Modern Lumber Layouts

Joined: 17 May 2005 Posts: 54

Since this forum is Dead with a capital "D" I thought I'd cast something in here and hope for a bite.

Prototype

Modern logging railroads are all but extinct. A great deal has changed since Richard Steinheimer cut his photographic teeth on "backwoods railoads of the west." Today's pure logging railroads are far and few between like Simpson Timber on Washington's Olympic Peninsula and the St. Maries in Idaho's panhandle. There are other ways to model the lumber industry, however. A number of shortlines and branches throughout the continent still serve the finished side of the lumber industry providing an outlet for the mills' products.

In Oregon's Willamette Valley the combined system of Portland & Western and Willamette & Pacific, both under common Genesee & Wyoming management, serves a number of modern lumber operations. A number of branches still serve mills off the mainline while road trains collect the cars and take them to interchange points for destinations across the country. The closer one is to the mill in his modeling the more pure a logging operation the layout will seem.

Model

My N scale model of the fictional "Shermina District" combines elements from a number of prototype branches in the Willamette Valley. The line is operated like an independent branch or shortline with a train originating from the mainline interchange at Whiteson on the right. A local is run clockwise daily to serve the large lumber mill at Shermina, the end of the line. A grain elevator is located at Briedwell and is served as-needed by the local. A stub of another branch heads to Perrydale where a small feed mill maintains service with its own switcher. Cars for interchange are left on the wye leading to the branch.

Scenery for the layout would be very simple in keeping with the feeling of the Willamette Valley. Low hills and fields would be most appropriate. Of course the lumber mill will dominate half the layout. Any number of industrial buildings could be combined to build a convincing model of a modern mill. The grain elevator and feed mill could come from Walthers building and Rix grain bins added for extra capacity. A small town scene could be added to Briedwell to give a greater sense of a rural agricultural community.

Rolling stock for this layout would be very easy to come by. Motive power on the real railroad is mostly made of up of Geeps and early six-axle EMDs. Some units still carry the paint of their previous owners with simple G&W-style markings added over. Another option is the Atlas MP15 which is available factory-painted for another G&W family road and could easily be transferred to this portion of the system. The feed mill's locomotive should be something small and old, like an Atlas VO-1000, Bachmann 44-ton, or Kato NW2. Freight cars should reflect the predominate industry, the lumber mill, and would include centerbeam and bulkhead flatcars, modern double door boxcars, woodchip cars, occasional tank cars of chemicals. The feed mill and grain elevator would require large covered hoppers.

Regular operations would only accommodate a single operator. The day would start with a road train leaving empty cars at Whiteson and picking up outbound loads. The local's crew goes on duty there and, after reblocking cars as necessary, heads out on the road. If any cars are destined for the grain elevator they will be left on the wye at Perrydale to avoid dragging them around all day. Cars for the feed mill there will also be dropped off before continuing on to Shermina. Once the train arrives at the mill it will go about its switching duties methodically leaving appropriate empties and pulling loads. Cars will also be respotted within the plant as necessary. An outbound train is then made up and the train returns to Whiteson, pulling the appropriate grains cars from Perrydale and spotting them in Briedwell on the return trip. The day ends by spotting outbound loads for the overnight road train to retrieve for points elsewhere.

Bibliography

Austin, Ed and Tom Dill. The Southern Pacific in Oregon. Edmonds, Washington: Pacific Fast Mail, 1987.

Jennison, Brian and Victor Neves. Southern Pacific Oregon Division. Mukilteo, Washington: Hundman Publishing Company, 1997.

Steinheimer, Richard. Backwoods Railroads of the West. Milwaukee: Kalmbach Publishing, 1963.

Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 11:49 am

I can seec where you left room for the layout to grow some.Nice work youngin'.