof of the engine house in the picture. Ryan
Here is Engine 120, which I believe was the biggest steam powered lokie to run the tracks at Vail. I suspect this was taken up the Skookumchuck, or 'up the 'Chuck' in local slang.
It is my understanding it was taken at Vail, in 1978. I envy you for your knowledge. Thanks for all this info. I bought a copy of that book for my late Father, but have not yet read it myself. The Don McCune Library also has a documentary of the last days of the railroad with the late Jim Barrett as engineer, on Engine 776, I believe. I'm thinking it was a GP38, but I'm a little foggy. I trust you can shed some light.
The photo may have been taken in 1978. But there is no way if it was in 1978 that it was at Vail. The 684 was issolated from the Vail-South Bay operations between the years of 1976-1980. This is discussed in the Vail McDonald book, I dont know the chapter though. Engine 776 was an EMD GP7 that was bought in 1977 from Morison-Knudsen, hence the reason the loco ### starts with 77, just like your Dads 493, which was bought in 1949. The EMD GP 38-2 were bought new in 1981 and had the ###s 817, 818, 819, & 810. There was actually a 5th GP 38-2 that was ordered but was cancelled at the last minute following MILWs embargo of the PCE. This is also discussed in detail in the Vail-McDonald book. Ryan modeling the Chehalis Western in N scale
I don't know which one is wrong, but this photo is captioned as being taken at Vail in 1978.
I have also read that Engine 493 was upgraded to 1200 HP, not the 1400 I had in mind.
Here is a photo of your Dads loco at Pe Ell.
I have another photo of your Dads loco sitting alongside its twin 492 at Pe Ell, but I am unable to upload it for some reason. If you are interested in it, shoot me your e mail address and I will send it to you. Ryan
PM sent. Many thanks.
View attachment 810.bmp View attachment 818.bmp Here are some pictures of some N scale CW equipment that I painted. The only exception is the FM. That was painted by my Dads cousin Dennis Aust.
View attachment CW current projects.bmp Here is another photo of some of my CW models that I have painted. I also have 2 more GP 38-2s that I painted as well as one more caboose. That makes my late CW diesel roster all complete with the exception of the lone C-415 #684, which I hope to build someday. Best Regards Ryan Aust modeling the Chehalis Western N scale
Recently I happened upon a black and white photograph of a Canadian Forest Products Ltd. Englewood Logging Division diesel locomotive, number two specifically. I am curious what the original colours were, and if there are any colour photos around? I will check the copyright for the Canfor image and post it here if possible...
I went to Woss to see what remains - sadly not much to see
This is a old post, but is that a buzzin dozen in that rig?
That certainly is!
I went to see what was left at reload sites not much but A-frames were still standing but no cables. No tracks as well. Very sad to look at. Camp A reload
More Camp A
Looks like an old 052 hoist?
Reading the title, I thought we would see pix of Climax's or Shay's..... https://www.corryareahistoricalsociety.org/climax-engine
I know Camp A and Vernon bought their A- frames from another company. I’ll check it out. Vernon A-frame
Funny they left a few Skeleton cars see 1st pic at right
where is this location? I hear Pe El in the thread, and Vail.
Vancouver Island - Nimpkish Valley - Woss - Beaver Cove etc
Woss - some left for display
More from Woss
thanks. we are going up there in the next few years, our new place is ~20 minutes from the Port Angeles ferry terminal. I intend to spend a couple of summers on the island in our RVs/boating.
Sorry about late reply but Camp A and Vernon´s A-frame were built by Surespan in Duncan. Woss and Maquilla were used steel A frames from Head Bay. I went to Head Bay this year but no logging at all. Sad to see the shop at Head Bay falling apart
Maquilla A-frame - not much left
Kim, seems like the Madill 046 winch still was there?
Yes Torkel it was. I think there were 4 A-frames still standing along the Railway line but no tracks left. It was a sad view.
That is an 046, #22074, it's the only one of the reloaders I have a picture of the serial number...