My theme is Southern California citrus modeling-although most packers and co-ops imported their lumber requirements from Oregon or Northern California, I have long wanted to twist history and incorporate a large lumber/shook distributor on my pending pike.
My new layout will have sufficient room for such a structure, even have a prototype in mind and how inbound/ outbound shipments were attended to. To do or not might seem a simple decision if I were not for following a specific prototype, who’s shippers by and large imported their lumber!
The structure would occupy its own 12 X 5 pennisula with access on both sides in S scale without too many compromises on track arraigment or structure placement- 2 outbound tracks were located on one side of the warehouse, 2 inbound tracks on the opposite side, adding to the opertational possibilities was the compact three track yard that feed the complex.
OK, first I have to show my (and my dictionaries) lack of knowledge. What is a shook distributer? (Only definition of shook in my little dictionary is past tense of shake. I know California has frequent shakes, some even caused when some of those big locos roll by, but I didn’t know that the Big Shake was a rail served industry.)
Actually, if you have room and a prototype to follow, nothing says you can’t do what you want to. If it is what you want. do it. One of the nice parts of this hobby. Unless you are in some sort of prototype contest, no one can dictate what you have, except you. Steam engines and auto racks, if that is your desire.
Are you looking at bringing logs in, then making the lumber needed to produce a product on site or bringing in lumber to turn out a product? Sounds like a lot of yard space for an industry that doesn’t have a high volume of fast turn over and pass through product.
Will be interested to find out another definition of shook.
Shook was the trade name for the lumber used to construct packing crates before the advent of cardboard and waxed boxes. Considered inferior for any other use it provided a source to make viable use of otherwise scrap. Think of the lumber used in todays pallets and you’d have an idea.
Bulk lumber would be the inbound loads- assembled crates and cut shook for assembly at the customers location would be the outbound traffic, demensional lumber would be supplied to wholesalers who would specify custom cuts, finishes or species as a second outbound traffic source that was supported by its owns mill, planing buildings,drying yards and sheds within the overall complex. This operation also produced Presto Logs from reclaimed sawdust which was shipped out in boxcars, SP being one of the largest consumers of this product for use in dinning cars.
A lot of that Pacific Northwest forest product arrived in California in the form of logs - often with most of the bark still on - floated down in monster rafts pulled by tugboats. A waterside mill might skin the logs and saw them up into the equivalent of bridge timber. That would be a probable source of your inbounds - 12 by and 16 by square timbers the full length of a log, defects and all.
Actually, it sounds as if you have a good handle on what you’re trying to do, and even a prototype to follow. There are still small local mills (Including one in Ashland City, TN) that turn out product suited for local needs which can be competitive with the big industrial lumber suppliers.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with a lumber mill served by a logging railroad)
I feel your pain, but probably can’t help you make your decision.
Essentially, it seems like you want to add an industry, you know how to model that industry realistically, you have the room for it, but you are holding back because adding an industry that was not on the real railroad you are emulating will take you across the line between “totally based on the prototype (except for selective compression)” to “mostly based on prototype, with some what-ifs or added elements to enhance operations”.
Did I understand your concern correctly?
If so, it is obviously a decision you will have to make on your own.
But for whatever it is worth, I would have added it - sounds like it would be interesting both to model and interesting to run, without being extremely visually jarring in context. It is not (at least not to me) like having Amfleet cars pulled by a Shay, or having a strip mining operation in urban New York Ci