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

[dunwurken]

Just for something to do, I used Google Earth to see if I could find this tower among the second growth timber and had no success. Tried to follow old overgrown logging roads, but there is a lot of country up there and the resolution is not too good. I might have been looking too close to Port Neville, which is not a huge town.

Port Neville isn't really a town. At one time it was a happening place but now consists of a Government wharf and a private home which has been there for decades. There are family connections to Hardwicke Island which is nearby and has been populated since the late 1800's or early 1900's. Port Neville's claim to fame is that it actually has a post office. There a few residents that live in the area but not right at Port Neville. They come by boat to pick up their mail. A lot of summer boaters make a point of dropping into Port Neville just to mail a letter. Interesting history in the area. If you are interested the history is all intertwined with Kelsey Bay, Hardwicke Island and Port Neville.

 

[Sidney43]

Hmm, actually I might have found it, although the resolution is too low to be sure. A spot of yellow among the trees, although it seems further from the water than the photo suggests. I am not going to post the coordinates, or the mountain I think it is on, but I doubt a scrapper could get it out of there if I did find the location.

 

[gg@m&b]

QCI Early 90's

 

[Blk prince]

gg@m&b. I missed your first post. So welcome to the forum. Pictures are great. If you have more,please post. We are thirsty for more. Enjoy. Bp.

 

[HD Mech]

Welcome gg@m&b, nice pics,the first pic looks like H135 on the Datleman. This might get me moving on scanning my pictures into the computer.

 

[gg@m&b]

Correct HD Mech. Don Ward driving H135. 2nd one is Owen Hageman also coming out of the Datelman.

 

[BCSpecial]

As a child my family used to camp all over Vancouver Island. I have memories of stopping to check out the logging equipment at different M&B operations during these holidays. During a trip to Morton Lake campground sometime around 1989-91, accessed from the Menzies bay mainline, we stopped to checkout the Mack off-highway trucks parked at the Menzies bay shop. I remember that one of the trucks had the name "Jimmy Two Loads" on the door / side of the truck... Does anyone out there know the story behind this nickname or have any pictures of this specific truck? I have wondered for many years if there was a good story behind the nickname.

 

[gg@m&b]

Found some time tonight




NWB Mid Eighties

 

[gg@m&b]

More

 

[gg@m&b]

 

[HD Mech]

I remember the two rollovers, I think the first one the Owen met somebody at the end of the day coming from camp who didn't call out, so he ditched it rather than run them over. I think I was there watching the loader put it back on the road as I remember The night chargehand or Paddy O'brien told me they would let the truck sit for a few hours then turn the engine over by hand to make sure there was no oil in the cylinders beforethey would try to start it. The second one I believe gave Frank quite a scare. I think my charge hand on nightshift drove the truck back to the shop that night after it had been put back on its wheels. Thanks for posting the pictures, they bring back memories.

 

[gg@m&b]

Well Done HD Mech.

One of Frankie back on the road and then reloading onto Archie.




How the H-43 came to a stop and then the recovery!



Now back to the picture albums

 

[Blk prince]

What camp did these occur?

 

[gg@m&b]

Qci 1993

 

[Blk prince]

Thanks

 

[mountainskidder]

Farm Needs Changed - Former MB Shawnigan X223 Pole Trailer Now Poop Spreader

HDX... As I said in an earlier post, as farm needs change X223 may be re-purposed with an Houle manure spreader. In this case, X223 grabbed a big gulp and sprayed that water on the roads in preparation for taking some grass silage. All the truck traffic coming off and back onto the fields tends kicks up a bit of dust over the 2-3 days it requires to move the crop down into the silos so a little bit of water on the road - especially in that location near our place - keeps the Misses happy and life is good.

HDX... don't know if you know where any photos of H23 that might be hiding, but it would be great to see the H23 truck and X223 trailer from their operational years. Maybe someone in the Red & White Forum might have a snap of them somewhere.

As a follow-up on X223, she is being re-purposed on the farm here in Chemainus. Larry and Ian have been welding and fitting and finally got X223 ready for a new mount... in this case, a ex-coal hauler dump box sourced out of Savona. It's brand-new and never been used... the box came on a spiffy-new KW from the factory for a coal mine in the BC Interior, but the coal mine went titters before delivery. Coal hauling trucks were sold - there were three - and this dump box (about 10ft wide and 24ft long) was left behind when the trucks were sold. Ian got it for a steal and will swap the dump box and with a big HOULE manure spreader on X223 depending on what their farm needs are that the time.

As the photos below show, the dump box is sitting place... now the boys can zero in on where the lift cylinder and box hinges will be placed. I'm going to try and talk Ian into painting X223 MB red! More updates to come in the future.

View attachment 150155

View attachment 150156

 

[HDX]

mountainskidder, That is VERY CLASSY, I think something like what they have built will as you say keep the farm equipment really versatile. I am amazed by how similar farmers are to loggers and vice versa. Perhaps it is because we both look at a piece of equipment and think WHAT ELSE COULD IT DO?? Pass on to the guys WELL DONE!! I looked at the other axle I have for them and it has a bend in it but will still work good for what they are using them for. Will get Larry to stop on Friday and take a couple pictures of it for Ian. It still has outside wheels on it and the drums but I think they don't want the wheels or drums on it. Let me know. We might be going down to sooke so it would probably get dropped off at the farm. Thanks for the up-date on X223

 

[RCP57]

I saw this today while I was out riding around. HDX, do you know where it came from?

[video=youtube;-MfDn3KjH0I]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MfDn3KjH0I[/video]

 

[camptramp]

Blk prince / Ray Peerens One of the last Off Highway logging trucks to dump at M&B Shawnigan Div. DLS August 2002 .

 

[camptramp]

Blk prince / Ray Peerens One of the first Highway Trucks to dump a load of logs hauled from the woods and dumped at M&B Shawnigan Div. DLS . Augast 2002 .