After reading a few more books on the subject, I’ve realised that my On30 Bradford Valley Lumber Co. layout has one scenic feature that’s conspicously absent - namely, a mill pond for offloading logs.
I’ve given some thought to how I may fit it in. Currently, the ‘sawmill’/interchange end of the layout looks like this:
What I’m considering is replacing the standard-gauge interchange (labelled with an ‘I’) with the edge of a log pond, which would have the rails embedded in a trestle going out into the water to allow log unloading. The bright blue line in the photo above roughly designates where the shoreline of the log pond would be.
However, in doing this, I will be losing the interchange track, which is essentially a ‘universal industry’. I’d still like to have this, so I’m considering moving tracks 1 & 2 over, so they’re parallel to track 3. This will give me some space between the end of the passing loop and track 1 to put a short section of standard gauge track and a bumper, to imply that there’s an interchange track here.
Im 28 and I got it… there is hope for my generation yet.
Expanding upon the above idea. Pull the standard guage track and move the NG (narrow guage) track I to the standard guage location and put the log pond there. You need only make the suggestion of a log pond not actually model the whole thing. Where I track is now make that the standard guage track. Basically swap the I and standard guage.
Another thought is to add an RH turnout to the left most diverging route of the 3way turnout. Lay NG where the current Standard guage is. Where Track I is now, lay dual guage track from the end of the RH turnout to a cassette staging. Build an Idler car with an offset coupler to connect to standard guage cars. Use a narrow guage locomotive to retrieve standard guage cars from the cassette staging. Your transload will now be from the new Dual guage I track to track 3, plus you now have fiddle staging.
Edit: So after reviewing your other post I noticed a door camera left of your photo in this post. If this is main access a fiddle staging cassette may not be the best idea for this situation. If it is a infrequently used door or if it can remain open while the layout is in operation then a cassette is feasible.
If you go this route, consider also changing the wye at the end of the runaround to a right hand turnout and connect it a little further away from the end. This will allow the tail track to move closer to the wall and may even allow you to fit the standard gauge track without moving 1 & 2.
Another option would be to take the side of the runaround farthest from the wall and connect it to track 1 just beyond it’s turnout. You could then bring the wall side track down next to the end of track 1 and put the standard gauge track between there and the wall.
What Carl425 said about connecting the runaround into track 1 got me thinking. I thought about putting a second set of 3-way points there, then realised that I could just swap the 3-way points with the right hand points leading to them.
This would allow me to bring the log loading track gently down, to run along where the standard-gauge track is now. I could model the edge of the log pond (with an unloading ramp) between there and the fascia. This would also give me space to put the standard gauge tracks between the log track and track 3. The log track could then double as the interchange track. I would still have space for a transloading platform between the narrow and standard gauge tracks, although I may need to adjust track 3 to run parallel to track 2 to fit it.
It is my understanding that the log pond was at the end of a flume or waterway where the logs accumulated. They were then loaded onto the train cars to be taken to the saw mill.
Why would you dump them into a pond just to drag them out again to be cut?
A log pond is a small natural lake or a resevoir used for storage and sorting of logs in readiness for milling at a sawmill.
Depending on the situation logs could be delivered to the pond by rail, truck, flume, or natural waterway.
A different lumber operation:
A mill at Challenge California (Challenge Mill) (one of many mills in the area) was seved by a narrow gauge railroad which brought logs from the woods. The logs were only rough cut at in the mill then the cut lumber flumed about 30 miles to a mill at Honcut (also known as Moore’s Station) on the Southern Pacific Railroad branch (between Marysville and Oroville) where it was further processed and loaded onto the SP for distribution. As the logging operations and railroad moved further into the woods several other mills were built along it and the railroad then carried the rough cut lumber to Challenge. To get from Challenge to Honcut the flume tunneled under two ridges.
