Logging railroads were perhaps the most varied, diverse, and flat out imaginative railroads in America. They traversed steep Appalachian slopes, cut up narrow valleys, roared through Northwestern forests, meandered through the Rockies, slogged across bald cypress swamps, and laced across the longleaf. Their locomotives ranged from mighty Shays and Mallets to dimunitive Moguls and light little geared engines. Log cars to homebuilt boxcars, skidders, yarders, and loaders, all made up the rich mix of equipment. They varied greatly in length, some over a hundred miles in length, to only a couple. Steel rail, wooden rail, and poles; even the material the tracks themselves were built from varied.

In modeling my North Fork Lumber Co., I have attempted to draw upon all of these different aspects of the logging road. Here I shall try to give some ideas from my models and from the prototype, as is possible, for more than any other portion of railroading, logging lines probably displayed the greatest possible diversity.

A Caboose and a Skidder
(Photograph courtesy of D. Price)

In the photo below, a fine scene is presented, brimming with logging character, and presents an opportunity to point out some important details of logging modeling. One will immediately notice two large objects, the cabosse in the foreground, and behind it, a large, metal structure. This metal structure-rolling stock (really rather hard to fit into a railroad category!) is a Clyde Four-lined Skidder. These massive pieces of equipment served to pull, or skid, logs in from the cutting site (or a delivery point), so that they could be loaded. The mechanical, steam driven skidder replaced many teams of horses and oxen (though those remained in use at times, for the skidder could not reach some locations of course), and increased the wear upon the land. It had the unfortunate habit of breaking down whatever trees remained, and discouraged the propagation of seedlings. The gashes made in the ground likely encouraged the proliferation of invasive weeds, and began erosion, destroying much topsoil. Indeed, it is said that in some places even today the marks left by skidders (skid marks?), can be seen, very visible. Compared to the horses and log wagons of the turn of the century, the skidder was a havoc. I think it would be unfair though to say skidder's encouraged clear-cutting, this is a common fallacy these days it seems, as we are all to ready to blame things rather than our own nature. I would say skidders were encouraged by clearcutting, not the other way around. But enough of my philosophical rambling!

However, due to many factors (which I will not go into here for sake of space!), most lumber companies were not going to retain their logged over land, thus, whatever damage done upon it was of relatively little concern to them. Now, this sounds horrible to us (enlightened as we are), but it is a difficult thing to approach with a 21st century mind, and 21st century tax laws. So moral judgements aside, the skidder was a heck of an immpresive machine! This Clyde was only one of several models seen in in the South, but seems to have been the most common in Mississippi. Basic operation is farily obvious: lines go out, logs come in. I won't go into mechanical details, for, frankly, I know little of them! For the sake of this article, let us only take note of some external details evident about the skidder. Notice the flanks of the skidder. It would appear that our boys (of the Sumter Lumber Company, probably in Noxubee or Kemper, possibly Winston, Counties, Mississippi) have hung some canvas sheeting along the roof, no doubt a handy thing to have when the Mississippi sun is trying to forge rednecks. Aye, it gets hot (and imagine you're beside a sweltering boiler)! Now, let your eye drift among the cables. A lot of them, going ever-which-a-way so to speak, and breaking up the space about the skidder, and drawing the viewer's eye out of the scene, or at least reminding him it goes on, into the woods somwhere. An excellent atribute to model. As you follow the cables into the woods, the piles of logs will probably be noticed. No sarcastic snubs about toothpicks, please. These seem to be second growth, perhaps, probably loblolly or shortleaf, common trees in this region (again, this is important for modeling: no Douglas Firs in Wisconsin, and no Lodgepole Pine's in Tennessee). After viewing the logs, perhaps you have by now picked up the water car in the very background, though only a portion can be seen. Obvious enough function, I suppose. A common, and vital piece of rolling stock, a water car such as this was usually followed by a tender of some sort, perhaps a board-staked flat car filled with wood.

Now let us focus on the track, and the space between the skidder and the caboose.