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 j to | 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. They are hewed on the inner face to 
reduce friction on the wheel flange and are laid with the 
butts all in one direction, the top of one pole being lap-jointed 
to the butt of the following one. When they 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 
at frequent intervals by stakes driven close to them on the out- 
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