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Logging Railroads and their Equipment

Vigilant

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Jan 8, 2011
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Eastern NC
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Attitude Adjuster at the Graybar Hotel
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.
 
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Hayesno1

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Jun 24, 2009
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Denmark
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Project manager
More pics from Maquilla reload site
 

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Hayesno1

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Denmark
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More pics from Maquilla reload site...
 

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Hayesno1

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Location
Denmark
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Project manager
Last pics from Maquilla reload site...
 

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jr-transport

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Joined
May 1, 2011
Messages
51
Location
Fort Frances, ON
Occupation
Trucking (O/O)
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.
 

jr-transport

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May 1, 2011
Messages
51
Location
Fort Frances, ON
Occupation
Trucking (O/O)
:Banghead grrrrr! did it again!!!!!!!:Banghead

here it is, huge unit; even makes the huge koehring 525 besid it look small.
 

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PacificEd

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May 5, 2010
Messages
28
Location
Bradyville, TN
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.
 

Vigilant

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Jan 8, 2011
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953
Location
Eastern NC
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Attitude Adjuster at the Graybar Hotel
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.
 

Redwood Climber

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Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
208
Location
Blue Lake
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.
 

Redwood Climber

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May 25, 2011
Messages
208
Location
Blue Lake
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.
 

cwwrman

Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2011
Messages
12
Location
North Bend, Wa
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.

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
 

Vigilant

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Eastern NC
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Ernie Kell.jpg
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.
 

Vigilant

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Eastern NC
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Attitude Adjuster at the Graybar Hotel
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.
 

cwwrman

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Dec 21, 2011
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Location
North Bend, Wa
View attachment 110489

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.

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
 

Vigilant

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Eastern NC
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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.Weyco Engine 120.jpg
 

Vigilant

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Eastern NC
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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.
 
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