Lumber/Forestry/ Mining Trains.

AndrewWalliceMatheson Apr 30, 2000

  1. Hi Again, April 30th/2000.

    Interesting Questions. Are there N
    Scalers out there who are interested in
    Forestry/Lumber or Mining for Layouts etc?
    With all the Kits Walthers has come out
    with these areas would B Interesting
    Fields to Model. Feed back any one?

    Can B reached at -
    grandtrunkent@RRmail.com

    Thanks Guys,

    ------------------
    Best Regards,

    Andrew,
    Calgay
     
  2. Ironhorseman

    Ironhorseman April, 2018 Staff Member In Memoriam

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    Hi Andrew .. I'm not into N scale modeling but I am into Narrow Gauge & Shortline RR operations in HO gauge, which includes the type of services you describe. Some of the N gauge equipment I have seen entered in the "Contest" forum has me tempted to switch to N gauge. [​IMG] Anyway, if you like to focus on NG&SL RR's, take a peek at our NG&SL forum and let us know what sort of layout you have, and what it is modeled after. I would like to know it myself!

    Bill

    "Get Goosed on the Yreka Western"
     
  3. Harron

    Harron TrainBoard Supporter

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  4. Alan

    Alan Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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  5. Robin Matthysen

    Robin Matthysen Passed Away October 17, 2005 In Memoriam

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    The M.A.T. has a coal mine that has a connecting hidden track to the power station, a potash mine and a logging line that is up country and sawmills near the coast. Logs have to be shipped by rail to the sawmills or nearest point on the river. I am fascinated by the logging industry along the Fraser river in B.C.
    I am looking for logging locos(steam) in N gauge. Anyone know of any?

    Robin
    http://members.xoom.com/Matthyro/index.html
     
  6. eddelozier

    eddelozier TrainBoard Member

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    Robin,
    Ran across this website on N-scale shays.
    May fit into your logging needs?
    Don't let the name fool you! They make N-scale shells. I bought two trainmaster diesel shells and got fast delivery. Quality not the greatest but then I didn't want to wait for the models to be made.
    http://www.fathernaturetrees.com/steam.htm

    ..Eddie

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    Eddie Delozier
    PRR N-scale
    deloziers.com
    eddelozier@yahoo.com
     
  7. Robin Matthysen

    Robin Matthysen Passed Away October 17, 2005 In Memoriam

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    Thanks Eddie. This is sure the right place to come for help and you can never tell just where a thread will take you.
    Now I may get a shay runing on my logging line.
    Robin
     
  8. mtaylor

    mtaylor Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    For may layout I am planning, The Taylor River Division, will include a coal mine and logging operation. The coal will be shipped to two power plants, industry and a steel mill. The logging operations will support the sawmill and paper mill. I am still trying to learn more about modern logging insustry to be more protypical. I am also considering an ore mine if it makes sense to include it. For now the plan is that all ore will come from outside of the Taylor River Division.

    P.S. the rail room is almost remodeled!! [​IMG]
     
  9. mtaylor

    mtaylor Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Are wood chips and pulp wood processed at saw mills and then shiped to the paper mills? Also, how is lumber often shipped from saw mills. I know centerbeam and flats are used for large lumber. What about plywood and other processed wood material?

    Thanks
    Matt
     
  10. upguy

    upguy TrainBoard Member

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    Wood chip cars are used by mills here in my part of the country (Oregon) more than pulpwood cars. "Mill ends" can be chipped, put in a hopper, and later loaded into a wood chip car; which is then transported to a paper mill or a mill where particle board or chipboard is made. The "mill ends" are the parts of the lumber where the taper of the tree does not give a complete 1"x4" or whatever. The board also may have a bad knot or some other defect that lowers the quality of the board. By cutting these ends off and chipping them, some value can be gained from an otherwise inferior piece of lumber.

    As for the type of cars used.... A lot of lumber products are still shipped in boxcars by the mills in Oregon. These boxcars are not usually in the best of shape, but they keep the wood protected from the elements without having to wrap the lumber. Bulkhead flats also are used to ship lumber products, but center-beam flats with bulkheads make securing the load a little easier. Often the lumber will be wrapped when shipped long distances on cars that do not offer the weather protection afforded by boxcars.

    I am not an expert on the lumber industry, but I do live in a timber producing area. I hope this helps.

    ------------------
    Rett

    [This message has been edited by upguy (edited 13 May 2000).]
     
  11. mtaylor

    mtaylor Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Great Info! thanks. So there are dedicated mills that produce partical board and chip board? Do paper mills also use chip wood or do they primarly use pulp wood? Gee, I bet you can't guess what industries will call my layout home can you. I grew and now live again in Minnesota. I should know some of these things. There are several paper mills in the state including some huge ones in Duluth. I know NP, BN and some local roads from Duluth shipped wood chips to the mills in Duluth. I am not sure what they made there though. Do you know what type of lumber is placed in box cars (is this lumber used by industry or is it for retail?

    Thanks for answeriing my billion questions. I just want to design my layout as prototypical as possible with inter layout freight traffic. To do that I need to learn how the real industries worked. This just proves Dane's 9BC Rail King) school missed the mark, Model Railroading is educational! [​IMG]

    Thanks
    Matt
     
  12. upguy

    upguy TrainBoard Member

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    In my area most of the mills produce lumber: 1"x4", 2"x4", 2"x6" stuff, and chips. The lumber is shipped anywhere they need lumber for building...with a lot going to southern California and the southwest, I believe. Many cars go east as well...to the Midwest and the plains states, where softwood lumber is needed for construction.

    I expect that most of the buyers of this lumber are retail outlets, but some pine may go to molding manufacturers, etc. that will further process the lumber for final sale.

    Chips are used by paper mills in paper making, but there are so many different types of paper products with different requirements that I am not sure where to start....

    When I was growing up, my dad worked for the railroad in Oregon City. I remember that one paper mill in Oregon City shipped newsprint to the Los Angeles Times. The mill also produced fruit wrap (the purple paper that used to protect apples, etc.) and paper sacks (grocery bags). They moved, I would guess, about 3 or 4 boxcars full of products daily. They also received tank cars containing sulfur and chlorine.

    That's pretty much what I remember, and I assume that things haven't changed all that much. There is more newsprint being recycled today, some products may have changed (they probably don't produce fruit wrap anymore), and the mill receives more chip cars by rail than it did before; but overall operations probably haven't changed that much.

    There are other paper mills that produce special products. Since you are in Minnesota, your mills probably produce something else.

    Lumber mills in the Willamette Valley around Eugene/Springfield produce veneer which is used in plywood. We used to have a veneer plant in Grant County (where I live in eastern Oregon), but it was one of the mills that has been closed. Plywood can be shipped in boxcars (plugdoor type, I think). Some of what I am telling you is educated guess work, so if you want to be "nitpicker proof" you may want to research further.

    Have fun!

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    Rett

    [This message has been edited by upguy (edited 13 May 2000).]
     
  13. BC Rail King

    BC Rail King E-Mail Bounces

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    Think of the CN Tower,

    Now put 12 of them in rows of 2, now make them cement, and circuler, and now add 1000 Canadian Grain Cars. I am trying to look for some good pics, but too see a small sive one I would recomend looking for J.F Garden's BRITISH COLUMBIA RAILWAY. It should be easily available in your local area. I will E Mail you when I find a pic.

    Happy Railroading!

    Dane N

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    TAMR2860-AKA BC Rail King
    TAMR2860@hotmail.com
     
  14. Ironhorseman

    Ironhorseman April, 2018 Staff Member In Memoriam

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    Matt,

    On our shortline railroad we have served lumber mills and a mill that produces 4X8 ft sheets of wood laminate to be used in manufacturing plywood.

    The dimentioned lumber from the mills have been transported in bulk-head, center-sill and box cars. The ends of the sawlogs are fed through a 'chipper' and either loaded by hopper, or directly by a 'gun' into 100 ton woodchip cars.

    The mill that produces laminate sheets 'peels' the logs after they have been cut to width. The sheets of laminates are stacked in bails with a height of approximately 5 ft.
    The peeled logs after being processed for laminates are approximately 4 inches in diameter and fed through a chipper, and then loaded into chipcars via gun, or hopper. The laminates are shipped here via bulkhead flatcars which are secured by 4 inch wide straps.

    Woodchips are not only used to make particalboard, but where I live are used extensively to fire power plants.



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    Bill

    "Get Goosed on the Yreka Western"
     
  15. mtaylor

    mtaylor Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I am learning allot. Thanks for all the info. I think this is half the fun of model railroading is that it opens a flood gate of knowledge and interest in the world around us....at least for me it does. Everytime I see a factory, power plant, or paper mill I think about "I wonder how the rail operations work here". Is that a sign of sickness? [​IMG]

    Matt
     

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