Sawmill traffic

[PAL]

I'd like to incorporate a sawmill with its own siding on a projected GWR branchline layout set in the 30s, 40s and early 50s -  felled timber in, sawn stuff out.  I'd be most grateful to members who could steer me in the direction of information and pictures - anything on how the stuff was loaded, unloaded and transported.

 

I believe single-bolster wagons sandwiching runners were used to transport big stuff; however, I can't find any RTR or kit versions of these items - does anyone know of any?  Would bogie-bolsters figure much in this kind of backwoods timber carriage?

 

[Guest dilbert]

I would suggest a couple of reference books related to your theme :

 

• Jack Russell's "Freight Wagons and Loads..." published by OPC (ISBN 0-86093-155-2)
• the GW Goods Wagons Bible published by Tourret (ISBN 0-905878-07- 8)

Unfortunately both of these books are out of print and seem to command high prices on the second hand market. Might be worth a trip to your local library to research or reserve a copy).

 

For ingress traffic, there's a variety of vehicles (Mites, Gane, Macaw...) from the GW dia. J index that would be available.

 

Dependent on the transformed product, even OPENs could be used for carrying pit props, for example.. so the variety of freight vehicles is not a major issue.

 

ABS (in 4mm) do (ar at least did) produce the Mite single bolster (as a pair of wagons) in kit form and there have been RTR GW bolster wagons produced by Hornby and Dapol... dilbert

[jonhall]

I put this thread together, I'm not sure what has happened to the pictures, but the links all work

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/66139-timber-traffic-photos-from-the-nrm/

 

Jon

[PAL]

My thanks to both contributors for much useful data.

 

Dilbert: I see the Russell book is going for over £20 on Amazon. The other title by Tourret and others, is to be re-published in September. Apparently the ABS chap has been ill and ceased trading.

 

Jonhall: what a wonderful collection of NRM photos - pinsharp, and swarming with the kind of detail you need for modelling.

 

If other members have useful references or material on the subject, I'd love to hear from you. 

[scotcent]

I  would  think  there  was  very  little  traffic  of  raw  timber -- it  was  always  cut  up  on  site.  In  older  times  a  Sawpit  would  be  opened  up  where  the  timber  was  felled,  and  in  later  years  a  portable  engine  and  sawbench  would  be  brought  in.  There's  a  lot  of  waste  when  you  cut  up  a   log  into  planks,  and  you  don't  want  to  carry  that  to  the  sawmill,  then  carry  it  away  again.  In  the  woods  you  could  just  leave  it  lying.

 

As  always,  there  would  be  the  odd  exception.......  But  it  would  be  odd!

 

What  you  did  have  were  large  open  sheds  where  sawn  timber  was  stacked  to  season -- no  kiln  drying  then.

 

Allan  F

[DaveF]

Whole tree trunks were carried by rail, a number of books contain photos.

 

For example on page 119 of Bill Hudson's "Through Limestone Hills" here is a photo of GWR bolsters carrying oak trees from Oxford at Bakewell.  They were oak for rebuilding of the parish church.

 

A number of other books on the Midland show trees or at least very large parts of trees being carried.

 

David

[jonhall]

There are a number of photos in the hread I linked to, and this here

 

http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10322500&itemw=4&itemf=0002&itemstep=1&itemx=3

 

there are also diagrams of felled timber on wagons in the BR loading booklets.

 

Jon