Re: Particle Board Plant Storing A&MR 44 Tonner Closed/Sold
Author: SP5103
Date: 12-25-2011 - 18:52
Export your raw materials/resources AND import finished goods. Our economy seems to now be based on selling each other hamburgers and goods imported from China.
I worked for EUKA for a very short time, and here is what I can recall. The Arcata local went to work at Korlex each evening, heading first to Blue Lake. We threw fusees out at the crossings to keep someone from broadsiding the train. Simpson loaded cars on a short runaround around the corner from the mill at Korbel. There was another mill below Blue Lake we switched on our way home. At Korbles, there was Costa Trucking (reload lumber), then Flakeboard was good for a few cars. We left our train at the wye and headed to Emerson's mill. We would shove the loads up on the bridge, then the engineer would get the engine in the clear at Emersons, then the conductor would gravity drop the cars by - hopefully stopping before the hiway crossing. Didn't usually have any reason to go further except for a rare car of pulp.
Back to the wye, picked up the train, maybe pull an empty car of propane. next stop was Bracut, always good for a couple cars, maybe pull some cement empties just before Eureka. You would meet the Scotia local in Eureka yard and trade trains. After some swithing to blok your train, head back towards Korblex - maybe spotting cement loads (another gravity drop), propane or some empties. If you didn't have enough empties to respot everyone as you pulled loads, they might have to call an extra board crew to make a Blue Lake turn in the morning.
The Scotia local would leave Scotia after some switching to reblock the train. PALCO had a plant in Fortuna to switch. There was some kind of mill just south of Eureka yard. They usually got to Eureka first, so would spot the transload cars in the yard, and maybe work the cement spur. On the way back, Eel River sawmill was always good for a few cars. The rest was hit and miss - maybe a trip up the Van Duzen or carload of butter from the creamery. They would work the PALCO interchange at Scotia and have the train assembled. Road jobs went to work Monday-Saturday at Scotia and Willits. The Willits crew would pull loads and some empty cars off the short yard tracks in front of the depot, but most cars came of 42 track. The road crews would meet at Island Mountain and trade trains, which was complicated because one or both trains would not fit the siding. The only other track was a skeleton spur, good for empties but not loads. Some interesting switching moves. After getting back to Willits, the train would leave the cars on the Combs track and wye the engine.
#70 worked out of Korblex, but a trip up the Annie and Marie I would nickname the restles "snap, crackle and pop". One of the 38s could handle 20 cars if I remember, more than that you got a second unit (if available). The sand train to Fields Landing would be worked by the extra board during the day using a 38. If all the 38s were tied up or down, they would have to get the #70.
If the passenger train ran, the crews still changed trains at Island Mountain, with loads still coming south. On Sunday, the empties that would have normally been north on Saturday moved north on Sunday, with the passenger train heading back south.
In reality, there were so many derailments that the schedule was usually some version of playing catch up. I don't recall any customers between Scotia and Willits - exept for some MOW moves.