Steam & Excursion > As The Winter Snows Linger In The Yard All Steam Power Sits Cold!

Given the fact that much of the timber that supplied many lumber companies in the Pacific Northwest was located in higher elevations where it grew best and because those elevations regularly saw significant snowfall, most of these lumber outfits would close the woods in winter and wait until spring to resume cutting when the conditions improved.  For those larger outfits that relied on logging railroads to get the timber out of the woods, that meant several months of being shut-down each winter.

The West Side Lumber Company if Tuolumne, California was one such logger that closed it's woods operations in the winter and tried to rely on the supply of wood cut in the summer to keep the mill running until the woods could open again in the spring.  The West Side's logging railroad would usually follow this same seasonal cycle and cease running by the first of November and not be re-opened until early May of the next year.  During the off months, the West Side Railroaders either helped CMO Ed Sullivan in the shop to rebuild the West Side logging locomotives or they found jobs around the mill to keep them working until the trains ran again in the next spring.

In this fine view, taken in March 1939, we see some of the West Side's logging lokies waiting out the winter shut-down in the yards in Tuolumne.  In the forefront we see West Side 3-truck Shay #10 with 2-truck Shay #5 behind her.  To the rear of #0 we see 3-truck Shay #8.  Behind them both to the left are 2-truck Heislers #2 and #3.

The hope of new railroad operations come spring is also very evident in the photo.  To the right we see flatcar loaded with new ties.  These will be on one of the first trains out in the spring to help the track crews repair the line from any washouts or other damage caused during the winter shutdown.  Once that is done all the West Side steam logging lokies will again be fired up and kept hot through another busy and hot logging season in the Sierra.

Martin



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/19 03:23 by LoggerHogger.

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Great stuff, Martin.   I really enjoy how you provide such good background info with the photos you share.
What is the elevated wooden structure in the background?  Looks like it would support a flume or something.