Isolated lumber railroads…
A curiosity of geography, politics and history has resulted in a number of independent rail served lumber and paper mills surviving in the Pacific North West of North America. Maintaining a connection with mainland North American railroads is via ferry or barge service…
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| The barge operation out of Vancouver’s Annacis Island is operated by Seaspan / SRY RailLink. Chris Medland photo (https://www.railpictures.net/photo/754302/) |
Today’s blog takes a look at what still exists, and how it is operated, and forms another ad-hoc post in my North American lumber railroad series. Previous instalments have covered the Eastern Canadian ‘Thurso and Nation Valley’ and the last US lumber railroad ‘Simpson Lumber’. To no particular timetable I hope to touch on other systems in due course…
Lumber, logging and paper has been at the heart of the exploitation and development of British Columbia’s natural resources. Early pioneers claimed land from indigenous peoples and saw logging camps turn into settlements and coastal industry spring up along the shore of the Strait of Georgia and Howe Sound. Many of these enterprises introduced railways to help transport their bounty to the coast, especially as distances increased, their transient nature has meant many of these were born and died in perhaps as little as 15 years.
However, where a lumber or paper mill was started these settlements became towns, and their isolated nature, with the thick forests and mountains of British Columbia behind, and the Pacific Ocean in front, their connection with the outside world was by boat. Where these mills were able, they used rail barges to exchange raw materials (perhaps fuel oil, building materials etc) with finished goods (paper, sawn timber, timber products). These isolated rail hubs provided an economic way of transporting these materials and maintaining the efficiency of the operations. Through mergers, restructuring and natural contraction in the market a number of these facilities survive today, now served by the Southern Railway of British Columbia's Seaspan barge and ferry operation.
Southern Railway of British Columbia
The Southern Railway of British Columbia, or SRY Rail Link, has a fascinating history. Initially a commuter trolley bus route, nationalised in the 1960s and rolled under BC Hydro, operating as BC Hydro Railway, later sold off to Washington Group International (better known as the owners of Montana Rail Link, hence the livery and name) forming the Southern Railway of British Columbia. Today a strange mix of terminal operations (interchanging in Vancouver with BNSF, CN and CP) and shortline with a rail barge service thrown in, if you can't find something to model in their system then I don't know where else you can look!
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| SW900RS 1000hp number 906. Stephen Rees photo (https://flic.kr/p/3LBkjL) |
They operate a great collection of locomotives (SW900RS, MP15, GP9 and SD38-2) in their distinctive navy blue and black colours.
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| A pair of GP9s rescue two SW900s on the Annacis Island bridge. Mike photo (https://flic.kr/p/nyzm5P) |
More recently they've taken on operations on Vancouver Island, operating the barge into Nanaimo, the ex CP-Rail harbour and barge operation. Most customers are within the yard at Wellcox, but a short run through the suburbs serves a propane dealer in the north of the town. Understanding their operation is key to unlocking the mills served by their 'Seaspan' operation.
More photos: https://flic.kr/go/dijFS
Powell River (Catalyst Paper)
The mill at Powell River was established in 1912. Today, Paper Excellence (who now own Catalyst Paper) are hoping to reopen the mill following the Covid pandemic with around 200 staff. The settlement at Powell River was a company town, and the area once saw an extensive network of lumber lines stretching inland servicing the mill. These days Seaspan (also operated by SRY Rail Link) bring in wood chip by barge. Powell River may not be the largest mill, but it is one of the original in the Strait of Georgia, a long legacy of timber industry and the engine house of settlement on the northern coastline of British Columbia.
I'm not sure how much traffic, if any is still brought in by rail barge but the benefit is the ability to use rail tank wagons to transfer oils, fuel, chemicals etc negating the need for a ocean going tanker and the associated certification. It can be cheaper to transport these materials in several rail tankers, and just switch them out for more as required.
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| Paul Galinski photo (https://www.prpeak.com/local-news/mill-in-powell-river-scheduled-to-reopen-3519095). |
Further reading:
https://paperexcellence.com/mill-location/powell-river/
Port Mellon (Howe Sound Pulp and Paper)
Howe Sound Pulp and Paper today operate the mill at Port Mellon that provides employment for 380 on the northern shore of Howe Sound. Founded in 1909 and now another operation under the Paper Excellence umbrella, the mill relies upon barge service from Seaspan, and maintains a small rail yard.
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| Ex CN SW900 pictured in New Westminister, Vancouver whilst being serviced by SRY. Michael Macgowan photo (http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4640958) |
Further reading:
https://paperexcellence.com/mill-location/howe-sound/
Nanaimo (Harmac Pacific)
The Harmac Pacific mill just south of Nanaimo survived bankruptcy in 2008 with an employee and management buy out seeing 220 return to work at the mill, that has since gone from strength to strength seeing output increase again during the global pandemic and today, bucking the trend employs 320. The mill dates back to the 1950s and relies upon the Seaspan barge service for shipping out finished product to mainland North America.
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| Harmac Pacific mill, Nanaimo. David Stanley photo (https://flic.kr/p/adH5Lp). |
I'm not sure what switches the small terminal railroad today, in the 2000 Canadian Trackside guide an SW900 is listed, and in the past a number of GE centre cab switchers operated at the plant.
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| J Fischer photo (http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4872498). |
Further reading:
Crofton
The mill at Crofton, another Catalyst mill that is now under the Paper Excellence umbrella is a modern facility not built until 1957, and one of the larger employing 580. Taking advantage of a deep harbour, the mill maintains a small rail yard and barge service. When the island's rail network was still maintained the mill featured a spur to the Canadian Pacific as well as it's own barge, but today the line is another isolated example.
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| British Columbia Forest Products (then owners of the mill) Whitcomb on the way back to the mill from the CP spur. Ken Perry photo (http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/photos/logging/bc_diesel.htm). |
Further reading:
Summary
Although I've spent many hours pouring over books and the internet this overview only scratches the surface of a fascinating topic. The idea of a rail served isolated system is incredibly enticing, and it brings so mind one of Iain Rice's wonderful schemes, specifically the N gauge 'The Closet District' in the Shelf Layouts book by Kalmbach. Imagine the 'staging' area being a protruding pier, with a rail barge arriving at the beginning of an operating session. A small switcher is then busied swapping loads with empties, scurrying around the paper plant, an industrial site with a rich verdant green background.
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| Iain Rice's 'The Closest District' from Kalmbach's 'Shelf Layouts' (photo from Google search) |
I hope this overview has whet your appetite an opened your eyes to the possibility of such a scheme. Until next time, more soon...
Bibliography:
Logging by Rail - Robert D TURNER Sono Nis Press 1990
Powell River’s Railway Era - Ken BRADLEY Laren SOUTHERN BCHRA 2000
These mills are just so cool and would be a lot of fun to model. For the modeller Google Earth and Maps provide some quite nicely sharp aerial photography that will help with track locations in each prototype location to compare to what could be done in a model space.
ReplyDeleteI think it could be some interesting operation ranging from moving blocks of cars on or off the ferry or around the mill to more individual car movements such as when a new tank car is required so first must be dug out of the yard before being shifted into place.
Trains magazine did a feature on a mill like these (I think it was Trains, maybe it was Railfan?) and that mill was in Alaska. I don't recall much from the article but this it might be helpful to describe the car types and rail operations to get a sense of the choreography of a day in the life of the mill switcher.
Chris
Chris you law a good point. In the scheme I’ve been working on it’s about distilling some of this into something workable, not quite there yet but it has been fun to read more about it. The interesting difference to mainland paper mills is that the pulp itself arrives by its own barge, rather than rail. That means it’s really only tankers, covered hoppers and boxcars in and out. More on that in a proper layout design post though.
DeleteHi James
DeleteI have just come across your interesting web-site and blogs. Why I have not seen them before I am not sure, as I have been interested in modelling and indeed visiting industrial railways since the late 1960’s and have been building an HO logging/forest products shortline since the 1980’s
I visited the Harmac system at Nanaimo in 2006, having spent the previous two weeks further north in Vancouver Island including a few days photographing the operation on the Englewood logging railroad.
As you said mill the is un-connected to the E&N system on the island and is served by barge from Vancouver. They used the loco to switch cars 4-5 times per month when a barge is in.
The railroad was not working, but unlike Elk Falls visited in 2003, they switched box cars as well as tank cars and the loco was out in the open. It is an SW900 but an early one, apparently built in the late 1930’s, and acquired in 1996 It replaced a General Electric centre cab unit, which was underpowered for the work.
The mill had just rebuilt the loco and it, and the rail system, was integral to their operations, without which they would have difficulty in operating. The shipping manager stated that around 30 box cars of finished pulp and at least double that number of tank cars of chlorine and other chemicals are handled each month. The barge dock had three tracks and like similar operations idler cars are used to keep the loco off the barge and apron. These cars were ex-BCOL 50-flat cars with added weight and additional steps. The shipping shed held 7 cars and there was a two track chemical unloading shed with a capacity of 4 cars.
You mentioned that the mills in your blog receive pulp by barge. This is not really true the mills are pulp and paper mills and receive woodchips by barge. The coastal mills connected to the US/Canadian rail system also receive chips by barge but also chips come in by rail in 50-60 foot high cube hoppers from inland sawmills
I hope the above is useful and I will be following your projects with interest
Alan Sewell, Hertford, UK
Alan, I’m pleased you’ve stumbled upon my meandering modelling blog! Thank you for the detailed and knowledgeable build on my content. Great personal insight!
DeleteI’d love to see more of your modelling, do you have a website or forum thread?
Hi James
DeleteThanks for the comments and I do not think your blog is meandering in anyway. I am very impressed by your modelling ( and yes I saw the article in Continental Modeller ) While all types of industrial railroads interest me I have concentrated on modelling a Pacific Northwest forest products railroad largely through time and a need to keep things focussed. However I am also looking to do a diorama style model based around a 600mm/750mm sugar mill tramway in 4mm scale although this has a low priority.
My freelanced model railroad draws heavily on the equipment and operations of Simpson at Shelton, although the company shortline is inspired by Weyerhaeuser’s Columbia & Cowlitz out of Longview Washington. I was lucky to visit Simpson on two occasions and spent in total five days photographing and one occasion riding the train to Cook Transfer. I have a collection of material and photographs to keep me on the straight and narrow. I was also fortunate to correspond with and meet the late John Henderson who was an extremely knowledgeable fan of Simpson and had been visiting and riding it since the 1970’s. I think Simpson is a much underrated prototype, perhaps because it was dieselised in the 1950’s and Shelton is a bit off the beaten track. Its proximity to the then still steam operations of Rayonier in the 50’s and early 60’s probably did not help. However I think it has all needed for a model prototype, and I see you have a post on that as well
I have not as yet had the time to create a website but have written a couple of illustrated articles for the British Region of the NMRA which outline some of my modelling. One was published in 2018 and another will go in their December 2021 magazine. I have PDF copies and can send them if you can give me an e-mail or other method of getting them to you
Best regards
Alan Sewell, Hertford, UK
Alan, that sounds focused and well thought out and I’d love to see more. There are contact details in the modelmaking commissions tab at the top of the blog.
DeleteI have just put something on your contact sheet if you can get back to me
DeleteAlan
Nothing my end Alan. The form can be troublesome, if you visit the Facebook page which works on any web browser, on the link below the form, you can click ‘email’ there…
DeleteIt's interesting that you mention a Rice design, as I've long thought that his multilevel cassette design- see the Verticalia Belt Line in Small Smart and Practical Track Plans or Virtua in Industria in Designs for Urban Layouts- would work really well with a rail barge theme. Perhaps two cameos of paper mills at eye height for a sitting and standing viewer, sandwiching an operationally intensive interchange scene designed to be worked from a standing birdseye perspective?
ReplyDeleteNow this is another idea I’d not considered and I have to say, it sounds another creative solution to the idea… perhaps I should find a copy of that Rice volume too…
DeleteSmall Smart and Practical Track Plans is definitely one of my more well thumbed track planning books. To clarify, the concept is to have multiple small scenes stacked on top of each other, linked by a cassette that can be moved between them. There's an interesting operational flexibility here, as it is possible to bypass a scene completely in a way that is impossible with a conventional linear design. While not particularly relevant to the Vancouver lumber railroads, which look to all deliver to the SRY interchange rather than interchanging with each other, the option of setting a particular mood in an operating session by say bypassing the busy interchange to run a quiet branch train between the upper and lower cameos is intriguing.
DeleteI shall take a look.
DeleteI’m in the process of drawing up a scheme myself to go with this concept, but it’s grown legs…
Nanaimo is such an interesting operation - a barge slip, a yard, an industry and a short run to another industry. Everything is so compact.
ReplyDeletePlus Nanaimo itself is beautiful!
There is definitely something in that Steve, I agree…
DeleteI’ve found record of another mill and barge operation on the west coast of Vancouver Island at Port Alice, here: http://forums.railfan.net/forums.cgi?board=Vancouver;action=display;num=1165468717
ReplyDeleteHi James
ReplyDeleteI am surprised in your survey of isolated pulp mills in BC you have not mentioned the Norsk Mill at Elk Falls north of Campbell River. This closed in the 2000’s but I visited it in 2003 when it was one of the older pulp mills on Vancouver Island and one of only three still with its own in plant switcher. The major raw material, wood chips, came in by barge and paper was shipped out the same way to Vancouver for export. The other main material was chemicals in rail cars. A barge arrived two or three times per week and cars were stored and emptied as required to feed the various types of pulp and paper produced. A large number of tank cars were in the yard and the rails were shiny indicating the railroad was still integral to mill operations. The yard was laid on a very gentle down grade but this increased the barge slip was reached and this was on a sharp curve and idler cars were used to unload a barge.
Near the slip was the engine house which contained the working loco an ex CN SW900 and acquired in. 1993. Prior to this the mill had an RS-2 and was the last user of steam ( a 2-truck shay #1) on Vancouver Island
Best regards
Alan
There is an easy answer Alan… I worked from the materials I had, and added what I found on Google Earth. I suspected there was a mill at Elk Falls, but it had gone on Google…
Delete