Im designing my logging branch and Im looking for some proto names from the upper new england or upper midwest area. Past or present. Names, heralds, locations would be great. Any ideas???
Mike
Logging railroads (a few of which were common carriers) tended just to be named after the logging company. The book “19th Century Railroading in Wisconsin” by Don Anderson has a few names. Around 1898 the Wisconsin Railroad Commissioner became concerned that perhaps some logging railroads were escaping regulation and were not actually purely private roads. Thus a report and investigation was performed, summarized in the Anderson book. Here are some names from 1898-1900.
Ashland, Siskiwit & Iron River Logging RR. 5 miles long
Empire Lumber Co. 30 miles long.
Shell Lake Lumber Company. 12 to 14 miles, narrow gauge, two locomotives, 60 logging cars. Their report mentioned that much of their track would only be in place for 2 or 3 weeks at a time!. When they’d vacate roadbed they’d turn it over to local towns for highway purposes.
Quinesse Logging Co. 14 miles.
Bird & Wells Logging Co. 6 miles.
Two of the logging railroads mentioned that the CM& St P, later known as the Milwaukee Road, actually furnished their rails and ties.
Here is a website link that is a master list of all Wisconsin logging railroad names and some basic information
http://members.tripod.com/~sassmaster/
Dave Nelson
Look at Microscale Decals sheet # 8 - Logging Locomotivies. It contains lots of names.
Believe it or not, at one time one of the largest logging railroads in Minnesota was called “The Estate of Thomas Nestor Railroad Co.”, had that lettered on their equipment etc.
In Minnesota 100 years ago, common carrier railroad trackage was taxed at a lower rate than privately operated lines, so it wasn’t uncommon for a logging co. to incorporate their rail line as a common carrier for tax purposes.
For example, Split Rock Lumber Co. had the Split Rock and Northern RR, a common carrier that didn’t connect with any other railroad. It hauled logs from what is now Superior National Forest to the mouth of the Split Rock river on Lake Superior; from there logs were floated down to Two Harbors for milling. The Duluth & Northern Minnesota was another example, it was a pretty large logging railroad in NE Minnesota.
Frank King’s book “Logging Railroads of Minnesota” has a lot of information on the logging companies and their rail operations.
Casler, Kline and Taber wrote a series of softcover books on Lumbering in Pennsylvania. You can find them on e-Bay. Lots of pictures and diagrams, histories, rosters, etc.
Very few heralds because these were “industrial operations” not common carriers.
Each volume covers a hundred or more operations:
Kane and Elk RR.
Elisha K. Kane Co.
Susquehana chemical Co.
Allegheny Lumber Co.
Warren and Farnsworth RR.
Tionesta Valley Railway (they had 25 locomotives)
Central Pennsylvania Lumber Co.
Amsler and Campbell
Elk Tanning co.
Vinton Lumber Co.
Hoover Hughes and Co.
John Dubois
Clearfield Lumber Co.Wm.
P. Zartman Lumber Co.
Monroe Kulp & Co.
Reichley Bros. & Co.
Dave H.
Here are some in Nw England.
http://www.fairbanksmuseum.org/CMS100Sample_CF/uploadedfiles/SAWMILLS.PDF
http://www.logginginlincoln.com/BillGoveCollectionofLoggingRailroadPhotos.html
http://www.randolphmountainclub.org/newsletters/winter2005-2006/article3.html
Here is a link to a NE Logging group. They do not seem to be active but you can look throught the various messages and I am sure you will find a lot of info.
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/neloggers/messages
Rich