For many years I have been fascinated by west coast logging railways. I have dabbled in On30, Hon3 logging layouts and eventually went back to standard gauge for more reliable locomotives and rolling stock.
A few years ago I began looking for a prototype to model and had always had an interest in the Northern Pacific and Great Northern railroads. At that time I stumbled upon some information regarding Shays running on standard gauge Northern Pacific line.
Instantly intrigued by this idea I begun to dig deeper and stumbled upon the Yacolt Branch 22nd Sub of the Tacoma Division.
The Line Ran 23 miles of single track from Vancouver Washington to Yacolt where it serviced various logging operations throughout its life.
The line has gone through numerous name and ownership changes and logging companies came and went but the track arrangement stayed very much the same and is still operational today. In 1996 the line was purchased by Clarke County, Washington and is now operated by Portland Vancouver Junction Railroad for freight traffic between Vancouver Junction and Battle Ground
I'm very interested to see how you model this line. My layout is 'inspired by' the Northern Pacific, and wood products feature heavily. I'm aware of the 22nd Sub, but my cursory searches failed to find any images of the NP Class V Shays.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck on the project.
I have spent the past 6 months contemplating my decision to freelance or prototype. I guess this line provides a bit of both.
ReplyDeleteI think there will be bit of "good enough" modeling as you mention there is very limited photos of the line, the structures and anything running on it.
I have tracked down a few images from various heritage societies ext but more of it is focused on the logging lines.
I think this will be a long journey.