More Info →Logging Train

A traction engine hauling felled trees. This traction engine [ see 2014N_Stu4_009085] has been temporarily converted to run on rails. The large back wheels have been removed and a chain taken from the drive gear via chain to the wheels of the rear bogie. This bogie, like the one replacing the traction engine’s front axle, is made from heavy beams of wood to which plain metal bearings have been fixed. This arrangement suggests a solution necessitated by a lack of engineering workshops in the area, as rail bogies were normally made from iron or steel. The rails themselves are timber and unlikely to last more than a season’s felling. After the job was done the traction engine would be jacked up and the original wheels replaced after which the owner could go back to regular contract work.