SAGINAW AND MANISTEE, NORTH CHALLENDER LINE; ARTIFACTS ALONG THE LINE
SAGINAW AND MANISTEE, NORTH CHALLENDER LINE; ARTIFACTS ALONG THE LINE
Having mapped and compiled the locations of the Saginaw logging lines, it is always interesting to return and see what new items of interest I can find. The record snow fall has melted in the lower elevations, and early spring rains have washed away 100 years of soil, revealing artifacts from ages gone by. What items I find will be photographed, and safely placed in the area where they were slumbering.
One area that I frequently pass-by had a spur from the mainline; this has been difficult to locate with any accuracy. After the passage of over one-hundred years, most of the former roadbeds are covered by varying amounts of forest debris, usually a few inches to several feet in depth. The thousand-year storm which passed through the area a number of years ago also contributed to burying the remnants. On a recent visit the contours of the roadbed, coupled by exposed relics, have begun to unlock the secrets of this location.
The spur connected to the main North Chalender Line, forming what appears to be a long siding, before continuing on a meandering path through the forest. At or near this location where the two lines met, the two artifacts (pictured above) were found. The item on the left was a large part, machined and forged to be a piece of rolling stock, or a steam locomotive. More on this item later.
The item on the right was just as intriguing as its partner. Both were found next to each other, and by their location indicated where the turnout was placed on the main line. It was important that, after the images were taken, they were again safely placed where they were found.
This piece was rare, not fractured or damaged. A number of similar pieces have been found at or near where spurs connected with the main line. This would indicate that they were somehow associated with the turnout. Having only located broken pieces, it was first assumed to be part of the switch stand. The three holes were square in shape and indicated where the part was spiked to a tie. A very curious piece of hardware, but what was it used for?
The artifact on profile. The metalwork required some degree of sophisticated forming and shaping, either by a forge or at the hand of a skilled craftsman. To save time and labor, the metal would have been formed on a mold, then cut to shape.
Armed with this information and images collected in the field, it was time to do an internet search of turnouts used in the early 1900s. One of the most common was the stub-end switch, controlled by a switch stand, commonly a harp stand. After investigating a number of images and diagrams, I came to the conclusion that this was a common piece of trackwork used in a turnout. Note the curved end, the contour of which is a mirror image of the profile of a rail. This piece was spiked on the tie, supporting and holding the rail, thus reducing the tendency of the rail to roll-over.
Something simple as this provided me hours of research; who said industrial archeology was boring?
The second artifact provided its' own adventure. This piece was more complex in design, having curves and flat surfaces, grooves and bolt holes. It was becoming obvious that this was from a piece of rolling stock, or a locomotive. The groove and curved surfaces provided two clues, and the assumption was that this was a part of the brake rigging, possibly a shoe hanger. Having two bolt holes was a bit of a mystery, as most brake rigging was hung freely inside the frame of a four-wheeled, two-axle truck.
You can see the distinctive line where two molds fitted together, so that the piece could be formed from molten iron poured into the mold. Casting meant that this was not a one-off piece, but one that necessitated replication. Evidently, it would require replacing at regular intervals, or was something that was subject to abuse and wear.
The next stop in my research project was to visit the Grand Canyon Railway Station complex, located in Williams, Arizona. The complex has a number of steam locomotives on display, and several pieces of rolling stock such as a caboose and passenger car. One such display item that has proved useful in the past, is the large Shay locomotive. Shays were a patented design, with the unique qualities of a geared drive train to each of the axles, powered by several vertical cylinders. The Shay design remained basically the same throughout the production history, with occasional changes due to varying sizes or a more efficient part design. If you purchased an early version, or a later version, the basic design was the same due to the patent rights (when the patent rights expired, another shay design was built by the Willamette Iron Works in Portland, Oregon. This was commonly called "The Willamette." I digress, but it is an interesting study by itself.) All of this is to say that if you wanted a bigger Shay, they just made a bigger part. A simplistic, but reasonably accurate concept.
Another image of the rear truck brake assembly. You can just see how the brake shoe fits into the holder, and a metal pin slides into the grooved parts, holding it in place (okay, not the best description, but you just have to come to Williams to see it. Maybe someday I will do an engineering diagram, but don't wait on it...)
The following three images show the front brake assembly, the shoe hangar and the brake shoe. Instead of sliding onto the brake beam, this assembly bolts onto the piece. The hangar is in two pieces; our artifact would be in the lower location, holding the shoe. You can decide for yourself, but it appears that this relic from the past is from the brake rigging of a steam locomotive, and not having a rod driven steam engine for comparison, could very well be from a Shay.
I can only imagine that the engine rolled off of the rail and impacted the ground in such a way that this part fractured. This was not uncommon in the woods. For the crew, Shays were very robust, and they often carried additional parts on the engine. They removed the part, replaced it, then continued on their way. Such was their daily life on a logging railroad, one-hundred years ago.
For comparison, the following images detail the brake shoe rigging on a caboose, on display at the Grand Canyon Railway Station, Williams, Arizona.
A two axled, four-wheel caboose truck.
Two close-up views of the brake shoe and hangar. Note that there are significant differences to the overall design, when compared to the artifact. This provides additional support to the conclusion that the artifact is off of a steam locomotive, more than likely an early version of the Shay locomotive.
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