Re: A little steam logging

Does this bring back memories! One Summer my best friend and I decided to visit Roaring Camp - We were both still teenagers as I recall and I can't remember if it was 1969 or 1970.
RC was planning a special excursion so we decided to walk up the tracks a ways (as we couldn't get a ticket). We went about 1/4-1/2 a mile up the line, went around the corner and there was a giant (5+ dia) Madrone treee that had fallen accross the tracks.
We rushed back and told the folks at the station what had happened, then walked back up to the site. Pretty soon they had the Westside #3 Heisler (I think it was the 3) up there with a contract logger they called up from Scotts valley.
We spent the rest of the afternoon and into the night, up on the hillside watching the whole thing. We were invited to ride back in the moonlite on the pilot of Heisler.
It was that experience that really made me begin to understand railroad logging. The original owner of the RC was there (I remember he had this very large brimmed hat) and we was very friendly to us.
I saved a small chunk of the madrone tree. It was a beautiful dark red. Now it's half the size and sort of a dark brown.

Lon Wall
www.pacificmodelloggerscongress.com
March 15th 2008