West Side Lumber Co.
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- čas přidán 21. 08. 2024
- Very historic Footage of The West Side Lumber Company railway, the last of the 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge logging railroads operating in the American west.
The West Side Lumber Company railroad was a three-foot gauge line that ran east into the Sierra timber country from a mill at Tuolumne, California. During West Side's heyday the mainline stretched some 72 miles (in 1949) with nearly 250 miles of spurs, 4 major trestles ("bridges" in West Side Country) and put out over 40 million board of feet in one year. It operated with Shays and Heislers, and was steam powered until it closed in 1961. Its last operating season was 1960.
When the summer logging season ended in the Fall of 1960, the equipment was positioned in expectation of another season starting in the Spring. Empty log cars were left in the woods, and the engines received normal winter maintenance. Then rather suddenly the company announced that it would be cheaper to use contract trucks to haul the logs. On June 6 and 7, 1961 two trains was run into the woods to haul cars closer to town, and the railroad was put on standby, to see how well the trucks worked. The West Side Lumber Company railroad never ran again. Unless otherwise indicated these pictures were taken on various visits during 1959 and 1960.
Its primary purpose was to haul fresh-cut logs from the vast sugar pine forests of eastern Tuolumne County to the expansive West Side Lumber Mill in Tuolumne City. Here, the logs would be cut into dimensional lumber and transferred to the Sierra Railway of California for shipping.
This video features trains underway winding through the multiple canyons and creeks that fed the north fork of the Tuolumne River.
Railcars being loaded with logs. Workers on the yard, a log yarder, a camp, the water tower and trains taking in water, scenery, surrounding area, an engine house. Mill switchers, the locomotive yard with parked engines.
IDENTIFIED EQUIPMENT
steam locomotives
#4 -2 truck Heisler, Shay locomotive (scrapped in 1950)
#8 -3 truck Lima
#10 -3 truck Lima
#14 -3 truck Lima
#15 -3 truck Lima
Caboose #2
Note: Shay #10 is the largest narrow gauge Shay ever built
Years of operation: 1900-1961.
DETAILS
The first 19 Miles, or half way, 0 to 5 mostly favorable and the remaining 19 Miles level.
The road bed is all dirt, no ballast used. Construction started in the year 1898, all work on the first twelve Miles was done by Chinese hand labor, supplies being hauled by pack animals.
Bridges: 1 - Camps: 4 - Locomotives: 8 - Train speed: 7-8 Miles p.h.
Operating season: May 15th to November 15th.
Crew:
-train, 15 men
-road maintenance, 40 men
-engine repair, 2 during the season, 8 during the winter months
-car repair, 4 men
-supervision, 2 men
Passing tracks (11), capacity, 17- to 48 cars spaced about 3.5 Miles apart;
Water stations (9), 10.000 Gallon tanks, at about every 4 Miles;
Oil stations (2), one at Tuolumne and one at Camp 24;
Cars: 170 logging cars, 40' long -load 4800 board feet average,
75 misc. equipment, like maintenance, water, caboose etc.
Loads: train capacity for the first 19 Miles was 19 cars hauling about 90.000 board feet of logs. The remainder of the distance (19 Miles) had a capacity of 38 cars, hauling about 180.000 board ft.
Elevations: Tuolumne 2650, Camp 8 3400, Camp 24 & Clavey 5020.
Here's some excellent information: www.lifewastedc...
Time stamp
Since locomotive #4 was scrapped in 1950, it seems to be logical to think that this is pre-1950.
West Side Lumber Co. model railroading: • West Side Lumber Compa...
Logging railroad between Tuolumne and Stanislaus National Forest, California.
Thank you! I thought this footage was all but lost.
I’m third generation Tuolumne county and can sometime spot where this footage is taken.
My dad worked at Pickering when he was just a kid.
Thank you for sharing this.
I'm glad to see that someones injoying these old films . I wouldn't be surprised if one or two was filmed by my grandpa. He was at one time the Union Rep. for WSL . G. O Burner . And he had a reputation for being a so ' n' so. But he was tough .
I'm 59 now and I remember use to sneak down to the engines with my cousin and one of my friends and play on them . I also remember every morning waking up to the steam whistles that started the day from Spring to Autumn . The smell of fresh cut wood from the mill .
Now I'm starting my own train layout of WSL . Ho n3 duel gage indoor and 1:20.3 on my 4.76 acres .
That is a very cool comment, we appear to have a few things in common (trains, steam, wood, train layouts). Good luck with your train layout! Thanks for your reply.
This is fantastic! I wish there was an audio recording along with it. It would also be amazing if one of the guys working on the trains were able to give commentary... but I realize those are just pipe dreams. Thanks for sharing this!
The Shays defeat the French!
JaiahHazelnutBrown yes, everyone knows of the Russian shays that beat back the French! In fact this song was written in dedication to this battle footage!
Did they ever make a Shay logger with four vertical engines to give it more pulling power, I’ve always wonder?
No, only 2 and 3-cylinder engines were build.
They just made heavier larger locomotives and more displacement in steam engine cylinders.
Anyone know just where this railroad was?? Oregon?
Just found out it was in the Tuolumne area. I spent my Summers in Jimtown where my Grandpa's place had the Sierra RR tracks right on them. I love a good steam train especially narrow gauge.
California
West Side Lumber operated in Tolume CAL. Became West Side and Cherry Valley. Stopped production, then was owned by founder of Taco Bell who made it into Rail themed campground trai rides family park. Good idea but 20 years to soon. Folded closed. Equiptment went away. Now alot of original stuff is in Jamestown, CAL. At old service area. There was also Pickering Lumber located in Standard, CAL. A few miles away from West Side. Alot of the old narrow gauge railbed has been converted into "Rails to Trails" though former logging areas. That's a history in a nutshell. ( my cousin and i used to sneak into the engine storage areas and play run the equiptment get run off, then keep going back over and over) Early sixties and on walked all the rails to cherry valley reservoir.
The #4 in the film is a Shay (built by Lima), which was renumbered #7 and is still operating in Felton, CA. It was the Heisler #4 that was scrapped.
The mill was never called Westside, only West Side, and was located in Tuolumne, CA. Tuolumne City was an entirely different town. The tourist railroads that operated after the mill closure had the name Westside & Cherry Valley Railway.