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| Posted: Mon Nov 20th, 2017 03:14 am |
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1st Post |
Alan Sewell
Registered
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I have just joined Freerails after some prompting from member Reg Hearn.
So thought I would give a heads up on who I am what do I model.
So I am Alan Sewell, married with three grown and flown children and live in Hertford UK about 20 miles north of London.
I have been semi-retired for the past five years but still do some work as an accountant/ consultant to a transport museum.
My modelling, and railfan, experience goes back to the mid-1960’s when I visited the slate quarries in North Wales, and then other industrial railroads in the UK and Europe and got hooked on this type of operation.
This using UK equipment was never satisfactory, but then I discovered North American prototypes and especially logging/short line railroads and HO scale equipment.
I have now been building my home logging empire, Andrews Lumber Co in various forms for over thirty years.
This is now an HO-scale freelance standard-gauge logging and forest products railroad, based on the operations, equipment etc. used by the Simpson Timber Co and the Weyerhaeuser Co in western Washington.
I have assumed that the company operates a large sawmill and pulp mill on the north bank of the Columbia River, a few miles downstream from Longview WA.
A logging railroad runs from this into the coastal mountains, in area in which the Long-Bell and Crown Zellerbach companies ran railroad logging operations until the 1950's.
The mill's finished products are shipped out on the company's own shortline, interchanging with the BN/NP, MILW & UP mainline from Seattle to Portland at Longview Junction.
In the real world, Andrews Lumber Corporation exists in a 14 x 12 conversion to our loft.
Trackwork is largely complete and most scenery complete in the mill area.
I can operate in what I hope is a prototypical manner using Lenz DCC.
This is presently in a late 50’s early 60’s timeframe using mainly first generation diesels, but with some steam hanging on in log spur/work train roles.
The main headquarters camp and the shortline/Class I railroad junction are still in the plywood pacific stage as I had to them tear down to do some re-working but I hope to get back to scenery during the next year.
I also intend to run more modern operations (say 1970-now) as well and have alternative Andrews Forest Products units to work this.
I guess this is not the usual “rolling rust bucket" narrow gauge logging layout, but I am interested (my wife might say obsessed) with building and operating in a prototypical manner and collecting information is important.
I have been to the Pacific Northwest on four occasions in 1989/1999 and 2007/2015 visiting Simpson at Shelton, Weyerhaeuser at Longview and Klamath Falls and the Western Forest Products Englewood railroad on Vancouver Island as well as a number of smaller operations.
These visits have helped me understand how logging railroads operated, as well as giving the perspective which you get from seeing the real thing.
A big bonus was spending some time with John Henderson and following this with almost weekly e-mails.
His death left a big hole in the knowledge of logging and I lost a friend as well.
I know Reg has posted some recent photos of my modelling and I will hope to share progress or not with the group.
Hope this is of interest and I will be able to contribute in the future.
Best wishes
Alan
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| Posted: Mon Nov 20th, 2017 04:00 am |
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2nd Post |
| Posted: Mon Nov 20th, 2017 04:13 am |
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3rd Post |
Alan Sewell
Registered
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The photo is a general view of part of the HO-scale mill yard at "Jennis" WA.
Mill switcher Alco S-2 #111 and caboose are at the railroad dispatcher’s office,
and Hartford & Cowlitz FM H10-44 D-2 sits on the engine house lead.
The two tracks next to the Alco are the empty yard (Creek Yard).
In the background is the dry lumber shed with the lumber mill off to the left.
Fuel oil/diesel and water tanks are on the edge of Jennis Creek.
Part of the woods diesel is lurking behind the oil tank.
Hope that makes sense.
Alan
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| Posted: Mon Nov 20th, 2017 07:37 am |
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4th Post |
W C Greene
Moderator
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Howdy Alan and welcome to Freerails. On another post, we were talking about the apparent lack of modern standard gauge logging layouts...and you have built a nice one. Please send more photos, we love photos!
Woodie
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It doesn't matter if you win or lose, its' how you rig the game.
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| Posted: Mon Nov 20th, 2017 10:46 am |
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5th Post |
2foot6
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What Woodie said.....more photos please.
ohh, and welcome to the forum.
Peter
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I ASPIRE TO INSPIRE BEFORE I EXPIRE.
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| Posted: Mon Nov 20th, 2017 10:49 am |
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6th Post |
Ken C
Registered
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Alan
Welcome to the group.
Nice looking layout and concept.
Looking forward to more photos of the layout.
Interesting point about the WFP Englewood operation, is that they also served a mine / mill operation along their line.
Just a added twist to a logging operation.
Ken C
GWN
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Ken Clark
GWN
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| Posted: Tue Nov 21st, 2017 02:30 am |
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7th Post |
| Posted: Tue Nov 21st, 2017 03:05 am |
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8th Post |
Alan Sewell
Registered
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Yes I know both those operations and was saddened when Simpson closed.
I think there must have been some desire by the Simpson family shareholders to get out.
Weyerhaeueser also seems to have cut back,
although when I visited the mill in 2015 it was still an interesting rail operation but not the woods ops I saw in 1999.
Now I understand WFP at Englewood have closed the railroad so my modelling will be of history for even a "modern" logger.
Best wishes
Alan
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| Posted: Tue Nov 21st, 2017 03:17 am |
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9th Post |
Herb Kephart
Moderator
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Welcome Allen.
Glad to see that you thought enough of us to join up!
And Reg, Thanks for encouraging Allen!
As everyone else has mentioned, we love pictures, even if they are of unfinished projects.
The one thing that we stress is to have fun.
Hope to hear a lot more from you.
Herb
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Fix it again, Mr Gates--it still works!"
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| Posted: Thu Nov 23rd, 2017 05:35 am |
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10th Post |
Michael M
Registered
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Alan,
Welcome aboard!
There's nothing like visiting the sites that you want to model.
Photos and maps don't always cut it.
Often you need to experience the 'feel' of the area you're trying to re-create.
The California Western between Willits and Fort Bragg is a standard gauge railroad that use to be a logging line.
Now it's there for the tourist trade.
They still have some neat equipment to see including The Skunk.
I hand made a few trees for a past On30 layout using fern for the branches.
It wasn't hard to do, but it was time consuming especially the 18" and 24" tall trees.
Like other have requested please keep the photos coming!
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Michael
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Nye, Inyo & Esmeralda Railroad
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