LUMBEEING IIST PINE REGION" OF CALIFORNIA, 87 



haul all downgrade is about $8 per 1,000. The rote for a haul of 

 3§ miles is $1.50 per 1,000. These charges are for air-dried lumber. 

 Loading and unloading is not included in these rates. The saw- 

 mill operator consequently maintains a crew in his mill yard to load 

 the wagons, and another crew at the railroad to unload them. Many 

 small concerns load the cars directly from the wagons. Others 

 maintain a small yard alongside the loading spur. 



TRACTION HAULS. 



Lumber from a few of the larger circular mills is delivered to the 

 railroad by means of traction engines similar to those employed in 

 hauling logs. The trucks are much lighter, however, being merely 

 heavy wagons in some instances. Several trucks are hauled at one 

 time. The direct cost is considerably less than for hauling with 

 horses, but the investment involved is much greater and there is 

 much more risk of delay through breakdowns and inclement weather. 

 On the whole the method serves very weU for mills with a moderate 

 output where road conditions are satisfactory. With a large output 

 and consequent heavy traffic it is practically impossible to keep the 

 road in satisfactory condition. 



LUMBER RAILROADS. 



The most satisfactory method of delivering lumber from the mUl 

 to the trunk railroad is by means of a lumber-carrying raihoad. AU 

 new mills employ this means of transportation wherever the amount 

 of timber is sufficient to justify the investment. Whenever one of 

 the trunk roads can not be induced to build a branch line it is neces- 

 sary ioT the lumber operator to construct the road. 



Operators prefer to build and operate such lines as private roads in 

 order to avoid certain State regulations as to common carriers. 

 However, in order to secure rights of way it is frequently necessary 

 to make them common carriers. In practically all cases standard 

 gauge is preferred because foreign cars can then be loaded at the 

 mUl. In fact, the only chcumstance under which a narrow gauge can 

 be considered is when the lumber-drying yard can not be located at 

 th(; sawmill. Even then the necessity of transferring all suppli(^s 

 and (equipment to narrow-gauge cars before delivery at the mill 

 makes the desirability of a narrow gauge doubtful. 



Tiie layout and cost of construction of lumber roads are about the 

 same as for logging raUroads. J number railroads are generally of 

 longer life than logging roads, and the constniction can therefore bo 

 more permanent. The use; of rod <'iigines with heavy trains is usually 

 j>rovid('(l for in laying out the road. In cons('([uenc(^, t.ho maximum 

 grades are '.i or 4 per cent for cinply trains and I or 2 per cent for 

 loaded trains, ('urves an; ordinafily not over from l() t,o 20 degHMss. 



