Steam & Excursion > A Backwoods Loggers Enginehouse Without The Woods!

While most logging railroads engine facilities in the West during the days of steam were located either near or in the woods that they were logging, that was not always the case. There were a few notable exceptions to this rule such as the enginehouse and machine shop of the Southwest Lumber Mills Co. in Flagstaff, Arizona.

The logging railroad shops were part of the SWLM mill complex in Flagstaff which was nearly devoid of any of the trees that were being logged and hauled to the mill on a daily basis. This fine photo taken by Richard F. Thomas in the 1950's shows SWLM 2-6-6-2 #12 outside the enginehouse getting ready for another run to the woods reload located over 20 miles from the mill.

On the next track is a log car receiving repairs as a result of the rough life these log cars led. In the shop stall on the far right is a Gerlinger straddle lumber carrier in for some repairs of her own.

Shop scenes like these, even without the trees, fascinate me still to this day.


Martin



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/02/14 04:18 by LoggerHogger.

---

Thanks! Any more photos of Flagstaff operation??? would be great to see.

Bob Jordan

The left side of the engine house remained into at least the mid-1970's.