Logging East Tennessee on the C&S RR

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Coming back from the Train club, where we are tearing up large areas where we had made mistakes, so that we can make new mistakes.


While @ the club I received from Dr. Tom, some of those Bachman skiders we have been discussing. They hit the workbench, and the tiny skids came off relatively easily. The first larger wood skid in in the works. Here is a photo of the crew working on it. The C&S management specified that The completed donkey must be transportable on a 30 ft flatcar, so we had one handy, as the BERGHAUSEN- SHOEMAKER crews don't work from blueprints, and have been known to get carried away. They were working into the night, as there is an operating sesion over in Gravestone County this friday night, and they are hoping to be able to make a delivery.

Bill Nelson

Eastern Tn logging on the DG CC & W RR 1928
Hi Bill,
That 1554 Belgium Black Ale should help the project go nicely. Now don't cut yourself with all those shiny pieces of steel at the workbench.

See you at operating session on Fiday. Maybe we can post some pics?????

Also the logging camp building fits perfectly at TVA DAM Site and has been taken over by your federal government as a federal building for the DAM TVA workers.......some have bent arms.
Doc Tom:cool:
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
donkey shops

Yep them lpps (little plastic people) drop hard when we work them long hours down in Gorre county Tn. of course most of them are out of shape having spent 20 + years in a box while my kids grew up enough not to try to play with them.


The replacement skid is shaping up, and seems to be properly sized. This one isn't going to get a roof, that way the detail will show better.

here is a shot of the progress, with an unmodified Bachman unit allong side, and some of the larger kitbashe donkey's in the DG CC & W RR's donkey shops.

Next it needs to have a water tank manufactured for it, as well as a fairlead , and then get NBW castings & tie down rings, what fun (especially the fairlead).

Bill Nelson

Bill Nelson
 

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Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
progress

got some progress on that donky, got a skid, water tank and a fairlead scratchbuilt. remind me to see if i can find a fairlead casting and stock up on them. They are really hard to build, and I tend to build them crooked.


Bill Nelson
 

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Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Donkey Skidder to the rescue

We just had a good operating session on the C&S RR. Bill brought over the beautiful Donkey Skidder he has been describing in the posts above.

The boys are really excited to have such good equipment to help their labors. They are about to unload it and put it to work at Camp #4.

Notice the incredible detail Bill puts in to his models.

The skidder is made by Bachmann. The log frame,water tank, eye bolts, and fairlead are all scratchbuilt by the master!!!

Great work Bill and Thank You!!!!!
Doc Tom:thumb:
 

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steamhead

Active Member
That's one good lookin' donkey.....!!!:thumb:

So how do those very festive LPP propose to unload it...??

BTW...Meant to ask the other day...What is a fairlead..??:confused:
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
fairlead & unloading

The fairlead is that gizmo on the front of the skid.

If you are in a fixed setting, working a high lead, or something else, where your lines are running straight to the front to a pully, or skid road, or a fixed direction close to nintey degrees from the face of the drums, you don't need it.

However if you need to skid the donkey to a position to the right, left, up or down from straight ahead, you run the cable through the fairlead. It has two horizontal cylindrical rollers , above and below where the cable would be threaded, and two vertical cylindrical rollers to the left and right. That way, when the skid is secured to a site with cables or chains, you can pull from the left or right, and still have the cable run straight onto the drum, so it doesn't get all fouled up.

Also, when you anchor the end of your line to a fixed place, in order to skid the donkey there under it's own power, the fairlead insures that the skid gets pointed the way it needs to drag itself, otherwise it might get sideways and flip itself, or have its nose hang under an obsticle rather than having the skid climb it.


As to how would unload it, if you had a barnhardt nearby you would use that. If not you'd fire it up and skid up some logs until you have a pile next to the flatcar, making a crude ramp and then use the donkey to drag itself off the car, onto the pile of logs, and then off the log ramp and onto the ground.

Bill Nelson
 

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Fairleads are very helpful

That's one good lookin' donkey.....!!!:thumb:

So how do those very festive LPP propose to unload it...??

BTW...Meant to ask the other day...What is a fairlead..??:confused:
Hi Steamhead,
Fellow logger Bill Nelson has just given an excellent discussion on how these donkey beasts moved and fairleads. I will throw in a prototype picture of a fairlead on the front of a real donkey. You can see it in the picture just above the plaque.

Bill, incredibly scratchbuilt the tiny realistic fairlead on the model.

By the way if you have seen redneck trucks and pick me ups with a winch on the front, the cable and hook thread through a fairlead for the same reason....... to keep the truck from flipping or the cable from fouling when the electric winch is in use.
Doc Tom:wave:
 

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Doctor G

Well-Known Member
A Spar Tree comes to Camp #4

With further progress at Camp #4 it was time for some more pictures.

A load of cable was delivered from Chicago in that "BINDER TWINE" box car.

Guy lines affixed to stumps were run up to the top of the spar tree.

The little skidder and Bill's beautiful two spool steam Donkey helped string the cable and are getting to work bringing in loads once pulleys and the high line are strung.

The line is actual "seven strand" fine #18 metal fishing line that looks like prototypical metal cable.

Hope you all like the pics.
Doc Tom:wave:
 

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steamhead

Active Member
Hi Doc, Bill....Been away for a few days....Now I know what a fairlead is...Love that little boxcar....(apart from everything else in your pics...)...!!

So the donkey could pull itself off the car..?? That must'a been a sight to see....:eek:
 

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Hi Doc, Bill....Been away for a few days....Now I know what a fairlead is...Love that little boxcar....(apart from everything else in your pics...)...!!

So the donkey could pull itself off the car..?? That must'a been a sight to see....:eek:
Hi steamhead,

Thought we could dip into the prototype photos to show a Steam Donkey pulling itself.

Also the second picture shows the precarious positioning the Donkey could assume and function quite well in.

Note the tie down rings used to hold the beast in place. Bill did a great job modeling these neat details.

Doc Tom:wave:
 

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steamhead

Active Member
That's really amazing..!! But if I was one of those guys....I'd be as far away from that cable as possible while the "donkey" was doing its thing...That last donkey is HUGE...!!!
 

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
That's really amazing..!! But if I was one of those guys....I'd be as far away from that cable as possible while the "donkey" was doing its thing...That last donkey is HUGE...!!!
Hi Gus,
VERY Dangerous work then as now.

Here is an interesting "modern day article" on the dangers inherent in yarding logs with cables:


"Yarding Safety

Yarding is the logging operation that moves felled trees from the slash pile to the landing or storage area prior to transportation. Rigging crews hook cable systems (simple, high-lead, shotgun, skyline, etc.) to the felled trees. Yarding workers manually or mechanically (using skidders and yarders) activate the cable systems to move the logs and slash to the appropriate areas. Moving these heavy materials on often unstable and/or sloping terrain makes yarding a dangerous part of the logging operation.

With careful planning at the felling stage, you can improve the safety of the system for everyone working on the yarding. Ensure that the logging plan leaves plenty of the correct type and size of trees to provide anchor and deflection points for your systems; mark the trees that you will need. If the logging plan requires only partial removal, ensure that the plan allows you flexibility to cut dangerous, dead or poorly placed trees, and substitute suitable trees to provide safe yarding activities. Plan the best yarding system given your circumstances of tree sizes and amounts, slash, terrain, the distance from the felling area to the landing site, and the size and location of your landing site.

Whether you are yarding manually or mechanically, choose the equipment that works for your site and the materials that you will be moving. Make sure that the cables, blocks, and spars are of sufficient size and weight. Choose your landing or storage areas with care. Plan a wide enough area to allow for the safe movement of people and machines and to keep workers out of the load-bearing cable zones. Ensure that the area is stable and as flat as possible. Make sure that logging trucks can maneuver around the area when empty or when fully loaded.

During operations, use extreme caution when working with the cabling systems. The heavy cables can operate under extreme pressure from the weight of the felled trees. This can cause the cables to break loose and “whip” through an area of slash or where workers are present. Loose cables can be propelled slash materials or root balls by. The whipping cables can even fell trees.

Inspect every component of your cabling system for wear and signs of breakage. Stop and replace any items that are not working properly. Don’t “jump” lines when re-setting operations – the slack in the line can create a hazard that is not worth the extra time it would take to do things right. When you place a new tailhold, always run the lines in and pull a new layout in a straight, unimpeded line to ensure that the cables cannot launch materials or snag. String extra lines to prevent hang-ups as much as possible. BEFORE signaling to move a cable, be sure to EXIT the area and maintain a safe distance from the cabling. Following these rules, your hands and your body should be nowhere near the rigging when the cabling pulls taut.

To further ensure your safety, get training on safe and proper yarding methods. Wear personal protective gear such as steel-toed work boots, sturdy work gloves, and head protection. Use good lifting techniques and watch your body mechanics to prevent ergonomic injuries. Get plenty of rest and make sure that you’re alert to your surroundings at all times. Communicate the yarding plan and any changes to the whole yarding crew. Practice communication signals to make sure everyone on the team understands what to do or what will happen."



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Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Great looking pics. Your modeling skills are A+.
Hi Wickman,
Glad you made it over to this site. It is a pretty good site and very easy to upload pictures to.

Thanks for the compliments.

Take a look at my buddy Bill Nelson's site here as well under the DG CC and Western Railroad in the logging and industrial section.

We have a lot in common and live in the same Tennessee Village.

Doc Tom:wave:
 

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
A Little More Progress on the rigging of the Camp 4 spar tree

Since Bill's Shops delivered the great steam donkey, management has pushed to get the Camp #4 spar tree rigged.

The boys are following a "North Bend" rigging system and the
"Sky Line" has been run out from the Donkey to the upper pulley of the spar tree and on to the top of Grandfather Mountain. The logs are loaded there and the "haul back line" when strung will be used to bring the logs to the Camp 4 landing.

The pulleys are scratchbuilt using n scale wheelsets and styrene and pieces of wire.

The cable is attached beneath the donkey with double sided tape after threading over the first drum.

More to come as more progress is made.

Doc Tom
 

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Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
Tom, He's on to us! I actually have a still about 1/2 way up the Gizzard It's so well hidden nobody ever sees it if the associated people are not in attendance. on a previous layout I had it over a built in incense burner, so it would smoke up the hollow.

Bill Nelson
 

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Tom, He's on to us! I actually have a still about 1/2 way up the Gizzard It's so well hidden nobody ever sees it if the associated people are not in attendance. on a previous layout I had it over a built in incense burner, so it would smoke up the hollow.

Bill Nelson
Yep,
The revenuers will be on our case soon enough.
tom:eek:
 
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