MacMillan Bloedel Ltd. Red & White Iron, Past and Present....

[BrianN]

Sorry for the angle shot but best shot of my new machine. This was a Madill 044 Grapple Yarder that came to Sproat in the spring of '79. I was the first chaser. Lots of problems with the Young grapples at first because they were tight and wouldn't always open up - bushed a bit on the small side. I remember the operator trying to smack them open by dropping them on top of boulders. This was a tag line machine which also went against the norm in that M & B mostly had line-shorteners at Sproat Lake.

I believe that the Y-35 here was Billy Beardsworths machine at the time it came to Sproat Lake.

 

[TorkelH]

Hi Brian! Here's an incomplete spreadsheet with MMB machine numbers and some drivers/operators: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/8809686/MMB Equipment.xls . Maybe you and your dad may help us fill out some more of it? PM me if you need some more information!

 

[jackd]

I believe that the Y-35 here was Billy Beardsworths machine at the time it came to Sproat Lake.

I was the first Landing Man on the brand new Y-35 when it arrived on the claim back in '79. Brian - I remember your father very well from those old days. Tony N., Carl Buckner, Charlie E. & Billy B. were the guys running the grapple yarders in those days if my memmory is correct. See if your Dad remembers me - say hello to him for me.

 

[BrianN]

I was the first Landing Man on the brand new Y-35 when it arrived on the claim back in '79. Brian - I remember your father very well from those old days. Tony N., Carl Buckner, Charlie E. & Billy B. were the guys running the grapple yarders in those days if my memmory is correct. See if your Dad remembers me - say hello to him for me.

Hi there Jack, yes, dad remembers you. I don't know why he started swearing so much when I asked him though? LOL. Just kidding.
Torkel. I am going to print out the spreadsheet and let dad fill it out over the next few days. I will be gone, but, when I get back, I will fill in the spread sheet and send it back to you.

 

[jackd]

I showed my dad this page yesterday. He spent the whole day going through and telling me who's machine was who's and who ran what. Pointing out people.
Great times. Thanks.
Oh, he also told me that he ran Y-03 until it burnt. Then he got to custom build his next machine. The Y-02, which he was very pleased to see on the first page. I will be going through the pictures at home here. I am sure that he has some around.

TorkelH - this little bit of info puts an end to the mystery of which machine burnt back in the day. Last fall I was scratching my head on this one and falsely identifying the machine as either the Y-102 or Y-02. Brian N has ended the mystery. Tony N was the machine operator and when he finally tells us the story via Brian, we will hear the complete tale. I'm going to dig through some of my other old shots and see what this adds to the story at Sproat Lake Division.

 

[BrianN]

TorkelH - this little bit of info puts an end to the mystery of which machine burnt back in the day. Last fall I was scratching my head on this one and falsely identifying the machine as either the Y-102 or Y-02. Brian N has ended the mystery. Tony N was the machine operator and when he finally tells us the story via Brian, we will hear the complete tale. I'm going to dig through some of my other old shots and see what this adds to the story at Sproat Lake Division.

The way I remember it, the Y-03 burnt, then, the Y-02 was ordered and put to work in place of the Y-03.
Did the Y-35 not burn up too?
I will get the full story when I get back on Sunday or Monday.

 

[HD Mech]

The way I remember it, the Y-03 burnt, then, the Y-02 was ordered and put to work in place of the Y-03.
Did the Y-35 not burn up too?
I will get the full story when I get back on Sunday or Monday.

Hi there, I have been watching this forum for quite some time now and it's really nice to see the old pictures. I was wondering if the Y-03 you mentioned was a 144, when I worked at Eve River we received a Madill 144 from Kennedy Lake in 96 or 97. It was numbered Y-03. I believe it went up to the charlottes after Menzies, Kelsey and Eve were joined together and the Kelsey and Eve yards were closed.

 

[Hayesno1]

Mack CL350ST old #H443 now back as a logging truck. Present owner is WFP. Over the last 10 years it has been operating as a tractor with huge lowbed, so it was much to my surprise to see it back as a logging truck this summer near Sayward.

 

[BrianN]

Okay, after reading through nearly 33 pages of fabulous pictures, I am amazed that there is not one of the most famous of all M&B pieces of equipment. You guessed it, the Martin Mars Bombers. They are still red and white, and still on Sproat lake in Port Alberni.
I hope that it is okay that I post the link and not a photo. All of my photos are on my other computer at home.
Love these things. Still get chills every time they fly over.

 

[Hayesno1]

An old tired Hayes HDX unit #H289 from M&B QCI div. Truck is still for sale I think. Ancouver Island, summer 2012. Maybe "trakloader" can ad some information/history.

 

[rayb]

I'm not sure if these belong in the MB thread or the accident thread. These are legendary shots from kennedy lake that used to live on the engineers wall.

 

[rayb]

Turns out i have to do some photos resizing before they'll attach.

 

[rayb]

I didn't take these. They've been circulating for years, given that the operation was closed in 1996.

 

[DerelictTexture]

That machine in the first photo looks like it was brand new...right before it fell off the road

 

[Greatwestcam]

here is one of the last units to handle the wood in its travels.

 

[rayb]

yes it was. First trip up Northridge Road. Way up above Clayoqout Arm of Kennedy Lake. Kennedy Lake Division had a few terrible years of equipment damage. Machines off of lowbeds, towers pulled over, loaders walking into the water, equipment barges on the rocks etc.

 

[rayb]

Kennedy Lake Division

I was doing a snow check just before Christmas 92 and sure enough there was snow. This is way up Matlset at the head of Warn Bay in Clayoquot. A few months later all hell would break loose. The second shot is of the barge running between Berryman and Rankin. It's not Red and White, but its hauling all of MB's production from the Rankin side. The trucks are Saunders.

 

[DerelictTexture]

So what is happening with the loaded trucks on the barge?...was that the daily routine to get across the pond?

 

[rayb]

Rather than run a second drysort across the inlet, the barge was set up for roll on roll off with self raising ramps. From the barge location it was another 22km or so to the dryland sort at Ucluelet, where the trucks would be unloaded into the bay. The timber would then be towed to Alberni, or barged to Vancouver.

 

[DerelictTexture]

So , weather must have been a huge issue for the barge work. How any trucks were running? Empty trucks went back on every run?

I would have loved to see the drama of on and off-loading the trucks at either end