PRODUCTS

I N F O R M AT I O N S TAT I O N

Modeling logging
railroads
 The
West Side
Lumber Co.

1. It’s July 1958 and the thermometer reads 95 degrees as West Side Shay no. 15 clatters
across the main highway into Tuolumne on Steve Anderson’s Sn3 West Side Lumber Co. The
head brakeman watches the train carefully as it descends the 4.8 percent grade from Flume.

A bedroom-size Sn3 re-creation

of a Western logger
By Steve Anderson
Photos by George Hall

W
est Side! The very name evokes visions of Shay
steam locomotives moving log trains across wooden
trestles, up 4.8 percent grades, and around sharp
curves. The real West Side was narrow gauge, the equip-
ment was small, and because the railroad lasted until 1961 much of
the equipment was preserved. In fact, all nine of its engines were
saved, and all but two still operate today on tourist railroads. The prototype
The West Side ran in the California
My goal was to build a layout that captures the feel and flavor of foothills near the northern edge of
the West Side Lumber Co. of the late 1950s as accurately as possi- Yosemite National Park. It started in
ble given the limited space available. Each scene is built to repre- Tuolumne and ran 72 miles to Camp
44. There were four 300-foot wooden
sent a specific area. Structures are scratchbuilt full scale wherever bridges and water tanks every four
possible, and details visible in photographs are then added. This miles or so. The rail was light (35 to 60
pounds) and spiked to cedar ties.
approach helps keep me focused, preventing the “I want to model The railroad was operated as two
it all” dilemma of my previous layouts. separate divisions, with dedicated
“woods” crews and “town” crews. The quent fire sealed the fate of Tuolumne’s 2. Veteran engineer Bert Bergstrom leads
trains would meet halfway and swap West Side Lumber Co. Shay no. 9 over Little Reynolds Creek trestle.
their consists. The West Side operated Meanwhile, brakeman Harry Cyphers keeps
24 hours a day from May to November Construction an eye on the train while seeking respite
and put enough timber in the mill pond I built the layout in sections, allow- from the searing California sun.
to keep the steam-powered mill running ing me to move it when needed. Each
all winter. section is also electrically independent.
In 1961, after nearly 60 years of log- Sections are connected by a color-coded
ging by rail, the West Side RR was bus that carries track power, switch
abandoned in favor of truck logging. machine power, and power for the
Shortly thereafter, a strike and subse- micro lighting. Troubleshooting is easy:
 Donkey Buffalo Water
2 4 3 engine Landing
6 tank
Slash burner Cover

Enginehouse Cookhouse

Camp Reynolds

Scale: 5⁄8" = 1'-0"

12" grid

Tuolumne
1
Little Reynolds Creek
Sand, oil,
Old enginehouse 5 Car shops and water

Warehouses

Dispatcher’s
office

ILLUSTRATION BY RICK JOHNSON

3. A loaded train pauses at a bridge-tender’s

shack. As part of the insurance contract,
West Side stationed a watchman here to
guard against fire. The black-and-white TV is
no substitute for the latest gossip from town.

just unplug sections until the problem

is isolated.
The West Side used dirt as ballast.
As the dirt eroded, the ends of the ties
would stick out and look as if they were
suspended in mid-air. A friend suggested
I try laying the ties on N scale cork road-
bed, and the result looks great. Dis-
tressing the ties with a wire brush and
staining them individually helps to vary
the texture and color. Grandt Line code
70 dummy rail joiners are glued to the
outside of the rail, and real dirt for bal-
last helps to create that distinctive look.
 Most turnouts are no. 5s, allowing After a basic structure is completed,
The layout at a glance even the biggest Shays to easily negoti- I place it on a fully scenicked base.
ate them. The turnouts were purchased When it’s finished, all that’s necessary is
Name: West Side Lumber Co. pre-assembled on printed-circuit (PC) to blend the base into the surrounding
Scale: Sn3 (1:64) board ties, but several were out of layout scenery. More importantly,
Size: 10 x 10 feet gauge and required extensive rebuild- structures can be easily removed for
Locale: Tuolumne, Calif., located ing. I used Switchmaster switch ma- that next layout.
just outside Yosemite National Park chines both to throw the points and
Period: 1958-1959 route power to the sidings. Locomotives and rolling stock
Layout style: around the walls In the 1950s the West Side had seven
Layout height: 54" Structures three-truck Shays and two Heislers. The
Benchwork: open-grid sectional Almost all the structures are scratch- smaller Shays were used on the level
Length of main line: 29 feet built using plans published by Russ woods portion of the line. The Heislers
Roadbed: N scale cork on Homasote Simpson. Buildings with interiors are were relegated to switching duty by
Track: handlaid code 70 and built board by board with complete 1947. Fortunately for modelers, PBL
turnout kits framing including studs and rafters. has produced brass models of the West
Turnout minimum: no. 5 Structures without interiors are built Side’s geared engines. Several speeders
Minimum curve radius: 30" using a technique I learned a while back and a couple of small gas-mechanical
Maximum grade: 2 percent from Jack Burgess at a National Model switchers filled out the roster.
Scenery construction: blue extruded Railroad Association clinic: Sheet sty-
foam covered with Hydrocal rene is used to build the roof and walls, 4. The crew of Shay no. 9 backs down the
Backdrop: linoleum flooring then scale lumber is glued directly onto main line with a train of loaded skeleton
supported by a pine frame the styrene. These structures are easy cars. The downgrade speed limit for loaded
Control: PBL Foreground sound and quick to build and they look great. trains is 7 mph and it will take some time
system with power-routing turnouts Real glass windows help to complete to reach Camp 24, where the woods crew
the structures. ties up for the night.
 5. The car shops at Tuolumne Yard are
Meet Steve Anderson responsible for maintaining West Side’s fleet
of 175 or so skeleton log cars and 75 non-
revenue cars. This structure was originally
Swatching his
teve grew up
built near the mill site, then moved to this
father ride SP location in the early 1900s. It has had sev-
commuter trains eral additions over the years and houses the
into San Fran- blacksmith shop, a wheel lathe, and enough
cisco where his parts to keep foreman Jack Gentry and his
dad worked for crew busy.
that “friendly
railroad.” Family Many manufacturers produce Sn3
vacations always freight car kits. Rio Grande Models,
involved rail travel and there was a PBL, V&T Shops, and Foothill Model
home HO layout from day one. Works all provide excellent kits to help
Steve’s first layout, a small HO replicate the West Side. Beyond this,
setup, was a Christmas present at plans exist for several cars that escaped
age seven. In 1986 Steve visited the scrapper’s torch. On the layout, all
Chama, N. M., and rode the Cum- of the rolling stock is built to represent
bres & Toltec RR. That hooked him well-maintained equipment and carries
on narrow gauge and he has since only a light dusting for weathering.
built layouts in HOn3, On3, and During operation, the real West
now Sn3. Side’s equipment was not run-down
Steve worked at Talbot’s Train and decrepit. A damaged piece of equip- cal, and I can’t recommend it enough.
Store for 14 years before he left to ment meant loss of revenue, so each You have complete control over how
become a jet engine mechanic for winter was spent rebuilding the cars for the scenic contours will look, and later
United Airlines. He helps promote the next season. Fresh coats of paint changes don’t affect the integrity of the
Sn3 by working with PBL at shows. were applied, and for the last season, mountain. Unfortunately, the Styro-
Steve will have his West Side the railroad painted those famous foam dust from carving sticks to every-
open for layout tours at the 2000 safety stripes on the cars. thing so make sure you have a large
National Model Railroad Association vacuum cleaner.
national convention in San Jose, Scenery Commercial rock castings were used
Calif., this July. This was my first attempt at using and then painted with artist’s acrylics,
blue extruded foam as a base for Hydro- which I find easier to work with (and
the results more predictable) than using products. The ground cover in this area 6. Shay no. 9 arrives at Buffalo Landing, 37
stains. Sifted dirt from the real West is mainly dirt, with small shrubs and miles from – and 2,500 feet higher than –
Side, along with ground foam by AMSI crushed rock. Except for meadows, Tuolumne. Trucks bring the logs from the
and Woodland Scenics, help provide there is very little grass on the Sierra’s cutting area here, which was carved out of a
the basic ground cover. At Tuolumne, I Western slopes. hillside in the Clavey Canyon. The logs are
added fake fur to simulate California’s I hope you’ve enjoyed my trip back then transferred to 38-foot-long skeleton log
golden grass. in time to the final years of the West cars by a “crotch-line” loading system.
On the forested area of the layout Side Lumber Co. It’s been a lot of fun
I’ve tried to avoid the “all trees are the setting the Wayback Machine (for you
same brand” look by combining several Bullwinkle fans) back to 1958 to once
different techniques and manufacturers’ again see the West Side in all its glory. 1