Alaskan Logging Equipment, Left to Rust

[AKlogr]

Wow! Are you talking about those huge triple drum wooden A-frames?. If so the answer is no. So tell me how is it that you know so much about this area? My family moved up here in 74 to False Island for Soderberg, and your knowledge of our history intrigues me.

 

[johnson]

Wow! Are you talking about those huge triple drum wooden A-frames?. If so the answer is no. So tell me how is it that you know so much about this area? My family moved up here in 74 to False Island for Soderberg, and your knowledge of our history intrigues me.

No not the A-Frames tho the 2 biggest A-Frame yarders were built by Washington Ironworks one for APC on for KPC and both still exist this is the PTY400

Built by Pierce and sold/supported by Ross Equipment, the PTY-400 was the big boy!
The 8-guyline, 110' tower and carrier with Caterpillar 245 crawlers is clearly visible.
The machine winchset was designed like a smaller version of a Skagit BU-199.

The PTY-400's were sold to Alaska Pulp Company at Sitka and Ketchikan Pulp Company at Ketchikan.

The KPC machine still exists (in pieces) and I'm working on aquiring a few of those pieces for my ever-growing collection.

Shared pictures of the machine, my own picture of the ID Tag-

Sadly, I once had the Owner's, Parts, and Service Manuals for these machines but due to a communication breakdown they were thrown away during a 'cleaning out the closet' incident at the Madill Kalama facility in 2004. I should have taken them home....

Not a 'Thunderbird' by name, but certainly an ancestor of the great Thunderbird line that would later develop.
If this doesn't fit in the TB thread, I'm not sure where it would fit better- BUT like everyone else here I am open to better ideas.

Well my knowleg of the area comes from my interest in the regions timber industry past and present,I got hooked when I was wery young I was always interested in tools and heavy equipment and I got interested in logging when my dad gyppo logged when I was like 4 but i was mostly interested in log trucking bac than,then much later through the internet I found out about diferen methods of logging and was really impresed by big yarders and the PNW timber industry,tho you could find a lot about it online untill a few years ago.

 

[AKlogr]

Answering your question I never seen the PTY, but it would have been awesome to work under. When I was in Rowan I worked on a 737 Skagit up in Port Camden. They did have an 044 there though- What a monster swing yarder!. I was only 21 at the time so it was all amazing to me. I've worked on the biggest yarders of Southeast in my time though. The most versatile was of course the 009, you can rig them up anywhere. Then the TY-90 and 739's. I ran an M3 Berger for Papac, but the powerhouse of my day has to be the 208 Washington. That thing would pull 1 1/8 chokers apart like rope. When I first came to Alaska Pat Soderberg had a sled yarder, made by Weisen or something like that out of Sweden. They pulled it up to the top of the mountain above camp- 3000' or more, and rigged a spar at the landing and shotgunned it backwards. He also did some balloon logging in Kake, and the sled held 4500' of main, and 6700' of haulback. Clear Creek Logging, owned by Pat started out for ALP, or Alaska Lumber and Pulp, which was the name prior to APC. Those days were the cream of the crop, and I still remember riding with my dad on Sunday's, and the Big Spruce! They ran off highway Hayes with 14' bunks, and had a P16 Pacific with 16' bunks. Those were the days...

 

[johnson]

Do you remember if the 737 you worked under was a highlead or slackline machine? I only know of one 737 that was in SE Alaska it was a rear hi-lead 737 Al Schafer had it on Afognak there is a picture of it on page 13 of this tread,whos TY90 did you work around I really like them and managed to find pictures and serial numbers of all but 2 of them the only ones I know of in Alaska that had TY90s were Alaska Pacific an Long Island Development (later sold it to Shaan Seet) and Crown Alaska has one today.The ballon logging is what Soderberg is best known for I think,I heard a story of him geting mad about it saying he logged sucsesfully all over the southeast for 40 years and is best knowon for baloon logging which he wasnt eaven that sucessful at or something along those lines.
Here I found a picture of one of his Hayes loggers https://scontent-b-vie.xx.fbcdn.net...x540/12274_10151135879387352_2017464030_n.jpg
And of the baloon https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=61056&stc=1&d=1271003786

 

[AKlogr]

The 737 in Rowan was a slacker, and Frizzel Bros. had one on Klawock mountain also. AK Pacific had 3, 2 self-propelled and 1 fifth wheel. I worked under them all. Crown has Pete Papac's TTY 90 from Washington. The one that Shaan Seet had went down over the cab of the shovel and buckled the tube. It had something to do with the equalizer on the jacks. Not sure what happened to that one Richie Bros I suspect. The 5th wheel 90 that AK Pacific had is still around and either Viking mill in Klawock or Papac owns it. I believe it's in Petersburg.

 

[johnson]

After Shaan Seet logged out they auctioned off all their logging equipment in Washington, RB at Maytown(sp?) I belive, the TY90 they had never yarded a log outside of Alaska they were moving it after the auction and stoped on a soft shoulder and the thing went over, it sat at Paulsens shop wrecked for more than 5 years before they scrapped the hoist the carrier is still good.The 5th wheel TY90 was brought down to Wa in 99 or 98 and rebuilt at Paulsen and taken of the T-110 trailer and put on a T90SP carrier and sold to ALRT Corp they still have it today.

 

[AKlogr]

There is another 90 5th wheel in Petersburg that Ed Brower used right before he went broke 06-07. I always assumed it was from AK Pacific. Phoenix has a self-propelled at the Klawock yard also, It's for sale but they want too much. 98 I was working for Phoenix at Tolstoi, and 99 for AP at Deer bay on that 5th wheel 90. Keith Crabill was running it, so it must have been the end of 99. They took there machines south on a regular basis for sand blasting and paint etc. Well maintained machines.

 

[johnson]

Ed Brower had a 739 not a 90, Bob Hild brought it to Alaska about 1995 ; Sold it to Ed Brower (about 2002?) who left it at Tonka mtn in 2006. Evergreen bought it from the bank a few years ago but couldnt pick it up untill last year the yarder was sitting at the end of the mainline and they had to wait for Papac to come and fix the roads.Here is a picture of them loading it on the barge:
https://scontent-a-vie.xx.fbcdn.net...0x720/1150181_731277860222692_149148239_n.jpg
You are probably right about late 99 couse in June 2000 it was on the cover of Loggers World and the carrier was already switched.I didnt know Phoenix logged Tolstoi Bay I thought Gildersleeves did all the logging there I know Gildersleeves were ther in the early-mid 90s.

 

[Nwlogger joe]

My father and grandfather worked in Rowan bay somtime in the early 90s anybody else

 

[AKlogr]

My father and grandfather worked in Rowan bay somtime in the early 90s anybody else

I was there in 91 for APC. Larry Webster the hook, Dale Coleton the push. Port Camden on a 739 3500' out, logging at least 2000' of it.

 

[Nwlogger joe]

I'm not sure what they did when they wer ther I think my grandpa ran shovel thir names wer joe Sheffield and Larry Sheffield

 

[Former Wrench]

Kake Alaska

Here are a couple of photos taken while on a road construction recon trip last year.

 

[RonG]

That mixer looks like an old Rex.Ron G

 

[Hank R]

I have never read such a sad but interesting story in my life.

 

[Former Wrench]

Here are some photos taken at the Pribilof Islands.

 

[Former Wrench]

When things get old, they are left where they are to be claimed by the weather.

 

[Former Wrench]

Here is a photo of town and typical sea conditions. Imagine the salt air that get blown into everything to begin the rust.

 

[Shimmy1]

View attachment 135236When things get old, they are left where they are to be claimed by the weather.

That's too bad. 644E is a very good loader.

 

[Hammerak]

I could go on all day, dead right on on both points. For me it breaks down about like this, granted the loggers always paid less than the construction guys:

Every dump truck or log truck shown represents one lost $15-18.00/hr job.
Every piece of hydraulic equipment represents a lost $20-25.00/hr job.
Every yarder-tower represents 7 lost rigging jobs ranging from $14 to $20.00
Doesnt even take in all the cutters and boom men.

One outfit-Silver Bay- seen here, employed over 600 men full time.

Now in my late 50's, I was a young roughneck when the oil boom of the 70's came to a screeching halt...
The flurry of drilling accomplished in the decade prior, made certain that there would be enough holes in the ground to last the decade following... Their roughnecks moved on to other occupations except for a few of us whom were either to stubborn to move on, or too stupid, there they where... These "stacked rigs" sitting in the weeds, rusting, freeze/thawing, their technology slowly succumbing to the elements, where in every oil producing state within not only our nation, but all over North America.
And although the adult in me was hurting terribly for the job I'd just lost... The "kid" in me, who spent 100% of his jr high and high school "free time" roaming junk yards... I was in Heaven...
These rigs were being sold at auction for scrap prices... And although I was penniless, the fact the iron sold for scrap, meant that every "stacked rig" represented my "opportunity" and thus, needed my complete inspection. I would dream 24/7 of my "ressurecting" these old rigs from the scrap heap they'd become, to provide the basis for my own "drilling company"... That dream continued when I moved to Alaska in 1990, and in fact, one of those old derelict "stacked rigs" became my opportunity, when Warner Bros and Steven Segal came to Alaska to make "on Deadly Ground, which I supplied them rigged up and on location in Valdez ready for filming in the spring of 1992...
And although I made a profit for my and my crew's involvement, but that "big adventure" is still firm in my memory as one of the best time's in my life!!

Now let me be clear, I don't forsee the opportunity of "big company" logging to returning to the Tongass, like the oil industry returned to Texas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming... And I don't forsee a movie opportunity with Warner Bros paying the bills on the immediate horizon either...

But the kid in me still sees the "old iron" as it was when it was new... Looking upon your photo's of these "iron dinosaurs" I can still "feel" them providing the professional's that ran them with not just a "means" with which to exist upon this earth. But with the memory of the comradery, the sense of their combined adventure, the pains of their struggles, as well as the joy of their hard earned rewards!

You see for me, that old rust still represents an "opportunity" for adventure and possibly enough money for at least one more meal.
Thank you for that... Its a really good dream!!

 

[Coaldust]

HammerAK,

Thanks for bumping this thread. I remember when Contract Logger published it. I need to start from the beginning and re-read it. It’s a pretty good history of the Tongass. I recognize most of the names and places and have wrenched on some of that rusty equipment. 1990 is when I moved to AK, as well.