http://www.steaminthewoods.com/RedRiver/RRLCo_LoadingLumberatMill_AkleyMN_75700_copy.jpg

Lumber loading but not through the "Lumber door."


Schuyler "stayin' in scope" Larrabee

GREAT PHOTO! Couple of details jump out real quick: Height of the brake wheel staff(s) and lack of guard rails by the "frogs".

Thanks

Jack Hanger

Schuyler Larrabee <schuyler.larrabee@...> wrote:
http://www.steaminthewoods.com/RedRiver/RRLCo_LoadingLumberatMill_AkleyMN_75700_copy.jpg

Lumber loading but not through the "Lumber door."


Schuyler "stayin' in scope" Larrabee



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My suspicion is that those turnouts were only for use by the carts
being used to deliver the lumber to the box cars for loading. The cart
look like they were pushed by hand and could be guided through the
turnouts by the pusher.


regards,

Andy Miller

I suspect you are right and came to the same conclusion. Nevertheless, pushing a loaded car through a turnout without guards would be a daunting task I would think! LOL

Does anyone know if that is a car number or ???? on the end of the boxcar that is being loaded?

Jack Hanger

"Miller, Andrew S." <asmiller@...> wrote:
My suspicion is that those turnouts were only for use by the carts
being used to deliver the lumber to the box cars for loading. The cart
look like they were pushed by hand and could be guided through the
turnouts by the pusher.


regards,

Andy Miller

http://www.steaminthewoods.com/RedRiver/RRLCo_LoadingLumberatMill_
AkleyMN_75700_copy.jpg

Lumber loading but not through the "Lumber door."


Schuyler "stayin' in scope" Larrabee

As discussed a few years ago, lumber wasn't loaded through a lumber door but
the door was used to allow pieces longer than half the interior length of
the car to be loaded. Quoting from my book, "Trains to Yosemite"....(obvious
plug <g>):

"The tram system extended through the production plants and onto the loading
docks fronting the railroad where the finished lumber was manually loaded
into box cars by car loaders. Mill stock and larger pieces were typically
loaded into box cars by two-man crews. A scrap piece of 2x4 with a foot-wide
roller bearing was clamped across the box car door opening to act as a
pivot. With the pivot at the height of the top of the lumber on the tram,
the "outside" man took the end of a board, levered the opposite end onto the
roller, and shoved it into the car. The second man, inside the car, guided
the end of the board off the roller and onto the growing stack inside the
car. Boards slightly longer than one-half of the inside length of the car
could be easily loaded by this method. Longer boards could be loaded into
box cars which had an end lumber door by starting the board into the car in
the same way but then guiding the excess length through the lumber door from
the inside. Once the opposite end cleared the door, the board could be
guided onto the stack.
While the pivot and two-man crews helped minimize the work involved,
loading box cars would be extremely hot work, especially during the summer
months when outside temperatures would be in excess of 90 degrees. While the
loading dock was covered, temperatures inside a steel box car in the summer
months could be extremely draining."

This description of the process came from information from this list and a
color movie taken in 1939 showing box cars being loaded exactly this way at
Merced Falls.

The tram system shown in Schuyler's photo is similar to the one used in
Merced Falls for the Yosemite Lumber Company except that the tram in
Schuyler's photo appears to be closer to standard gauge whereas the Yosemite
Lumber Company trams were 24" gauge.

I don't think that the loaded trams were always moved by hand in Schuyler's
photo....I see what appears to be a couple of horses in the background...one
coming toward the camera to the right of the line of box cars and possibly
one being ridden on the left. These are fairly large trams and moving a
loaded one by hand could be a load of work. The YLCo.'s 24"-gauge trams were
much smaller and more easily be moved.

Jack Burgess
www.yosemitevalleyrr.com

I came across an image of finished lumber being loaded into
boxcars. The image can be seen at:

http://ulibimage.ucdavis.edu/speccoll/east01/full/P-1939.jpg

The image is part of the Online Archive of California collection,
which has historical materials from a variety of California
institutions, including museums, historical societies, and archives.
Over 120,000 images; 50,000 pages of documents, letters, and oral
histories; and 8,000 guides to collections are available on this
site ( http://oac.cdlib.org/ ).

This particular image was taken in 1936 at the Red River Lumber Co.
What is unusual (to me, at least), is the apparent use of boards and
canvas (?) to shield the area above the boxcar doors. It appears
these temporary structures were to protect the finished lumber from
the rain.

Maybe it's just that simple but can anyone shed more light on this?

Bob Chaparro
Moderator
Citrus Industry Modeling Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/citrusmodeling/ and

Model Railroads of Southern California
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Model_Railroads_Of_Southern_California/

This particular image was taken in 1936 at the Red River Lumber Co.
What is unusual (to me, at least), is the apparent use of boards and
canvas (?) to shield the area above the boxcar doors. It appears
these temporary structures were to protect the finished lumber from
the rain.

Too much lumber is shown not under a tarp for me to believe that it's
protection of the wood that's desired. Since loading lumber is hard
enough work as it is, I'll bet this contraption was built by a couple
of guys trying to keep from getting wetter than necessary while
loading the wood (aka protect the people).

--
david d zuhn, St Paul Bridge & Terminal Ry., St. Paul, Minn.
http://stpaulterminal.org/

Bob Chaparro:

I came across an image of finished lumber being loaded into
boxcars. The image can be seen at:

http://ulibimage.ucdavis.edu/speccoll/east01/full/P-1939.jpg

Also interesting is that there's a stack of lumber in the left foreground which is wrapped in
canvas. I'm wondering if this was specially milled lumber or if it was special specie.

SGL

--- In STMFC@..., "Bob Chaparro" <thecitrusbelt@...> wrote:

This particular image was taken in 1936 at the Red River Lumber Co.
What is unusual (to me, at least), is the apparent use of boards and
canvas (?) to shield the area above the boxcar doors. It appears
these temporary structures were to protect the finished lumber from
the rain.

Maybe it's just that simple but can anyone shed more light on this?

My idea is that it is a way to protect the opening and thus the
interior of the boxcar from the rain. Otherwise it would get on the
loaded lumber inside and accumulate perhaps on the floor running under
the load into the corners and ... what a mess!

The way it looks only the unprotected boards in the open get wet, the
top boards only. These will dry by themselves.

Manfred

Guys,

It might be something as simple as an attempt to keep the boxcar floor somewhat dry so someone wouldn't slip inside the car.

Greg Martin