Steam & Excursion > If You Know This Railroad, The Small Appliance Here Makes Sense!

When you first look at this wonderful builder's photo of Oregon-American's Willamette #106 you can't help but be drawn to the small single 9 1/2" Westinghouse air pump hanging on this large 70-ton modern superheated, piston-valve equipped, 3-truck geared locomotive.  How can that be?  With the steep grades that this locomotive will face in the Oregon Coast Range why did the builder equip her with such a small air pump for her brakes?

The answer is made clear when one understands how the O-A operated it's logging railroad.  This logging line used only disconnected log trucks for it's log trains throughout it's entire life, right up to the end in 1957.  With disconnects, there are no brakes on the cars, so no train brakes were in need of charging with air.  The only air that was ever needed was for the locomotive itself and the occasional fuel car or crew coach that may have had air brakes on it.

As an interesting note, this locomotive got a chance to try out it's engine brakes and this small air pump when it was delivered to O-A.  Yes, this was one of the few locomotives to be delivered straight from the builder to it's new owner under steam as it ran light on the SP&S from Portland, Oregon to Vernonia where the O-A mill was located.

Martin

P.S.  Notice how the lighting in the builders photo has been enhanced by a rare snowfall in downtown Portland, Oregon on the day she rolled out of the factory.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/19 04:42 by LoggerHogger.

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Not in this case, but logging trains with disconnected logging trucks (only 4-wheels) were also operated over common-carrier tracks of many railroad after the Safety Appliance Act went into final effect in Sept 1903.  The SAA had several exemption to not shut down a major industry.  4-wheel cars exempt, 8-wheel logging car exempt if coupler height was greater than 25".  Locomotives used exclusively for logging service: EXEMPT.
The ICC had no jurisdiction to stop disconnected logging trucks running without air as the logs were not commerce, log trains were industry as not way-billed and the Federal ICC had no jurisdiction over industry as that comes under State jurisdiction. [Commerce Clause of US Constitution].

The method of operating a train without any air brakes was done very slowly.  First, hand brakes were set on the cars before the locomotive attempted to drag the train.  The train was always dragged, even on down hill movement, against the hand brakes.  In some placed the brakeman had to run on the ground to change brake settings or climb over the logs to apply or release brakes per the direction of the engineer with  whistle signal instructions.  It was all done by the most successful pattern and often many trains were identical on these private or common-carrier lines.

Note the split knuckle coupler so it could couple to any link-and-pin car that may be on the private line.

That sure is a wonderful builder photo and interesting story of why things were built that way.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/19 04:40 by PlyWoody.

This photo shows what the life of a brakeman was like on a logging railroad that used disconnect trucks for their log trains.  Here we see a brakeman "in the hole" between cars on a moving train as he sets and releases each car by hand.  Notice that all the individual trucks have been oriented so that the brake wheels are on the same side of the log train.

This particular photo was taken on C.D. Johnson's logging railroad out of Siletz, Oregon.  This was the very last logging railroad to use disconnect trucks.

Martin



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/19 04:41 by LoggerHogger.

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Wonderful story and pictures.  I have never studied logging lines and how they were operated.  Thanks for the great info. 

Brakeman had to be a  dangerous job. You wonder how many were killed or maimed

Back in the era of Highball Logging, the logging industry ranked as the most dangerous occupation in this Country.  The brakeman's job was just one reason for that sobering statistic.

Martin

From the picture it appears that the ONLY thing holding the logs to the cars and the train together was the weight of the logs.
Were break-in-twos a common thing on outfits that used disconnects?

You are correct that it was simply the weight of the logs that kept the cars connected.  Pull-aparts were quite uncommon unless caused by a derailment.

As you can see in this photo of Benson Timber along the Columbia River, disconnect trucks could be called upon to carry some very long logs without pulling apart.

Martin

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/19 10:25 by LoggerHogger.

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Photo of a 3' gauge disconnect log train of the Deerfield River RR in Readsboro, VT as train was enroute to Monroe Bridge, MA sawmill over Hoosac Tunnel & Wilmington RR.  4 month old prior post.
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,4819724,4819875#msg-4819875



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/19 10:30 by PlyWoody.

Here is a photo of one of the last use of disconnect on DRRR and the result of when they have a pull apart about 1920 when they last hauled saw logs, before change over to paperwood logs.
Does this locomotive look like a DSP&P locomotive?  It might very well might be, via C&S #35, then Missouri Southern, and used at the near end of the Deerfield River RR log line, run by Woodstock Lumber Co. Amos Blandin (Bland-IN). Can anyone confirm this locomotive data?

Photo of southbound about MP 1 in Medburyville, part of Wilmington, VT just before the Searsburg dam was completed which closed the log line to saw logs.  DRRR Third #1 2-8-0 Baldwin built for D&RG class 56, part of ten locomotives diverted to DSP&P.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/19 11:08 by PlyWoody.

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How did the trucks connect to each other? Also, does anyone have pics of an empty disconnect truck train?

Off-pending Wrote:
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> How did the trucks connect to each other? Also,
> does anyone have pics of an empty disconnect truck
> train?

They were equipped with couplers on each end.

Off-pending Wrote:
Also,
> does anyone have pics of an empty disconnect truck
> train?

Here is Long-Bell #106 in later years with a train of empty disconnects.  I have also included a good close-up photo of a single disconnect truck on the Lorane Valley Lumber Co. of Cottage Grove, Oregon so folks can see how they were built.  Also attached are 2 pages from the Seattle Car & Foundary catlog that shows 2 different types of disconnect trucks that they sold.

Martin



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/25/19 04:18 by LoggerHogger.

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Just trying to answer the quest for photos of empty logging truck "bunks" and surely can't match the wonder photo offered above by LoggerHogger.   These photos are on the White Mountain Central RR at North Woodstock, NH as part of Clark’s Trading Post which owns the original East Branch & Lincoln 2-4-2ST logging #5 and Climax #6, a two-truck geared engine.  The Climax has a new boiler and is often run in the summer and fall. They also have a 0-4-0ST and a 2-T Heisler, and original EB&L 2T Shay in storage.  The log train was run for the railfan weekend and the second photo shows the modern method of making the prop. 
There were hundreds of logging trucks (bunks) in New England.  At one purchase the Somerset RR (B&M) bought 170 of them which later moved around to various logging lines and they all had link and pin couplings.  The bunks were spaced apart by using a “rooster” which was a long beam that acted like a frame and used to pull the following logging trucks.  The loaded logs were not used to pull the following trucks in New England.  The empty in the photo was a rebuilt to all metal bunk replacing all the wood they were originally built with. The original Journal and box casting were retained.  The surviving wood bunks from the EB&L have nearly rotted away.  The White Mountain Central has a several loaded log bunks train in the wood awaiting movement to some saw mill but the siding switch is missing.  The track gang can’t get there to build it because they are very fearful of the Wolfman who lives next to those cars and chases any intruder. He continually harnesses the steam train but hot steam makes him keep his distance.

Some of these log bunks were originally built by the Portland Company and they have the improved pocket for the link with space for finger as invented by J. E. Henry (I believe) when he ran the East Branch & Lincoln.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/25/19 14:28 by PlyWoody.

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Thanks Plywoody, you answered a question I had regarding using draw bars with that last photo.