I’m in the preliminary stages of maybe changing my mind. I’ve been thinking of modeling the 1890’s. But since I was born in Fort Bragg modeling the Skunk Line has a certain appeal. But doing so sort of means a shift in time to 1911, when the line was complete to Willits where it joined up with the SP and the ATSF. These are the two lines I have old-time locos and rolling stock already and could be found wandering around.
How do I a) find a rail map of that era, (and just in case one, say 1899)
b) Find a roster for that era?
Warp 9.99999999997 for 2.1856 seconds should do it. Unless someone here knows the whereabouts of old Mr Peabody and his Way-Back machine. [:D]
Try a net search for Sanborn FIre Insurance maps. I’ve heard they have a wealth of detail about such things. Only thing is I don’t know how far back they go. Maybe they’d need the Way-Back machine too?
Chip;
You change your plans more often than I change my socks.[:D][:D]
Just kidding. That’s what keeps this hobby interesting. I did a google search on the Skunk - lot of info there. Don’t know if any of it is any help.
Tom
I did too. Went about 10 pages in. There are no maps and the engines they show in the pictures are much newer–built in 1924, some diesels, etc. None show any maps. This is just a fishing expedition. Chances are I’m still looking at modeling some portion of the Northwestern Pacific line between Willits and Arcata.
Chip…I I did a Google for Union Lumber, didn’t have the computer time to exploit the leads, but here were some fantastic photos of the mill at Fort Brag circa 1911 and some historical anadotes as well. How could you model the NWP and not be tempted to sneak some “not correct for your period” SP SD9s into the mix? I couldn’t avoid the temptation.
I confess a liking to the CWR as I have a complete 3 car Skunk train, 2-8-2 #45 and 3 Erie Stillwell coaches, it was presented to me by my grandmother who purchased it as a birthday gift when I was a young shaver. The 2-8-2 has a fried motor obtained during operation on one of my earlier layouts, the cars have never had the trucks or couples installed, it has also never been painted and the orginal decals are still in the box!
Ok, Chip as I see it you’ve got two potential modeling choices… The route from Ft. Bragg to Willits or the 10 mile long Pudding Creek branch. Of the two, the Pudding Creek branch was the first rail laid by the CWR to connect the mills at Bragg, south to a landing where lumber was transfered onto inter coastal lumber carriers for shipment to SF.
The connection to the NWP completed in 1911 by Union Lumber Company, eliminated the need for this branch which ran along the surf line for much of the route and required seven spectactular trestles constructed of redwood, Most survive to this day, although converted to trail use. I’m light on my research material for CWR and almost zero for the Pudding Creek Branch beyond what I have provided. I think this would be a challenging task as far as research material is concearned.
There is a third option. Modeling the partially complete Skunk to where it was logging, etc–the dead end short of Willits to the mill and then out Pudding Creek. It would be cool modeling the beach and trees. I’m wondering how much operation there would be. Union Lumber also bought a shipping company and would send lumber by ship to San Francisco.
In your scenerio, I envision extensive operations , logs would arrive at the mill, be cut and sorted then transported to the landing. Since the line has no live interchange with the outside world, goods and equiptment would have to arrive via coastal shipping as well to substain the town, lumber industry and the railroad.
The mill could serve as the focal point on the layout. I would model Pudding Creek trestle as close to prototype as possible. Passenger service was vital in those days to handle mail and express, milk, eggs, vegetables and fruit and to convey loggers/mill workers to the job sight as well as company picnics and civic functions.
um, the California Western didn’t join up with the SP or the ATSF–it joined up with the NWP, which was at the time owned by those railroads.
http://www.NWPRRHS.ORG is the main Northwestern Pacific history site, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
The three (or four, I forget)-volume history of the Northwestern Pacific by Stindt and Dunscomb is also highly recommended–extensive maps, rosters, facilities lists, photos, etcetera, including info on most of the lines that ran up in that neck of the woods. Here’s one on eBay for you:
Also highly recommended is “Steam in the Redwoods” by Lynwood Carranco and Henry Sorensen–it is a much more extensive version of Carranco and Labbe’s “Logging the Redwoods” but out of print. Includes full rosters for a lot of the small short lines of the Northcoast, photos, and some maps as well.
