Logging Equipment- Dead at Mt. St. Helens!

[Contract Logger]

When Mt St Helens exploded on May 18, 1980, many logging operationas were destroyed in the blast zone area. Along with that, 3 of Weyerhausers logging camps downstream were wiped out completely. Over the next few weeks I'll post a few pics from those days on the mountain. Some of the logging equipment, some of the camps, and some before and after pics.

 

[Contract Logger]

Weyerhauser ran many crews and much equipment on the mountain in those days. Yarder 223, a Skagit GT-5 grapple yarder, was double-shifting (it had/has the night logging package) decking on both sides of the road, and had ALOT of old-growth wood decked over 1/2 mile of road, to be loaded out later by a loading crew. On the hill above, the tailblock was hung on a Cat D8H with a 35' lattice tower (built by Weyco in the Camp Baker shop). Look closely at the pics below at the amount of wood along the road, the yarder is tough to see in the 3rd and 4th pics. The 5th pic is the tailcat buried in ash. The winch and lattice tower on the canopy are visible.

These machines, along with a Kenworth fire truck, rest there even as I type this today, some 30 years later.

 

[Contract Logger]

Reference photos for above post:

1. Here's a pic of this same yarder when it was brand-new!

2. A similar Cat D8H Tailhold machine, also with Weyco shop built canopy and lattice tower (in travel position). Photo taken at Weyerhauser Camp 12, 1986.

3. A few of my 1/25 scale Weyerhauser dozer models showing a similar type Cat.

 

[Lashlander]

WOW! I was living in Southern Idaho at the time. I've always knew it was a tremendous explosion and I've seen a few pictures, but nothing like the ones your posting. Really shows the devastation and power. Awesome pictures. Thanks for taking the time to post them.

 

[landtekk]

I was working for Weyerhauser in oregon at the time and remember it well. We sent lots of equiptment north to be sacrificed. Alot of my dad's family lived around Castle Rock, Washington and my dad saying that there be no more smoked salmon from Uncle Hank. Bummer what the ash did to the rivers.

 

[Murk100]

Weyerhauser ran many crews and much equipment on the mountain in those days. Yarder 223, a Skagit GT-5 grapple yarder, was double-shifting (it had/has the night logging package) decking on both sides of the road, and had ALOT of old-growth wood decked over 1/2 mile of road, to be loaded out later by a loading crew. On the hill above, the tailblock was hung on a Cat D8H with a 35' lattice tower (built by Weyco in the Camp Baker shop). Look closely at the pics below at the amount of wood along the road, the yarder is tough to see in the 3rd and 4th pics. The 5th pic is the tailcat buried in ash. The winch and lattice tower on the canopy are visible.

These machines, along with a Kenworth fire truck, rest there even as I type this today, some 30 years later.

That was an unreal day!! I felt the rumble in Nanaimo, called my sister in Clatskani Or. she never heard a thing.:beatsme I was up too the lookouts a few yrs ago. Mother Nature at its best!!!
I've been adding a bunch of stuff to Madill, Cypress,Van Island, threads help yourself.(all my originals)if your interested.

Any pics of the draglines that I remember along the I-5

 

[Contract Logger]

No draglines so far. Figure I'll post one side a night or so, scanning is a pain, lol.

Weyerhauser yarder #227 was a Madill 009 (4-axle rubber) working on Coldwater Ridge. Loading was a NEW Link-Belt LS5800TL, Weyco shovel # 129. One guyline was anchored to a Cat D8H, Weyco dozer # 517. Also on the side were 2 fire trucks- on KW 6,000 gallon and one Ford 2,500 gallon. All but the shovel are there still today. The tube was blown clean off and the KW blown over the landing. Enjoy the pics boys!

 

[Contract Logger]

Here are some pics of that Cat D8H and Kenworth fire truck.

 

[trainwreck]

that is unreal.

 

[Contract Logger]

that is unreal.

Stay tuned, we're just geting warmed up. There were around 30 sides affected, plus the camps and sort yards. Lots of scanning to do.....

 

[Murk100]

Here are some pics of that Cat D8H and Kenworth fire truck.

In the 4th pic is that a tower rigged up in the back ground ? If it is! salvage or did it survive the blast. These pics really show the power of that explosion. Thanks for sharing:thumbsup

 

[Contract Logger]

In the 4th pic is that a tower rigged up in the back ground ? If it is! salvage or did it survive the blast. These pics really show the power of that explosion. Thanks for sharing:thumbsup

That is Weyco Yarder 226, a Madill 046 tank mount! It was salvaged, yes, along with Shovel # 167 that was loading there. I have pics of the salvage that day she was drug out- you'll like those. It was rebuilt at Kalama in 1983, the damage was severe. Maybe tomorrow I'll scan those for you. I enjoy the posting but hate the scanning, lol.....

Many of the yarders (mostly Madill 009's) were left upright and lived to log again.

 

[Contract Logger]

OK, you got me scanning again after I was done for the night......

Here is a reference shot of Weyerhaeuser yarder # 226, a Madill 046 slackline on the big tank bottom. Weyco had a bunch of these 046 machines on tank, rubber, and even trailer mountings at the Longview operation through the 1970's and early 80's. The tank mounts were heavy as hell to move.

This pic was taken on Coldwater Ridge in 1979 before the eruption, during a setting move.

 

[Contract Logger]

Here are some different shots of this rig after the blast. The shovel is # 167, a new Link-Belt LS5800TL, and both were eventually salvaged out.

 

[Contract Logger]

Here are a couple salvage pics of the side. it was 1982 before they could get a road built back in there, and the gear was a real mess by then. Here are some things to notice: The ram is up in the yarder pic, it was being run off the truck pto as the yarder wouldn't run. The guylines were cut and the tower lowered onto the ram by the D9G there. Also, that D9G (Weyco Cat #518) has a cable-operated snorkel-type grapple on it. Pretty awesome to see any grapple on a Cat that big, let alone the cable style- very popular with Weyerhaeuser at Longview, however. Be shure to notice the Ford fire truck being pushed by the dozer as it pulls the Link-Belt. Last, the line truck is a neat old round-fender KW off-roader, and the lowbed is a glass-hood KW C500 with big Clark 90,000 lb planetary rears-- a neat but rare combination.

 

[Contract Logger]

OK now I am way off topic, but I mentioned the snorkel grapples and figured I had better give more info. A long boom was mounted over the canopy and a block hung or sheave built into it. The main winch was the closing/holding line and a smaller hydraulic winch (mounted above the main winch) was the opening/casting line. Grapple was just a Mar or Young off a grapple yarder.
Snorkel boom lengths varied and were built in the Weyco shops.

Weyerhaeuser Longview had a huge fleet of these dozers like this from D7 to D9 sized, and a few TD25's. Picture are Cats #502, #523, #546, and #555, all of these machines are D8H's.

 

[tripper_174]

Do you happen to know how many people were killed in these camps? Must have been horrific. I remember here in Manitoba how the skies were darkened that summer.

 

[Murk100]

OK now I am way off topic, but I mentioned the snorkel grapples and figured I had better give more info. A long boom was mounted over the canopy and a block hung or sheave built into it. The main winch was the closing/holding line and a smaller hydraulic winch (mounted above the main winch) was the opening/casting line. Grapple was just a Mar or Young off a grapple yarder.
Snorkel boom lengths varied and were built in the Weyco shops.

Weyerhaeuser Longview had a huge fleet of these dozers like this from D7 to D9 sized, and a few TD25's. Picture are Cats #502, #523, #546, and #555, all of these machines are D8H's.

This must have been the prototype for what we see today. Grapple Cats D-5etc...
Did you get a chance to check out the TD-25 I posted Van Isl logging #181

Keepm coming great thread. I always wondered happened to the equipment up their. Thanks

 

[Contract Logger]

Do you happen to know how many people were killed in these camps? Must have been horrific. I remember here in Manitoba how the skies were darkened that summer.

Fortunately it blew at 8:30 am on a Sunday, no workers around. 57 people were killed, mostly campers and mountain-watchers. Had it blown on a weekday, thousands would have been killed on the job.

 

[Contract Logger]

Yarder 232 and Shovel 121

Weyerhaeuser yarder # 232, a Madill 009 was working the Coldwater Canyon area along with Shovel # 121, a Bucyrus-Erie 38B with Young heel-boom. Both were hit hard by the blast and were accessed a couple of years later (1983) and scrapped.

Here is that operation in 1980 after the blast.