"In the early days of lumbering, the railroads went where the timber was - right up to the "spar tree" at the head of cutting operations - and locomotives performed many of the chores formerly handled by horses and oxen. To reach the timber, railroads had to climb nearly unsurmountable grades (some in excess of 70%), cross nearly impossible ravines on improvised timber trestles hundreds of feet high, yet be so flexibly constructed that trackage could be shifted constantly to "follow the timber." Operations of such lines required special types of equipment, many of which were improvised right at the camps, plus a special breed of men. They came out of the deep woods of the Northwest, of Michigan, of Wisconsin and even the Scandinavian countries, to write a thrilling chapter in the history of the iron horse." --From inside of jacket

The period of 1890-1950 marked the romantic era of steam power as the rails reached deep into the old growth of the Adirondack woods to harvest the timber crop. In this volume, not only does William Gove provide an in-depth history of railroad activity in the Adirondacks he also describes the logging methods used, the role of railroads in the logging industry, and the influence of the railroads on the condition of the Adirondack forest today. In addition, he addresses the political and economic forces determining the location and viability of logging railroads, villages, and the forest industry.

During the heyday of lumberjacks and sawmills, railroads such as the Duluth and Northern Minnesota and the Alger-Smith enabled logging companies to break away from the traditional mode of transportation (floating logs downriver) and its shortfalls (logjams and winter freezes). Frank King traces this rich history from its beginnings in 1886 to the railroads' disappearance around 1937 when the last of the giant sawmills closed down. King profiles every logging railroad in Minnesota and examines all aspects of their operations, including locomotives such as the geared Shays and Heislers, McGiffert log loaders, Russel log cars, dump trestles, hot ponds, logging camp life, railroad finances, and the impact on communities as timber supplies ran out and lumbering and sawmill operations shut down, causing thousands to lose their jobs. Heavily illustrated throughout, Minnesota Logging Railroads contains maps, photographs, postcards, engineering drawings, and railroad memorabilia such as timetables, passes, fare receipts, and freight tariffs. The appendixes comprehensively list the state's logging railroads, locomotive rosters, and railroad and lumber company names.

A collection of current and historical photographs and topological maps of local railways in Oregon's Central Coast Range in Benton and Lincoln counties and the timber harvest areas that the railroads served as well as essays on the logging companies involved.