Steam & Excursion > Kirk

This is kind of directed to Loggerhogger but anyone else is welcome to chime in on it. Steve P. and I have been trying to figure out exactly where the tracks were at Kirk. I found the Y as it shows very well where it had been due to brush growth on the east side of the tracks. But am unable to figure out where the tracks that went north and west from there crossed 97 back in there day. Do you have a better overlay or something? I have looked in the book Klamath Country and it doesn't show exactly where they took off from. Boyd



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/23/15 09:48 by BAB.

Try John's book, "Rails In The Shadow of Mt. Shasta". On page 137 is a diagram of Kirk and all the other logging roads that came in there. There are a lot of other pages showing Kirk and a run down of the logging roads involved.


Nudge

My 'a-ha' moment was finding the wye using Signor's book, I have Jack Bowden's Klamath county book pg 32 open right now comparing it with Google Earth satellite photo and can see where there's a lot of missing connect-the-dots. Jack Bowden's map compares very well with the wye and the bend in the Williamson River, although there's a straight section on the photo where the map shows a big smooth radius bend. But the satellite photo simply doesn't show the transfer tracks, or whatever they were, for Pelican Bay and Algoma Lumber or any trails that line up in that area.

But there is indications of where the 3 ft guage line paralleled the state hiway, also where the two afore-mentioned lines show up on the west side of the hiway. The photo doesn't show where the two lines split west of the hiway, but you can see the locations in the same 'frame'. Have to say they don't line up as nicely as the map does.

There should be a crossing of the river, but it's in the still water area. Should be a few trails around there for fisherman. Last time I was in the area it was really bad for ticks. I would think the split was west of the river to save a river crossing (as shown on the maps). There is an big round area with a road/trail leading to it, indicating recent logging may have obscured the early trails, but the may have used that spot for a truck re-load. I would think the river crossing would be a key location, then work backwards to find the transfer tracks.

The maps would have been made from USGS maps, maybe that's something to work with as well. Hope that helps.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/23/15 12:08 by TCnR.

Thanks guys as have tried to find any sign of a river crossing and cannot on Google which I guess would be normal due to the ground composition and the river flooding over the years. Will get that book Nudge and check that out too. I found the Y easily as it stands out but beyond that there is a swamp where the narrow gauge crossed as best I can tell with nothing left to follow that puzzles me as that would be the area where it should be seen easly. Got to keep looking and in a month take a trip out to there and walk it. Boyd

Looks like the Google photo shows a trail going along the west side of the river, it shows as white-ish on the view have. Taking a second look, the straight line 'Kirk Road' west of the hiway intersects with the existing RR pretty close to the grade crossing. The road going to the west/south-west would be the Lamm Lbr rd on the Bowden map, with a river crossing and a diamond further west. The would also be the existing F.S into the area.

Definitely check out the Signor book, there's two editions but I think the latter one is most common. Some of the 'blueprints' are in the Shasta Division Archives located in Dunsmuir, not much more detail than what's in the book though. Some of the earlier USGS topo maps can be found on-line.

And all of my interest started with just talking about that siding with that darn exhogger from down south. Looks like I am finally getting started rail fanning here in Oregon after moving to the area. Am off to find the book along with gearing up so I can find the old right of ways Thanks.

Curious if anybody carries one of those hobby metal detectors with them on searches like this.

Signor's book on Amazon for ref:

http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Pacifics-Shasta-Division-Railroading/dp/1930013027



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/15 10:58 by TCnR.

TCnR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Curious if anybody carries one of those hobby
> metal detectors with them on searches like this.
>
> Signor's book on Amazon for ref:
>
> http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Pacifics-Shasta-Div
> ision-Railroading/dp/1930013027


Ok so now I ordered the updated version, thanks a lot now am in the dog house for sure, not. Will be updating things if I can we are supposed to have some wet weather so trips out there will wait for a few weeks or so. By the way Ebay has a book for 12.95 that is supposed to be the early version but page count doesn't line up, 176 pages and cant get them to say what it even looks like just FYI. Boyd



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/15 12:05 by BAB.

spnudge Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Try John's book, "Rails In The Shadow of Mt.
> Shasta". On page 137 is a diagram of Kirk and all
> the other logging roads that came in there. There
> are a lot of other pages showing Kirk and a run
> down of the logging roads involved.
>
>
> Nudge


Question is this the one with 176 pages? Boyd

It's a bit off topic but the 2000 version is the current book. The earlier book has the same stuff or very close, I believe the same Maps but different pages, as mentioned. The 2000 book is an updated version, better printing quality and more PhotoBob photos. It has a lot of info about the Klamath area logging operations, also along the Sacramento River, Shasta Dam, the Siskiyou's etc.

I thought Jack Bowden's Klamath County book has more detail about the general Klamath area and also explained the Bend, Oregon area. I have all three books, very happy to have them. They are a great resource along with the other 100 or so books in the collection and it keeps growing, just like the pixel meter on my camera and the odometer on my car(s).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/15 12:55 by TCnR.

That is the one I ordered new off of Amazon today and just what I needed to find out more places to figure out. Oh well its fun to do just wish that the cab forwards were still running. Boyd