Louise Valley Lumber Co. - My Fn3 logging line

[Waldbahner]

Hello,

I reactivated my Fn3 logging railroad and will bring her from the display shelf back into service.
At my parent's home, there are 150m+ track in the back yard and some friends around do also operate 45mm outdoor layouts.

In spring 2011, I got an used Accucraft Shay from eBay and I'm very happy with this quite little steamer. She runs fantastic. It was a open cab style engine, but I began to modify her and added a lot of details yet. During the winter time, I'll also install RC and some more details. The second locomotive is a Bachmann 38to Shay that I bought together with the three cars shown below. Actually, the Bachmann Shay is out of service due to broken gears. I' plan to replace them when the other models are done.


Click on thumbs to enlarge

While the live steam Shay is still in progress, I started to finish up my rolling stock. Here's the first one. It's a tool car for the track gang and black smith The car is 16' long. I added the detail stuff and interior. There's also a 16' flat car in service.


Click on thumbs to enlarge

Next I'll do some finishing touches on the caboose by adding a new roof and a full interior. This is a 14' long car and will be used as caboose and crew car.


Click on thumbs to enlarge

Will be continued...

Bye, Gerd

[FCIN]

Gerd;

Very nice! I got involved in the Fn3 logging stuff myself some years ago when I was doing research on some of the many logging railroads here in Kentucky and also when Bachmann released their 1:20.3 Shay. Filled the basement with benchwork and track, never really giving any thought to how I'd put scenery on such a large scale layout, but it was fun to operate a train between the woods and the sawmill over a couple of switchbacks for a while. Also had one of the Bachmann Climax locomotives (the Climax is my favorite), but had problems with both it and the Shay; gears and axles that split, etc. Always wanted to get one of the Accucraft Shays, but talked myself out of it. Sold off all the logging stuff except the Climax which is now just a display model.

Any way, here's a couple of inspirational photos from my collection:

The 6 ton Shay operated by D. H. Eastin & Son. Note the wooden rail, snow and ice and how the men are dressed. Eastin's operation was 3 miles long, 36in gauge, constructed with wooden rail and connected with the Lexington & Eastern Railway. They had a total of 8 switchbacks on their little line.     Here is one of their trains on a high trestle. Note that the locomotive was placed in the middle of the train to make doubling steep grades easier. A standard practice in this part of the country. The two loaded disconnect trucks was about all the little Shay could handle.     Finally, here is a good photo of the 18 ton Climax operated by the Red River & Beattyville Southern Railway. Their operation was about 8 miles long, 36in gauge and also connected with the Lexington & Eastern Railway.    
Enjoy operating your large scale logging equipment!

[Waldbahner]

Hello,

I know the Eastin & Son line. I found an article on the internet with some photos and a "system map".
I really like the smaller logging operations. In my earlier days, I was a big fan of the West Side Lumber Co. and I started several attempts to model her in different scales. But I finally gave up on this.

Meanwhile, I'm choose the operation of the Santa Cruz Lumber Co. that operates some 10 miles of line with only 4 turnouts a half dozend cars and a single Shay. That's something you can model even in 1:20.3 scale.

I look forward to do some progress on the other two cars to get them ready for the next outdoor season. Once the old cars are done, I'll build new logging cars.

Bye, Gerd

[FCIN]

I know the Eastin & Son line. I found an article on the internet with some photos and a "system map".

That was probably on my Climax Locomotives web site where you saw that - only place I know of where information about D. H. Eastin has ever been published. I no longer maintain the site and can't contact the individual that took it over to update anything on it. Was costing me too much to keep the site running and didn't have the time to keep it updated. And the constant requests for information and people wanting to use my photos, just about ran me crazy!

The Eastern logging operations, in my opinion, were far more interesting than the large Western operations. Of course there is really very little operation on a logging railroad - mostly just back and forth between the woods and the mill or from the mill to the connecting line. Still, it's fascinating, with all the unusual equipment.

[Waldbahner]

Hi again,

meanwhile, I also prefer the small logging railroads. They have much more character then the big ones.
I was in Cass during the 2010 rail fan weekend and visited the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad at Fish Camp this year. I like the narrow gauge stuff and much smaller operation much more then the big ones. Sure, the huge Big 6 is amazing, but the size isn't the most important...

For very simple operations - check out the Santa Cruz Lumber Co. also

They had one run around siding at the mill, where the track runs through (!) the engine house. 2 or 3 short spurs at the north end of the "yard" were used to park a tank car, flatcars and the crew speeder, a modified White truck. The railroad owned just 6 logging flatcars and Shay, beside the tank car and rail bus. One can model this railroad in neraly every scale. There are a lot of photos and information at <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.santacruzlumberco.com/realsclco01.htm">http://www.santacruzlumberco.com/realsclco01.htm</a><!-- m -->

Bye, Gerd

[Tyson Rayles]

Nice stuff Gerd!

[Sumpter250]

The 6 ton Shay operated by D. H. Eastin & Son. Note the wooden rail, snow and ice and how the men are dressed. Eastin's operation was 3 miles long, 36in gauge, constructed with wooden rail and connected with the Lexington & Eastern Railway. They had a total of 8 switchbacks on their little line.

Eight switchbacks !! ------wooden rail, 36" gauge !! --- that's almost too much to resist !!! :o hock: :mrgreen:

I don't think I'll include 8 switchbacks, but maybe 3, in an On30, 2' X 14' , "mini" layout. I still have three and a half module frames left from my old "sectional" layout, and it has been my intention to use them for On30.
Once my "new modules" are to or beyond the 90% completion point, I might just have to start this project.

Sitting on "portable benchwork", these are the module frames. On them right now,.. in the foreground, the 18" X 48" On3o diorama, then the 2' X 4' Ntrak Module, and at the far end a couple of "project boxes" one of which, holds seven HO reefers waiting re-numbering.
   

It's tempting, but ------- electricity doesn't flow well through wood rails. :o
My one obstacle ? remembering that 14' in O scale is the equivalent of 7' ( approx. ) in HO. It won't be a whole lot of "layout".

[Waldbahner]

Hello guys,

last weekend, we held our first steam up on my dad's garden railroad. I had the Shay with me and we had some funny hours out in the garden.
Motivated by this day, I like to finish my still open projects on my Fn3 log train in the next few weeks.

The Shay need some more details and radio control installation. I'll also build 3 log cars.

Anyway, here're some photos from the weekend. Enjoy =)







Some more can be found here.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.gerds-modellbahn.de/Fn3/Bilder/Ostern_2012/Bilder_e.htm">http://www.gerds-modellbahn.de/Fn3/Bild ... lder_e.htm</a><!-- m -->

Bye, Gerd

[ngauger]

Great Pics and a beautiful engine too!!

[Tyson Rayles]

Ditto !

[AF350]

Wow nice loco and rolling stock, is the weather much like here in Ohio? Cold winter, wet and stormy spring and fall and fairly hot dry summers?

[Waldbahner]

Hi,

well, the weather is farily like you described it. But it's changing sometimes. The last summer was cold and wet and we are looking how the weather will be this year

Thanks for the comments for my little logger. Meanwhile, I made a new roof for the caboose with a peaked roof without the coupula.
I also start work on three new skeleton log cars. I look forward to post some updated pictures this week. The flatcar got a donkey engine load too.

In 4 weeks, I'll run the finished train on a small live steam meet and I try to get most of the open work down for this event.

Bye, Gerd

[Waldbahner]

So... here are some pics of the skeleton style log cars I'm working on.
Actually, I'm making all the hardware stuff from brass. The bolster with king pins are still missing and some other pieces.
But you can see what the finished cars can look like. The log bunks will be lowered later, when there are slots milled to fit over the center sills.



Cheers, Gerd

[Waldbahner]

Hello guys,

the trucks still need some weathering, but the logcars are done so far. I burnished the metal parts and stained the wooden parts before I start assembling.
The wheel sets got some fine rust. Only the plastic trucks have to be done with the airbrush. I hope to get them done within the next weeks.

I also installed RC equipment to the Shay. This weed, I'll finish this step and add some more details to the loco.





Cheers, Gerd

[ngauger]

great Work!!! They look better than mine did I took mine apart and built them onti the newer cars i have now