Greetings, All!
I'm new, here ... some friends in my NG modeling group suggested I join and ask my questions, especially since the most-knowledgeable M.H. Ferrell (who is ultimately responsible for starting me on this amazing journey) is rumored to be a Member ...
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Very quickly, the El Dorado and Michigan-California Lumber Co.s operated in Northeastern California, some 80-or-so miles east of Sacramento, during the early-to-mid 1900s ... a pretty decent history is the subject of the book "Pino Grande", and was also the subject of a couple of issues of the "Logging, Mining, & Industrial Annuals" in 2005 and '06 (penned by Mr. Ferrel) ... their NG line is rather famous for having a very unique cable tramway spanning a 2600' wide and 1400' deep ravine to get loaded lumber cars from the north side to the south side and on to the the drying yards and mill in Camino ... this tramway is the subject of my current research and planning for a set of future modules.
Now, to my questions/needs ... the original pre-1928 cable tramway system was a 2-cable affair and the South Cable Tower structure contained a very small turn table inside in order to turn the lumber car to exit out the side of the building ... during the construction of the new 4-cable system in '28-'29, it was moved 40' west and the old cable was used while the new one was built ... a new South Cable Tower house was built, but this one didn't have the turntable (or at least, I can't find any evidence that it did) and it appears that there was some re-alignment of the approachway to facilitate an exit out the back. To that end, I am looking for some kind of diagram or description that would show me how that trackage was laid out.
Two other things I'm looking for are pictures or drawings of the new South Tower building, itself, and some better details of the cable anchorage at both sides ... and actually, I'd like to get as detailed of info on all that as I can. I imagine that there are any number of other books that might document the history of the Co.s, but I'm really only interested in this one aspect, so I'd rather not waste my $$ (to be perfectly blunt ...
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If anyone could help me locate that information, I would be very grateful! Thanks you, so much ... and as my friends will tell you is my signature greeting ...
CHEERS!
Grant