Steam & Excursion > Abandoned Pickering Lumber Grade

From 1921 through 1962 Pickering Lumber Co. of Standard, C.A. operated an extensive logging railroad network in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. The line was originally built by Standard Lumber Co., with the first rails laid in 1903. Pickering was bought by the Fiberboard Corporation in 1962, and by 1965 the railroad was mostly abandoned. I drove about twelve miles of the railroad grade, from Beardsley to Grohl, when visiting the area this August.

Photo 1, shows Pickering's mainline grade from Schoettgen Pass to Grohl.

Photo 2, is the former location of the west end of the Beardsley yard.

Photo 3, one of the most unique locations on the line is Beardsley Dam. When the dam was built in 1957 it flooded a couple of miles of the original Pickering grade, so the railroad was rebuilt over the top of the dam. This photo just shows the spillway for the dam, which is actually located to the right of the photo.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/25/12 00:25 by SLSF1522.

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Photo 4, taken a couple of miles past Beardsley, illustrates the steepness of the grades on the line.

Photo 5, shows the "Pealed Onion", this 1,800' piece of the railroad was one of the most famous locations on the Pickering Line, and is still quite impressive, even without the rails.

Photo 6, a tie plate found along the right of way just south of Soap Creek Pass.

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Photo 7, the base of the water tower at Soap Creek still stands, fifty years after the last Shay filled up at the location.

Photo 8, some of the camp buildings remaining at Soap Creek. The former logging camp is now a Boy-scouts campground, and it appears that they are using numerous buildings from the logging area. In addition the area is littered with collapsed buildings, abandoned donkey sleds, and numerous other reminders of the logging era at Soap Creek.

Photo 9, a cut located on the line about half way between Soap Creek and Grohl.

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Photos 10 and 11, show the cabin and stock pins located at Grohl. I didn't poke around much, as there was active logging taking place at the sight, but these were the only remains visible from the road. I had originally planned on continuing on to Skull Creek, about six miles farther north, but the road was closed just pass Grohl due to a small forest fire that was still being put out.

Ryan Marrs

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Great photos Ryan. Thanks for the update on what is left of this once great logging railroad.

Martin



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/25/12 04:44 by LoggerHogger.

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As an archaeologist I did extensive research on the late Pickering operations, particularly at Soap Creek and did a number of interviews with Momeyer (former Pickering president), the Fouts brothers (side rod and cat skinner), Marshall brothers (trainmen), Fred Houk (forester and grew up in the camp), and Garnet Dambacher (did it all). The Pickering was so much more than just an interesting logging railroad or some photos of steam locomotives. It was family to these men (and many women in the woods too!). Dysfunctional at times, but the glimpse into real woods life I learned was extordinary. Remember, when they started grading Soap Creek in 1954, Momeyer intened the camp and railroad to last for another 40 years. Also, Soap Creek was more like Rayonier's RailRoad camp in that it was a base of equipment maintenance (but not as much for locomotives), a log reload, and some logging. Two other smaller stump camps were built further out in the woods for the main felling activity. To think of what might have been here if the scouts had taken Momeyer's offer of the railroad from Beardsley to Soap Creek and a shay (i am not kidding, he really did in 1968!)! I am glad to see some of the structures at Soap Creek are still fairing well!

Stathi

Efstathios I Pappas, MS
Chief Mechanical Officer
Mt Rainier Scenic Railroad

Posted from iPhone

Thank you for sharing those recent photos of my favorite logging railroad. I can't believe that the grade up from Beardsley is paved, with turn-outs yet!! Last time I was there (1983?), the water tank at Soap Creek was still in place and full of water. It was a very welcome rest stop on a very hot and dusty day. Too bad you couldn't make it all the way out to Skull Creek. I'd like to know if the big Willamette yarder is still there.

Brian Wise
General Manager
Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad
www.mrsr.com

list owner
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/plcorp/

So after removing the rails in the 1960s did the lumber company shut down or use an alternate method of transportation such as trucks?

-Alex

Many years ago, after walking and mapping miles of abandon logging railroad grades in the Sierras, I vowed to see an actual logging railroad. Finally, nearly thirty years later, I made the trip to Woss on Vancouver Island in British Columbia this summer to see the last true logger, the Englewood Railway. It was truly a ghostly experience. If Pickering had survived, it would look like Western Forest Product's operation.

Just like the Sierra loggers, an engine is assigned to the "woods" to gather the loads and distribute the empties before taking the loads to a midway point to meet the train coming from the sorting yard. Nearly a hundred loads were coming out on the days we visited. For anyone who might be a logging railroad buff, it is worth the trip to see the loaded skeleton cars snaking their way through the forest.

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sp8270 Wrote:
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> So after removing the rails in the 1960s did the
> lumber company shut down or use an alternate
> method of transportation such as trucks?
>
> -Alex
No, just used trucks to the mill.

Hello,

My name is Dylan Law and I am a 20 year old staffer at that Boy Scout Camp at Soap Creek. I am what they call a Program Director and one of my hobbies happens to be history. As a program director I am trying to save some history and make that history part of the camp. Most of the history that our camp once known has been lost because the Scouters that founded the camp are no longer around. They have moved on from scouting and very little is actually known about Pickering. The Camp Director and I are interested in saving old buildings and learning about knowledge lost. The idea has even been thrown out there to dedicate an old Pickering building to the purpose of a small museum. I would love to make this happen but have very little info regarding Pickering. Could you please send me a email at dylanjlaw@gmail.com explaining the rail deal you mentioned in your post that Pickering proposed to the boy scouts. Any other info or pictures would also be beneficial. The info you send me would be preserved and future generations could learn about the company that so many people once worked for and who still care about its history.


Dylan Law



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/04/14 09:35 by dlaw72.