CHAPTER XVII 

 FOREST RAILROADS 



POLE ROADS 



Pole roads were formerly used by lumbermen because the 

 material for construction could be secured on the operation at 

 no expense except for labor and stumpage but they are primitive 

 in character and are now seldom used except on an occasional 

 small operation where sawed wooden rails or steel rails cannot 

 be secured at reasonable cost. Animals are used as draft power, 

 although on down grades the cars may descend by gravity under 

 control of a brakeman. Pole roads are seldom built for dis- 

 tances greater than from 2 to 2§ miles. 



A 25-foot right-of-way is required from which all brush must 

 be removed and stumps grubbed out or cut level with the ground. 

 The grade is then established. Turnouts for returning teams 

 are provided at intervals of from | to f of a mile. On a track 

 of this character, ascending grades greatly decrease the hauling 

 ability of animals. The maximum grade for loaded cars hauled 

 by two animals is 1.5 per cent. Where eight horses are used 

 trams with 15 per cent ascending grades on the route to the woods 

 and 3 per cent ascending grades for loaded cars en route to the 

 mill have been used successfully. 



The roads have a gauge of 5 or 6 feet, and the rails are long, 

 straight poles from 9 to 12 inches in diameter, with as little 

 taper as can be secured. The poles are hewed on the inner face 

 to reduce friction on the wheel flange. They are laid with the 

 butts all in one direction, the top of one pole being lap- jointed 

 to the butt of the following one. Where the poles are not of the 

 same size at the joint they are hewed down until the car wheels 

 can pass over them readily. 



On a hard bottom the poles are laid directly on the ground 

 and are ballasted to make an even track. They are braced 



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