Within these states a quick railroad, utilizing rough-cut ties, could be hacked out of the wilderness and ready for service in short order, needing only minimal grading.įor the most part, however, this was not an option. In certain areas this need could be avoided entirely, such as the flat coastal plains of eastern Virginia, Louisiana, and South Carolina. These corridors required fill and cuts, at the least, while some also needed bridges and tunnels. In addition, many companies didn't want the expense of constructing a well-engineered rail grade, the traditional way a railroad was designed and built to minimize gradients. The problem lay in where many operations were located rugged and rural countryside that was difficult to reach. Ironically, many years would still pass before the iron horse could be effectively harnessed for logging applications. When railroads found their way to America in the late 1820's this new mode of transportation certainly offered hope for the timber industry.
The lumberman of the era must have been quite frustrated there were thousands upon thousands of virgin timber acreage to be tapped if only a better means of transporting the logs was available. In addition, horses or mules were sometimes utilized although this was a slow and tedious process. Up until that time timber had been largely moved by floating logs down a wide creek or river. However, until the development of railroads there was no, true economical way to do so on a large, commercial scale. Logging had been a major industry for years, practically since the nation's creation. Some of the earliest, true logging railroads date back to the 1860s and 1870s, operating in northeastern states such as New Hampshire and Vermont. I depend on a number of men and women to search out men who had worked on these lines, men who owned the companies, and people who still recalled hearing the mournful echoes of the sidewinders in the hills." " The search for material on these independent railway lines, both chartered common carriers and primitive wood-railed temporary creations, was difficult. " The logging railroads that were built into the deep mountain valleys and up onto the peaks and ridges of the range are largely unknown today, even to Forest Rangers who profess to know their territory well." Fetters, in particular, highlighted the difficulty in his book, " Logging Railroads Of The Ridge And Smoky Mountains: Volume I" by saying: Fetters, Benjamin Kline, Bill Gove, John Labbe, Peter Replinger, Kramer Adams, and William Warden gave to shed light on these little known operations is simply incredible. There have been many other, similar titles published over the years highlighting these operations, ranging from California and Oregon to the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains! The amount of work these authors put in to produce these outstanding historical resources can simply not go unmentioned.įor any historian or researcher interested in logging railroads the time and effort folks like Mr. To provide an example of just how prolific logging railroads once were the book, " Logging Railroads Of South Carolina," by author Thomas Fetters (Heimberger House Publishing Company, 1990) details 258 operations in that state alone. Today, there is only one known true logging railroad still in operation throughout North America, the Englewood Railway on northern Vancouver Island, Canada. These motorized vehicles were cheaper than railroads and could operate wherever makeshift roads were laid down. HistoryĪs highways improved and heavy, industrial-grade trucks were introduced many companies dropped their rail services at an early period. In addition, others forewent the cost of bridges and simply forded small streams or creeks. Many featured brutal grades of up to 11% that conventional railroads could economically not traverse. What made these so interesting was the rudimentary construction and operating techniques they employed.
Unfortunately, several have been lost to history as not every company kept detailed records of their rail operations (in other cases the information was not retained). Many were privately held while others did contain a common-carrier charter. Nearly every timber-rich state contained at least one although only the largest remained in operation through the post-World War II period. Logging railroads are perhaps the most unique and interesting aspect of the industry.
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