jhock Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 I was search the net for ideas for my new layout (when and if I move house) and came across this. https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?expflags=enable_star_based_justifications:true&ie=UTF8&cid=282401665256932363&q=Birchwood+Manufacturing+Co&iwloc=A&gl=GB&hl=en_uk You tube vid http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0s3rpSzWmpY I think they are a plywood manufacturer, would make a nice industry, logs in and finished board out in box cars. The bridge over the river is a nice touch also, I am not sure but it looks like a 3 way point coming off the bridge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Some interesting scenes, certainly.... just wish the guy shooting the video would get himself a tripod.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stock_2007 Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 My God that poor brakeman has a funny job the way he has to look around the edge of the wagon to see if a car is coming. The H/Safety would have a field day over here Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 To be fair, he could have got off and walked ahead of the train to check the crossing, like he did at the next one Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 To be fair, he could have got off and walked ahead of the train to check the crossing, like he did at the next one That's what I was expecting him to do... but he didn't !! Perhaps - as it was so busy - he thought he would be less likely to get run over if he stayed on the steps!! In fact there seem to be a number of dodgy grade crossings on that line - the one near the end, where the two locos almost have to take their chances with the rest of the traffic, for instance - although they do have the loudest horn!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TotalLamer Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 My God that poor brakeman has a funny job the way he has to look around the edge of the wagon to see if a car is coming. The H/Safety would have a field day over here And lemme tell you, those kind of flat cars are awful to ride. Really uncomfortable especially for long periods of time. Gondolas are worse, but still. Now covered hoppers... those are some luxurious riders! But yeah, sometimes you have to ride the shove like that for MILES... and at high speed too. There's one particular job that'll shove ~7 miles back to the yard after they work the furthest industry. Conductor riding the rear the whole way. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bok Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 That was a former part of the Soo Line/Wisconsin Central/Wisconsin Northern railroads which I ran for Progressive Rail about ten years ago. The logs were brought in by rail to manufacture golf clubs which were then shipped out by truck. The shipments were sporadic and Birchwood no longer receieves anything by rail.Back in the Soo Line days of the 60s/70s there was additional business on the line including LP gas, outbound cheese/butter from a creamery just north of this plant, inbound coal for the creamery's fuel, and covered hoppers of seasonal fertilizer and plastic pellets. The Soo Line used to shove all the way (7 miles) from Cameron (Jct. with the mainline) to Rice Lake, caboose first to make switching easier. But alas times change and so do the railroads.The creamery closed in the 80s and away went the cheese/butter and coal. The LP gas went to truck and so did the logs.The track in Rice Lake which the Wisconsin Northern leased from CN has been taken back by CN not for local customers but to reach huge frac sand (think oil drilling ) facilities which now load out 50 and 100 car unit trains on heavy re-built track. The only time that CN comes up to Rice lake is when they must to service a small plastics plant or a few cars of fertilizer.So what look's like a neat industry to model switched by a small short line is no more but that doesn't mean you can't you can't model it.Barry, who has railroaded for 15 roads in 47 years. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhock Posted January 11, 2014 Author Share Posted January 11, 2014 Did a bit more digging and found the website of the company: http://www.bessegroup.com/public/companies/birchwood_man.php Which got me thinking, would they also end up producing waste wood chips and bark from the debarking process that would need removing from the site for use else where, bio energy, etc? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bagpuss Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Bruce Oldenberg had some pictures of this area taken in 2006. They aren't on his web-site any more http://trainweb.org/brucerail10/index.html but if you get in touch with him, he should be able to get them to you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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