Keystone band saw mill date?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I’ve just started building a logging model railroad. I was offered a partially unbuilt -it was built, but has come apart and needs rebuilding- Keystone Double Bandsaw Mill. Can anyone tell me when such a mill would have been in operation. I’m planning on using a Westside Climax A and a NWSL vertical boiler climax as locomotives and would like to know if the two would be era compatible with such a big bandsaw mill operation.

Thanks

2

Going to your second question first: Yes, those locomotives will suit admirably.

The directions/assembly instructions for the Keystone Bandsaw Mill state that “Architecturally, the period is around 1900.” They also advise “you can see the influence of both Pennsylvania and West Virginia mills…” The book series Logging Railroad Era of Lumbering in Pennsylvania shows multiple examples of sawmills of this general design and size being served by smaller geared locomotives similar to what you have. As sawmills go, the model is not particularly large, as it has been selectively compressed rather than being an exact miniature of a specific mill.

With those locomotives as a starting point, you have a great opportunity to model a somewhat backwoods mill, with generally short rolling stock. Many of the photos of such operations in that period have lots of “clutter” around the tracks which is seldom modeled. Another advantage for the modeler in your choice of prototype is that rather tight curves can often work quite well.

You have elements which compliment each other nicely. Good luck.

Bill

3

A match made in heaven.

Mark

4

Thanks for the info, i didn’t get the instructions with the model. I’m planning to put the sawmill on a “bolb” at the one end of the “L” so it - the sawmill- can be seen from all sides.

5

Designs for bandsaw’s appeared in Europe in the 1700’s, and was patented in the US in 1836. None of these were really commercially sucessful due the problem of joining and keeping the band together at speed. In the 1860’s, the first good flush rivited(and later welded) bands were made and the bandsaw became the standard for lumber mills. The higher speed of the cut, and the smaller kerf resulted in less heat buildup and less waste of the tree being cut.

Your geared engines and the double bandsaw mill are a good combination. By the turn of the century, you would have search hard for any new mill to be built with a circular blade(although I am sure folks will find some old mills with circular saws…)

Jim

6

The McLean sawmill on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, built in 1926, has a circular saw.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXMDlxY1fQQ

Mark

7

great video. I’m sure there must have been a long period when both were in common use